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Profiles
A debate on who the best player in the National Hockey League was during the 90's could drag on for days. Los Angeles Kings' superstar Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, the heart and soul of the Pittsburgh Penguins, were not only the top two players in the game at the time but arguably of all-time as well.
But if an award was presented to the most complete player in the NHL, chances are neither Gretzky nor Lemieux would be able to add it to his trophy collection. That's because the recipient would most likely be Toronto Maple Leafs' center Doug Gilmour. The 5-foot-11, 172-pounder is a coach's delight. Gilmour, who played 25 NHL seasons, is not only a force to be reckoned with offensively but a faithful disciple of defensive responsibilities as well.
Gilmour, who previously played for the St. Louis Blues and Calgary Flames, had a career season in 1992-93. He set Toronto club records for most assists (95) and most points (127) in one season. And in the playoffs, he led the Maple Leafs to the semi-final round before being ousted in seven games by Gretzky's Kings. Though he didn't capture the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player last season � an award many thought he should have won � Gilmour was the recipient of the Frank J. Selke Trophy, presented to the league's top defensive forward.
That's not too shabby, especially for a player many pro scouts deemed too small to play in the big leagues. Gilmour, 30, was selected relatively late, 134th over-all, by St. Louis in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft. He spent his first five pro seasons with St. Louis before moving on to Calgary. Gilmour then spent the next three-and-a-half years with the Flames before being traded to Toronto on January 2, 1992 in a blockbuster 10-player deal, the largest in NHL history. No doubt the Maple Leafs and their fans are hoping Toronto is Gilmour's final NHL stop.
While growing up most kids who play hockey dream of winning the Stanley Cup. One of the long-standing traditions when you win the cup is to hoist the trophy and do several victory laps on the ice, passing it from teammate to teammate. But in 1989, when you won the cup as a member of the Calgary Flames, you decided not to lift the trophy during the on-ice celebrations. Can you explain this action?
At the time we had had a really long year. I was just glad it was all over. I made up my mind beforehand that I didn't want to hold the trophy then. I wasn't upset with anybody. I just figured I would hopefully be able to experience this again later in my career. Whether this goal is reachable, we'll have to wait and see. But I don't regret my decision back then at all.
Off the ice, you seem to be a pretty easy going guy. Perhaps a bit out of character, you decided to walk out on the Flames' organization when they refused to renegotiate your contract. Why did you do so?
It wasn't just the issue of the contract. I was more concerned about what my future relations with the team were. My future there was bleak and they told me that. It was time for me to move on. I had heard a rumor through the grapevine and then Calgary coach's Doug Riseborough told me there was one team in the league which was really interested in me. I of course knew who that was. So by doing what I did, I guess I forced the trade. It's one of the reasons why I decided to do what I did.
Cliff Fletcher was the general Manager in Calgary when you were there. And he's the one who brought you to Toronto in a trade. How would you describe your relationship with him?
When I was in St. Louis, he's the one that brought me to Calgary. And what else can I say about the guy. He runs a first-class team, from the ownership, to the coaching staff right down to the players.
It wasn't until last season, your 10th in the NHL, that fans around the league started to realize how good of a player you were. Why do you think it took so long?
When I broke into the league with St. Louis, they wanted me to concentrate on my defensive play. And when I was playing in Calgary, we always shared the point production. It was never the same guy who would be the highest point-getter every year, we all shared the attention and I didn't mind that.
Last season you scored a career high of 127 points. Did you think it was a bit funny though when you won the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the top defensive forward in the league?
I can't explain that. It was the writers who voted on that. It's something I didn't vote upon so that's a tough one to answer. But I did obviously have my best offensive year and they said I was the best defensive player. I won't whine over that.
About the middle of last year people started saying you had a good chance to win the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player. In the end, you were the runner-up for the award behind Mario Lemieux. Were you disappointed at not winning this trophy?
No. Going into the year if anybody had said I would have been up for the Hart Trophy, obviously I would have said I don't think I have a chance at it. Mario went through a lot last year [he was diagnosed as having Hodgkin's disease] but he came back, won the scoring championship and obviously did a few things right.
Pat Burns has often been described as a no-nonsense type coach. What do you think of your current coach?
You guys in the media know what he's all about. I've said it in the past that if you go out and work hard under his system, you'll have good results. And if you go out and work hard and lose, he's not going to be disappointed with you. He'll be disappointed with the loss.
Can you compare Pat Burns to other coaches you've had in the NHL?
No. I think everybody has his own unique style. Pat has a great attitude in that if you take care of your own zone, everything else will take care of itself. It's a simple style but it works. Everybody saw how far it got us last year.
Because you grew up in Kingston, Ontario, were you a Leaf fan?
I was a Leaf fan and I was a Bobby Orr fan as well. I never went to a game at Maple Leaf Gardens though. But my favorite Leafs were Darryl Sittler and Lanny McDonald. When I started to think more about what I wanted to do in life, I became more of a Wayne Gretzky fan.
The people of Toronto love their sports. But they're not known for being among the louder fans around. Were you surprised at the reaction of the Leaf fans last season during your successful playoff run?
No, not really. When I played in St. Louis, we played here a couple of times in the playoffs and they got awful loud then. I think the fans were excited all of last season, from the regular season to the playoffs.
Were you surprised the team advanced to the Stanley Cup semi-finals?
I think you always have to have a little bit of luck on your side. But with a little bit of hard work and a never-give-up attitude, you can accomplish anything.
Do you have any game-day superstitions?
Not really. It's not as if I eat the same thing every day of a game. But the day before a game I always eat pasta. The day of a game I'll eat anything except food that's greasy. Well, I guess I do have a bit of a superstition. I always put on the right side of my equipment before I put on my left side. I've been doing that since my junior days.
Most youngsters that play hockey dream about a career in the NHL. When did you seriously start thinking you could make it?
I guess when I was in junior. You realize you've made it this far and if you keep working hard, the NHL is the next step.
In your draft year, you were selected in the seventh round even though you had scored more than 100 points that season. Why do you think you were drafted so late?
My size. It's the same thing with other players every year. If you're not a big guy, you tend to be overlooked no matter what you do on the ice. Because I was drafted late though, I think that just made me work that much harder.
Because you were drafted fairly late, did you think you might have to spend some time in the minors?
I don't think I felt that. At that time, I was still in junior and I had another year of junior left. I felt I could go back and prove to them I could play.
As it turned out, you managed to step into St. Louis' lineup right out of junior. Were you confident you could do that?
I went into a situation in St. Louis where they didn't have a draft year at all that year. The ownership was trying to sell the club then and they didn't send anybody to the draft. Not that it really mattered though because they didn't have a pick in the first, second or fourth rounds that year.
Though you were a high-scoring junior, when you got to St. Louis they asked you to concentrate more on your defensive play. Did you mind that?
Not at all. They had a couple other guys that could score then and I knew I needed to work on my defensive play. By working on my defense, it's helped to make me the player I am today. So I can't complain about that.
Who would you say is the toughest opposing player you face in the NHL?
I don't really have one. I think they're all tough.
What about the toughest team to face?
Again, they're all tough. But divisional teams are the toughest.
Having already won a Stanley Cup, what's left for you to accomplish in your NHL career?
The Stanley Cup is obviously the goal for any NHL player. After winning a Cup though, you don't want to say you've accomplished everything. I've still got other goals. I want to win a Cup here in Toronto. So I say I haven't accomplished anything yet.
Sam Laskaris is a freelance sportswriter in Toronto
This first appeared in the January/1994 issue of Hockey
Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2003, Hockey Player® LLC and Hockey
Player Magazine®
Posted: May 9, 2006, 11:33
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