Doug Gilmour

Douglas Robert Gilmour (born June 25, 1963) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for seven different teams. Gilmour was a seventh round selection, 134th overall, of the St. Louis Blues at the 1982 NHL entry draft and recorded 1,414 points in 1,474 games in the NHL between 1983 and 2003. A two-time All-Star, he was a member of Calgary's 1989 Stanley Cup championship team and won the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL's best defensive forward in 1992–93. Internationally, he represented Canada three times during his career and was a member of the nation's 1987 Canada Cup championship team.

Gilmour was nicknamed "Killer" by a Blues teammate possibly due to his having the same last name as serial killer Gary Gilmore (though others have attributed it to his physical style of play despite his small stature). He played three seasons of junior hockey for the Cornwall Royals where he was a member of their Memorial Cup championship team in 1981. In 1982–83, Gilmour was named the most outstanding player in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) after he scored 177 points, one of the highest totals in league history. Gilmour returned to the OHL following his playing career as he joined the Kingston Frontenacs as head coach in 2008 and was promoted to general manager in 2011. Gilmour was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2011 and his uniform number 93 is retired by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Early life Doug Gilmour was born June 25, 1963, in Kingston, Ontario. He is the younger son of Don and Dolly Gilmour, and has an elder brother, David. Don was a correctional officer who worked at the Kingston Penitentiary for over three decades. He also coached youth baseball and hockey teams in the city.

Gilmour's small size – he stood five feet, nine inches tall and weighed 140 pounds in junior hockey – resulted in his being cut from several teams throughout his minor hockey career. Originally a defenceman, Gilmour began his 16-year-old season (1979–80) in Junior B with his hometown Kingston Voyageurs. Given only three minutes of ice time per game, he asked the team for his release so that he could return to Major Midget hockey where he would get more ice time. Instead, he was offered a spot with the Junior A Belleville Bulls, with whom he began as a defenceman but shifted to left wing during the playoffs due to injuries. and Gilmour was not expected to play a significant role with the team. The Royals started him off as an offensive defenceman, but moved him to forward permanently. In the QMJHL, Gilmour's season was interrupted by a broken collarbone. The Royals won the QMJHL championship and earned a berth in the 1981 Memorial Cup. Gilmour recorded seven points in five games at the tournament.

Though eligible for the 1981 NHL entry draft, Gilmour went unselected and returned to Cornwall, who had shifted to the OHL for the 1981–82 season. NHL teams continued to dismiss Gilmour due to his size, but the St. Louis Blues gambled on him in the 1982 NHL entry draft by selecting him with their seventh round pick, 134th overall. Gilmour won the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy as the leading scorer, Gilmour had a 55-game point streak that lasted from October 19, 1982, until February 27, 1983, and which remains an OHL record. He began the 1983–84 season in St. Louis and made his NHL debut on October 4, 1983, against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Gilmour scored his first goal on November 1, in his 12th game, against Eddie Mio of the Detroit Red Wings.

Gilmour's offensive performances were consistent in his following two seasons. He recorded 57 points in 1984–85 and 53 points in 1985–86. His offensive breakout continuing into the 1986–87 season, Gilmour led the Blues and finished fifth overall in NHL scoring with 105 points; his 42 goals was the highest single-season total of his career. The Blues were also accused of pretending to negotiate a payment while attempting to trade Gilmour without informing the other team of the allegations. One week later, on September 6, the Blues traded Gilmour to the Flames in a multi-player deal. Gilmour, Mark Hunter, Steve Bozek and Michael Dark were sent to Calgary in exchange for Mike Bullard, Craig Coxe, and Tim Corkery. Bozek, however, was traded to the Vancouver Canucks that same day. Gilmour expressed disappointment at leaving the Blues, but stated that "from what has happened the past week, on our part and on the St. Louis Blues' part, it was our best solution."

Calgary Flames Gilmour's legal situation progressed throughout the early part of the 1988–89 NHL season as he began his career with the Flames: He and his wife countersued his accusers for slander and libel in October, and a grand jury was convened to investigate whether criminal charges were warranted. Gilmour denied the allegations and by the end of the year, the grand jury chose not to indict Gilmour. The lawsuit was dropped shortly after, and Gilmour stated that he was moving on from the ordeal.

On the ice, Gilmour tied with Håkan Loob for second in team scoring with 85 points, behind Joe Mullen's 110 as the Flames won the Presidents' Trophy as the top regular season team in the NHL. Gilmour played a pivotal role in the Flames' run to the 1989 Stanley Cup Final; he was particularly effective in Calgary's second round series against the Los Angeles Kings where he scored or assisted on key goals in three of the four games while playing an effective role in preventing the Kings' star Wayne Gretzky from establishing his own offensive game. Gilmour recorded 11 goals and 11 assists in 22 games during the Flames' playoff run.

Early in the 1989–90 season, Gilmour was again part of goal-scoring history. He scored a shorthanded goal with 15 seconds remaining in regulation time, followed four seconds later by teammate Paul Ranheim. The two goals salvaged an 8–8 tie in the October 17, 1989, contest against the Quebec Nordiques. It tied an NHL record for fastest two goals by one team (since broken), and remains the record for fastest two shorthanded goals. The Flames named Gilmour one of the team's captains for the 1990–91 season, a year in which he surpassed 600 games and 600 points for his career.

An off-season salary dispute with Flames' general manager Doug Risebrough carried into the 1991–92 season. Gilmour, who was playing the option year of his contract at a salary of US$450,000 was unable to reach a deal with the team on an extension. The dispute went to arbitration where the Flames offered a raise to $550,000 while he asked for $1.2 million and was expecting a settlement worth around $800,000. The arbitrator's decision, made in December 1991, amounted to $750,000 per season for two years, but left Gilmour angry and bitter. He alleged that executives with the team and league had tampered with the process – the arbitrator attended a Flames game with team management on the night before the hearing, while NHL President John Ziegler sent a letter to the arbitrators. Gilmour, who remained active with the Flames throughout the process, had scored 38 points in 38 games. Following the decision, he requested a trade out of Calgary and threatened legal action. Gilmour led the Flames to a 3–2 overtime victory over the Montreal Canadiens with a goal and an assist on New Year's Eve then walked out on the club on January 1, 1992. He later called the choice to walk away from the team to be one of the toughest decisions he had ever made.

The following day, Calgary dealt Gilmour to the Toronto Maple Leafs as part of a ten player swap, the largest trade in NHL history. Calgary sent Gilmour, Jamie Macoun, Ric Nattress, Kent Manderville and Rick Wamsley to Toronto in exchange for Gary Leeman, Craig Berube, Michel Petit, Alexander Godynyuk and Jeff Reese. The deal altered the trajectory of both franchises as Gilmour immediately revitalized the Maple Leafs while the Flames franchise entered a long decline after the deal that was immediately judged to have ended in Toronto's favour.

Toronto Maple Leafs Within a month of the trade, Gilmour and the Maple Leafs agreed to a new contract that was reported to be worth $4 million over four years. however recorded 20 of those victories in the second half of the season following the trade. Gilmour scored 49 points for Toronto, and finished the year with 87 points combined between the Flames and Maple Leafs. but was also subject to a controversial suspension during the year. The league suspended Gilmour for eight practice days – but no games – after he broke Tomas Sandström's forearm with a slash. and posted their first winning season since 1978–79.

In the 1993 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Gilmour broke the team scoring record by scoring 35 points as Toronto reached the Campbell Conference Final. The sixth game of the series, against the Los Angeles Kings, ended in controversy. Toronto led the series three games to two and one additional victory would have put the Maple Leafs into the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1967. In the first minute of overtime with the score tied 4–4, Gilmour was cut on his chin for eight stitches after he was struck by Wayne Gretzky's stick. League rules of the time mandated that player who caused an injury via a high-sticking infraction be assessed a five-minute penalty, however referee Kerry Fraser made no call on the play, even after conferring with his linesmen. Instead, Gretzky remained on the ice and scored the game-winning goal seconds later. Gretzky then led Los Angeles to a game seven victory that eliminated Toronto from the playoffs.

Gilmour recorded his third career 100-point season in 1993–94 as he finished fourth in NHL scoring with 111 points. He finished fourth in post-season scoring with 28 points as the Maple Leafs again reached the Western Conference Final before losing to the Vancouver Canucks. Gilmour finished fourth in Hart Trophy voting and second in Selke trophy voting.

The Maple Leafs named Gilmour the 15th captain in franchise history on August 18, 1994, as he succeeded Wendel Clark, who was traded to the Quebec Nordiques in the off-season. The 1994–95 season was delayed by a labour dispute. The stoppage prompted several players to sign temporarily with European teams. Gilmour signed in Switzerland and joined the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers in November 1994. He appeared in nine games with the National League A team and scored two goals to go along with 13 assists before returning to Canada. Gilmour returned to the Maple Leafs when the NHL's dispute was resolved; in 44 games with Toronto, he had 10 goals and 23 assists. Ultimately, one day after the contract leaked online, on October 6, 2001, Gilmor signed a one-year, $1.8 million (not including incentives) contract with the Montreal Canadiens, with a club option for a second year at $2 million. Montreal was looking to bolster centre-depth, being considered weak at the position following the cancer diagnosis of Saku Koivu. The Canadiens would trade Gilmour to the playoff bound Maple Leafs for a sixth-round draft pick at the 2003 NHL trade deadline. Gilmour's first game with the Leafs turned out to be his last as he and the Calgary Flames Dave Lowry collided inadvertently during Gilmour's second shift, with Gilmour tearing his ACL and missing the remainder of the season. At 40 years old, Gilmour officially announced his retirement on September 8, 2003, still facing possibly months of rehabilitation for his spring ACL tear and after new Maple Leafs general manager John Ferguson Jr. made a public announcement that the Maple Leafs would not re-sign the veteran centre. Gilmour became the seventeenth player to be honoured in such a way by the Maple Leafs. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011. On October 15, 2016, Gilmour's number 93 was retired by the Maple Leafs, along with all other honoured numbers also being retired.

Coaching career

Toronto Maple Leafs/Toronto Marlies (AHL) On September 15, 2006, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced that Gilmour would become their player development advisor. Gilmour held that position with the Leafs until August 7, 2008, when the Maple Leafs announced that Gilmour would join the Toronto Marlies, the Leafs American Hockey League affiliate, as an assistant coach under Marlies head coach Greg Gilbert. Gilmour held that position for only a few months before leaving the Maple Leafs' organization to become the head coach of the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL in November 2008.

Kingston Frontenacs

Gilmour was named head coach of the Kingston Frontenacs on November 17, 2008, taking over a rebuilding club that had a 5–13–5 record under Larry Mavety, who had coached Gilmour with the Belleville Bulls when the Bulls were still in the OPJHL. Gilmour finished out the season with Kingston with a 13–27–5 record in their last 45 games and the team failed to make the playoffs.

In his first full season with the club in 2009–10, Gilmour helped guide the team back into the OHL playoffs, as Kingston recorded a 33–30–5 record, earning 71 points, good enough for second place in the OHL's East Division, and fourth place in the OHL's Eastern Conference. The Frontenacs faced the Brampton Battalion in the first round of the playoffs, which Brampton won in seven games. After the season, Gilmour signed to a five-year contract extension with the Frontenacs.

In 2010–11, the Frontenacs slipped under the .500 level during the regular season, going 29–30–9, earning 67 points, but still made the playoffs. In their first round match up against the Oshawa Generals, Kingston struggled and the Generals eliminated them in five games. At the conclusion of the season, Gilmour left the Frontenacs' head coaching position to become the team's general manager, replacing good friend Larry Mavety, who became an advisor to the club. Former Maple Leafs teammate Todd Gill was selected to replace Gilmour behind the Frontenacs bench.

As general manager of the Frontenacs, Gilmour began to rebuild the club, as the club struggled to a 19–41–8 record during the 2011–12 season, finishing in last place in the Eastern Conference, well out of a playoff spot. Kingston saw some improvement during the 2012–13 season, as the team finished with a 27–35–6 record, earning 60 points, good for seventh place in the conference, and a playoff spot. The Frontenacs were swept in the first round against the Barrie Colts. The Frontenacs improved once again in the 2013–14 season, earning a record of 39–23–6, getting 84 points, and third place in the Eastern Conference. Kingston met the Peterborough Petes in the first round of the playoffs, and the team took a 3–0 lead in the best-of-seven series. The Petes made a comeback, winning the final four games of the series, to eliminate the Frontenacs.

He stepped down as general manager and became the president of the Frontenacs in 2017. In 2019, he left the team to become a community representative for the Maple Leafs.

Personal life Gilmour has been married three times and has four children. His daughter Maddison (now married to hockey player Evan McGrath) is from his first marriage to Robyne Gilmour; sons Jake and Tyson from his second marriage to Amy Gilmour; and daughter Victoria with his current wife, Sonya Gilmour.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1980–81 Cornwall Royals QMJHL 51 12 23 35 35 19 8 13 21 6 1981–82 Cornwall Royals OHL 67 46 73 119 42 5 6 9 15 2 1982–83 Cornwall Royals OHL 68 70 107 177 62 8 8 10 18 16 1983–84 St. Louis Blues NHL 80 25 28 53 57 11 2 9 11 10 1984–85 St. Louis Blues NHL 78 21 36 57 49 3 1 1 2 2 1985–86 St. Louis Blues NHL 74 25 28 53 41 19 9 12 21 25 1986–87 St. Louis Blues NHL 80 42 63 105 58 6 2 2 4 16 1987–88 St. Louis Blues NHL 72 36 50 86 59 10 3 14 17 18 1988–89 Calgary Flames NHL 72 26 59 85 44 22 11 11 22 20 1989–90 Calgary Flames NHL 78 24 67 91 54 6 3 1 4 8 1990–91 Calgary Flames NHL 78 20 61 81 144 7 1 1 2 0 1991–92 Calgary Flames NHL 38 11 27 38 46 — — — — — 1991–92 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 40 15 34 49 32 — — — — — 1992–93 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 83 32 95 127 100 21 10 25 35 30 1993–94 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 83 27 84 111 105 18 6 22 28 42 1994–95 Rapperswil-Jona Lakers NDA 9 2 13 15 16 — — — — — 1994–95 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 44 10 23 33 26 7 0 6 6 6 1995–96 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 81 32 40 72 77 6 1 7 8 12 1996–97 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 61 15 45 60 46 — — — — — 1996–97 New Jersey Devils NHL 20 7 15 22 22 10 0 4 4 14 1997–98 New Jersey Devils NHL 63 13 40 53 68 6 5 2 7 4 1998–99 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 72 16 40 56 56 — — — — — 1999–00 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 63 22 34 56 51 — — — — — 1999–00 Buffalo Sabres NHL 11 3 14 17 12 5 0 1 1 0 2000–01 Buffalo Sabres NHL 71 7 31 38 70 13 2 4 6 12 2001–02 Montreal Canadiens NHL 70 10 31 41 48 12 4 6 10 16 2002–03 Montreal Canadiens NHL 61 11 19 30 36 — — — — — 2002–03 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — — NHL totals 1,474 450 964 1,414 1,301 182 60 128 188 235

International

Year Team Event GP G A P PIM 1981 Canada WJC 5 0 0 0 0 1987 Canada CC 8 2 0 2 4 1990 Canada WC 9 1 4 5 18 Junior totals 5 0 0 0 0 Senior totals 17 3 4 7 22

Coaching record

Awards and honours Ontario Hockey League Award Year Ref. Memorial Cup champion 1981 Red Tilson TrophyMost outstanding player 1983 Eddie Powers Memorial TrophyLeading scorer 1983 First team All-Star 1983

National Hockey League Award Year Ref. Stanley Cup champion 1989 Frank J. Selke Trophy 1993 NHL All-Star Game 1993, 1994 Sarnia (OHL) franchise record most points, single season 177, 1982–83 Toronto franchise record most assists, single season 95, 1992–93 Toronto franchise record most points, single season 127, 1992–93