Gary "Duke" Edmundson was born in Sexsmith, Alberta on May 6, 1932, and after two seasons with the Edmonton Athletic Club he graduated to the Regina Pats in 1950. The next season, "Duke" played junior hockey with the Kitchener Greenshirts, and by seasons end had made his National Hockey League debut with the Montreal Canadiens.
Seven full seasons would pass before Edmunson would again suit up for an NHL game. In between, his best years came in 1955-56 and 1956-57 when he was named to the International Hockey League's First, then Second All Star Teams.
In 1958-59, Edmundson joined the Springfield Indians of the American Hockey League. With the Indians, Edmundson scored 17 goals from his left wing position and totalled 44 points. That summer, the Indians, in an inter-league deal, traded Edmundson to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
With the Maple Leafs, Edmundson made his return to the NHL, playing 39 games in 1959-60, and registering his only NHL points with four goals and ten points. The following year, he played three more NHL games, but as a result of reporting to camp that fall forty pounds over his previous playing weight, he spent most of his time with the Rochester Americans.
The last three seasons of Edmundson's career were spent in the Western Hockey League with the San Francisco Seals. When the Seals tried to reassign Edmundson to the AHL during his third year, he refused, which signalled the end of his playing days.
