Doug Gilmour

Dougie Gilmour retires as a Leaf
Ian DenommeSports Editor Sept 10 2003
After 20 seasons in the National Hockey League, Doug Gilmour announced his retirement on Monday.
With the announcement came the end to an incredible career which started by being drafted in the seventh round of the NHL Draft in 1982. After five years in St. Louis and a stint in Calgary where he won the Stanley Cup, Gilmour was then dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 10-player blockbuster deal. I still remember that night.
It was Jan. 2, 1992 and I was eight years old. Everybody knew the trade was a big deal but nobody knew how big it would turn out to be and how it would change the entire franchise.
During his time in Toronto Gilmour rewrote the Maple Leafs record book and guided the team, almost single-handedly, closer to the Stanley Cup than they had been in 37 years.
Gilmour's style of play made him an instant fan favourite. He combined scoring touch with an unparalleled commitment to defense, along with his feistiness and heart. He always played bigger than the 5'11", 175 lb. he was generously listed.
Turning an otherwise dismal team into a Stanley Cup contender almost overnight made him even more appealing to fans and media. I share the same birthday as him, exactly 20 years apart, which made him even more of a hero to me. When I was 11-years old, I wrote Gilmour a letter inviting him to my birthday party.
He didn't show up.
However, I did get a letter back and an autographed picture. Few things in my life thus far compare to the excitement I felt when I got a letter in the mail in a Toronto Maple Leafs envelope.
Gilmour was so loved by Toronto fans that after he was traded in 1997 he was still adored. Even when playing for hated rivals the Montreal Canadians, Gilmour was loved in Toronto.
Although he was able to finish his career as a Maple Leaf it didn't end the way he wanted.
Hoping to be an integral part of a long Leafs Cup run, Gilmour's latest stay in Toronto ended after just under five minutes. In his first game back with the blue and white, Gilmour collided with Calgary's Dave Lowry.
The innocent looking collision ultimately ended his career. Instead of seeing Gilmour hoisting the Cup, our last images of him as a player are him crawling off the ice.
Gilmour's next stop will no doubt be the Hockey Hall of Fame. Over his 20 years, he averaged nearly a point a game. Gilmour finishes his career with 450 goals, 964 assists for 1,414 points in 1,474 games.
Gilmour was the saviour the team needed and he came along at the perfect time. After a decade of embarrassing seasons throughout the `80s, the Leafs needed the shot in the arm he gave them.
Were it not for some guy named Wayne Gretzky, the Leafs would've beat the Los Angeles King's in the 1993 Conference Final and gone on to win the Cup.
one fans memories of douggie gilmour

March 14, 2003
Doug Gilmour made my dreams come true
Meeting Leafs' star one of my most memorable moments
By Reeshma Sud
Imagine all your dreams coming true at age 13. On Oct. 25, 1994, mine did.
The day did not start well. My parents said we were going to a very important dinner with friends of theirs. Tomboy that I was, I dreaded putting on a dress. After a lot of yelling and screaming, I got ready and off we went.
We arrived at the Royal York Hotel where a table awaited. As I looked around the beautiful Imperial Room, I noticed a familiar face. I ran over to the bartender and asked him if the man was Mike Kitchen, assistant coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He looked at me as if I were crazy and said yes, it was. My heart began to pound.
Image from a dream come true: Reeshma meets Dougie I took a deep breath and slowly asked: “Is Doug Gilmour going to be here?” He said of course he was. He was the guest of honour.
Dazed, I walked back to my parents and told them the news. They began laughing and told me that we were at a Children’s Wish Foundation charity dinner and they had brought me here to meet my idol, Doug Gilmour.
I couldn’t believe it. I was Doug Gilmour’s biggest fan. I watched him play in every Leaf game. I knew everything about him; I had two of his jerseys and hundreds of his pictures. When the Leafs lost to the Los Angeles Kings in the playoffs, I cried for two days. Today, I was going to meet the man who meant the world to me.
Uh, about this dress …After absorbing what I had just been told, I began yelling at my parents for making me wear such an ugly dress on the most important day of my life. They told me I looked beautiful and not to worry.
As I sat and waited, my heart skipped a beat every time the door opened. After about half an hour, my dad got up to leave the table. He said something about going to the bathroom. Something told me to go along.
As we walked out the door, I began shaking and my dad had to grab my arm so I wouldn’t fall over. I was in shock. Doug Gilmour was about 10 feet away, talking to Bob Goodenow, president of the NHL Players’ Association. The media surrounded them as I silently waited, hoping to get a chance to talk to Gilmour. I turned my back because I didn’t want him to notice how nervous I was.
He was talking to MESuddenly, I heard someone say: “Would you like me to sign that for you?” Doug Gilmour was talking to me. Yes, I said. He asked me my name and signed my autograph book.
Then we had a picture taken together. He put his arm around me and smiled for the camera. I was in heaven. I had met my idol. I was on cloud nine.
I thanked him and he went inside. My dad and I just looked at each other and began smiling. We ran inside to tell my mom about our experience.
Gilmour signs a picture after utographing his game-worn Leaf jersey. As the night went on, all I could do was stare at Doug Gilmour. Born in Kingston, Ont., on June 25, 1963, he had done so much for the Leafs. After being traded from Calgary on Jan. 2, 1992, he played his heart out for Toronto every night and was a role model to many.
He was only 5-11, but played like he was 6-2. Whether he had a broken nose, or had to get needles in his ankles to freeze them so he could play, Gilmour was a dedicated Toronto Maple Leaf.
After dinner, there was a silent auction. I had my heart set on a Gilmour game-worn jersey and a Toronto Maple Leafs hockey stick signed by all the players.
I begged my dad to put in a bid. He wrote down $100. Well, of course, we had competition. A man bid $200. My dad wrote down $300, and the man raised the bid to $400. My dad went to $600; our adversary bid $650.
$900 or nothingMy dad was fed up. He wrote down $900 and walked off. After looking at that figure, our opponent left. I guarded that piece of paper with my life.
Finally, the papers were collected and I knew the jersey was mine. When they announced the winners, we had not only won the jersey, but also the signed stick. I couldn’t believe it. Neither could my dad.
Gilmour signed the jersey for me and expressed surprise that I had been in the bidding. Then I said good-bye and we left. The best day of my life would live in my heart forever.
General manager Cliff Fletcher eventually traded Gilmour on Feb. 25, 1997. I had heard the news through my Walkman, which I was secretly listening to in class because it was rumored he would go. I still remember hearing the words “Doug Gilmour has officially been traded to the New Jersey Devils.”
Tears for a tradeI ran out of my classroom crying. I called my parents to pick me up. When they did I begged them to take me to the airport so I could say good-bye, but they said I wouldn’t have been able to see him. I stayed home all night watching clips of him crying as he walked through Pearson Airport.
That day changed my view of hockey. I no longer felt the same connection with the sport because I felt it had betrayed me. How could someone who gave everything he had to a team be traded at the snap of a finger?“It’s all part of the game, Reeshma,” my dad kept telling me. “It’s all part of the business.”
My dad and I did go to see Gilmour play his first game against the Leafs. We got front-row seats and I made a huge sign saying I missed him. It hurt a lot to see him in a different uniform.
After New Jersey, he was traded to Chicago, then to Buffalo and then to Montreal. Gilmour was reportedly ready to retire, but decided to play for a couple more seasons. As this year’s trade deadline approached, he was rumored to be going to Dallas.
Back where he belongsOn March 11, 2003, I received a phone call.
“Can you believe it?’” my best friend said.
“Believe what?” I said.
“Doug Gilmour just got traded to Toronto.”
My heart skipped a beat, and my memory skipped back to Oct. 25, 1994, the day Doug Gilmour made my dream a reality.http://observer.thecentre.centennialcollege.ca/sports

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Doug Gilmour, C
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On June 27, 2006 Doug Gilmour was snubbed by the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Gilmour, 42, settled in the Toronto region after amassing 1,414 points in 1,474 NHL games.A quintessential Canadian pro, the native of Kingston, Ont., helped the Calgary Flames win the Stanley Cup in 1989, and he was named best defensive forward when he played for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1993. Gilmour played with such determination during his 20 years in the big league that his nickname was Killer.

He was the best player, pound for pound his october playing weight was 170 when the season started but it would get dangerously close to 160 by the time april rolled around. Dougie epitomizes how a small man can play at such a high level in the NHL. Dougie had a ferocity about him that belies his size. He played on the edge of rules, with a little late push here, a sneaky lilttle cuff there. On his best night Gilmour could get into a emotional zone that lifted him into a class with the all time NHL elite. You would see it in his first shift, if he theres an extra push of energy in his stride and if there was then you knew he would be a pain all night long and a force to be delat with. He was one of the few who was in the top five players in the league offensively and defensivley. Dougie needed to be hungry to thrive. He combined great vision and shifty skating to drive opponents nuts. Primarily a playmaker he needed wingers like Andreychuck or Wendel Clark to feed the puck too. When he wasn't attacking the opponents goal he was defending his own with relentless checking. He didn't just score big goals he scared the top players on every team. He was the heart and soul of Canadas team and became a national star and a beloved hockey legend. Gilmour was selected by St. Louis in the seventh round, 134th overall.. Still, Gilmour's size worried management in St. Louis so Gilmour found himself near the bottom of the team's depth chart at center, but a depleted roster allowed him to play on the fourth line as a defensive specialist and he returned to his checking ways. The Blues' captain, Brian Sutter, nicknamed Gilmour "Killer" for his intensity. Despite playing in a checking role he did score 50 points a yr during his first 3 seasons. Then during the 1986 playoffs he began to play a more open game notching 21 points in 19 games when the Blues came within a game of advancing to the Stanley Cup finals. The next season, 1986-87, he finished the regular schedule with a career-high 42 goals and 105 points and was selected to play for Team Canada in the Canada Cup. He scored two important goals in the series against the Soviet Union and was named the tournament's most valuable player. After another solid season in St. Louis, Gilmour was traded to the Calgary Flames at the beginning of the 1988-89 campaign. In Calgary, Gilmour continued his strong play in the playoffs, adding 22 points in 22 games as the Flames won the Stanley Cup in 1989. Gilmour scored the series-winning goal in game six of the finals against Montreal. Halfway through the 1991-92 season, Gilmour became increasingly disenchanted with his pay from the Flames and an arbitrator's decision that saw his salary increase less than he expected. He decided to leave the team, but only a few hours later he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a blockbuster deal involving 10 players, the largest trade in league history. (Traded to Tor by Cal - Jamie Macoun, Ric Nattress, Rick Wamsley Kent Manderville for Gary Leeman, Alex Godynyuk, Jeff Reese, Michel Petit & Craig Berube, Jan 2, 1992. )Gilmour played his best hockey with the Leafs. He was a pesky defensive forward who seemed fearless in his checking. Offensively, he was the focal point of an improving team, setting a franchise record with 127 points in his first full season with Toronto in 1992-93. He became only the second Leaf after Darryl Sittler to register over a hundred points in a season and also led the team to within a game of the Stanley Cup finals, placing second in playoff scoring and leading the league with 25 assists. Gilmour placed second to Mario Lemieux in the race for the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player and won the Selke Trophy as the top defensive forward, a remarkable achievement for a player with such offensive numbers. Gilmour had 111 points the next season, earning his 2nd consecutive spot in the All-Star Game. He once again led the Leafs to the semifinals in the playoffs. Gilmour was named the team captain in 1994-95 before the lockout shortened season and remained a popular player in Toronto even as the team began to struggle. When the Leafs went into rebuilding mode midway through the 1996-97 season, Gilmour was sent to the New Jersey.

He spent one full season with the defense oriented Devils and was signed as a free agent by the Chicago Blackhawks in the summer of 1998. In the spring of 2000, he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres. Where his productivity lacked and he contemplated retirement. Then signed on as a free agent with the Montreal Canadiens in October 2001.After Koivu was diagnosed with stomach cancer Gilmour was added in an effort to give some leadership and depth up the middle. On the day of his signing he vowed the Montreal Canadiens would make the playoffs.Gilmour soon became a consistent performer and was a symbol for the team who were short on talent but began to win hockey games on hard work.When the playoffs rolled around, the Canadiens were there thanks in no small part to the hard work and timely scoring of Gilmour down the stretch.But he would save his greatest performances for the spring. Spurred on by the emotional return of Koviu, the Canadiens took on the #1 seed Bruins and suddenly had two scoring lines.Gilmour would enjoy his last hurrah as an elite NHL player in that playoff series digging deep and carrying the team on his back, his timely scoring, ferocious leadership and never quit attitude helped the Canadiens upset the Bruins. Gilmour went on to play parts of two seasons with the Habs before he was dealt back to Toronto at the trading deadline in 2003. In his first game back with the Leafs, Gilmour injured his knee and his season and career came to an abrupt end. Over the course of his distinguished playing career, Gilmour registered 1414 points on the strength of 450 goals and 964 assists.

Career HighlightsThis will describe Dougie scoring his highlight goal from behind the net on curtis joseph and the Blue in the 93 playoffs.May 2, 93 Leafs vs blues at the Gardens. 2nd OT tied 1-1 Dougie had played 41 minutes already that night. "I was tired I wanted to nap. I was never so tired in my entire life" says doug. Despite his weariness he had enough fuel left in his fuselage to fake to his left, pivot 360 and slide the puck behind a thoroughly mesmirized curtis jospeh. "I've scored good goals and important goals but none were ever as good as that. I was back there for so long. I would go one way and they would follow me, then I would go the other way and they all continued to follow.I felt like I was running out of time not to mentioned I was tired" says Gilmour while describing the goal.Gilmour now writes a weekly hockey column for the Toronto Sun and can be seen at Leaf functions. Now well into retirement whenever he is on the ice at the ACC you can see the intensity in the man. Part of him still yearns to wear the blue and white on the ice one more time. Unfortunatley for us leaf fans the all the only place we will see dougie play is maybe old timers game or on our old vcr playersNHL Totals 1474 450 964 1414 1301 Playoff Totals 182 60 128 188 235 Frank J. Selke Trophy (1993) Played in NHL All-Star Game (1993, 1994) Dougie fits every criterion for a league MVP - Mark Howe

QuotesGilmour is a throw back. Doug is one of the best little men I have ever seen play the game. - Max McNabGilmour is the best player in the league at both ends.- Bob BerryDoug plays well in all game situations .He is tops at even strength, he works the powerplay and he kills penatlies. He deserves the money he is getting. - Ray BourqueDoug reminds me of dave keon. He is a tireless skater who gives it his all and never gets weary -Scotty BowmanHe was a becon of darkness, a combination of Gordie Howe and Jean Beliveau - taking over the game, killing penatlies,scoring the works. And we won! - Harry OrnestHe does everything well. He wins faceoffs, he's unselfish, he takes a hit to make a play, he has fantastic vision to go with a great pair of hands. On top of that he is tough- Adam OatesHe is a vicous little ba$%trd- a mean little tough guy. Didnt he break Tomas Sandstroms arm? - Don CherryI want to kiss Dougie - Don Cherry Got Milk ? - Doug Gilmourcredits :history of hockey and a inside hockey interview from 1993
http://youtube.com/watch?v=VUIWAJ20-4U&mode=related&search=
Jan 27, 2009 23:38 pm, Lance Hornby / General, 498 words Beware of Doug: Gilmour's greatest moments Doug Gilmour’s No. 93 will be honoured by the Leafs on Saturday. He didn’t lead them to a Cup, but came closer than anyone else since 1967. A scribe’s favourite memories:1. Jan. 2, 1992, when Cliff Fletcher made the 10-player deal with Calgary. We write that Fletcher ‘fleeced’ Calgary counterpart Doug Risebrough and a colleague scolds us for using such a strong word on a deal he thinks will break even.“I know these new guys well,” Fletcher said of the league record swap. “I would never make a deal of this magnitude if I wasn’t sure.”2. Gilmour’s uncanny ability to saucer passes to teammates in traffic. Almost everyone wanted to be on his line upon arrival and would converge on the net to feed at the trough.3. A starring role in the Leafs Are The Best video, amidst the wooden dance moves of his teammates and the jiggling models. Appearing with cow’s legs in a poster campaign for milk.4. An emaciated Gilmour playing 20-plus minutes every second night through three seven-game series in 1993.“Many times, he almost carried the team single-handedly on his back,” said Fletcher. “I thought he played the best hockey of his whole career those first 2 1/2 years he was a Leaf. The year we almost went to the final, he was the best player in the NHL over those whole 100 games.” 5. Coming off the ice, changing clothes and taking a tunnel under the room, through the Hot Stove and on to Carlton St. just minutes after a game. Reporters swore he wore a suit and tie under his Leaf sweater.6. A cameo playing for Rapperswill/Jona in Switzerland during the 1994-95 lockout. He was up 36 straight hours on the flight from Toronto to Zurich, went through two practices, two press conferences and a photo shoot and still had enough energy for a round of music trivia with the Toronto media at the hotel bar.7. A master practical joker, with Tie Domi usually his favourite target. On Halloween, he’d buy a pumpkin from a store across from the Gardens, jam Domi’s big helmet over it and put his friend’s name on it.8. The famous double OT goal on Curtis Joseph and the Blues in ‘93. The Leafs had played just 48 hours earlier and eliminated Detroit with Gilmour in on all four of those Game 7 goals. The Leafs had put 63 shots on Joseph to that point and scored just once. Into the second overtime, Gilmour went behind the Blues’ net and did the jitterbug, looking for an opening before going for a right side wraparound.“The longest game I’ve ever played in,” Gilmour said. “I couldn’t decide what side to come out of. I’d still be there if I hadn’t finally gone for it.”9. Playing much of the ‘94 playoffs with a bone chip in his ankle and requiring constant freezing of the foot.10. Trying to hold it together at the press conference when he was traded to the Devils.