Doug Gilmour

Lore & Background

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.

In Their Own Story

The arena was half-empty in the third warmup, the kind of quiet that only exists before the storm breaks. Gilmour stood at the centre faceoff circle, stick dragging a thin arc in the ice, and watched the puck sit still. A young defenceman from the other team jogged past, muttering something about 'just a warmup.' Gilmour didn't look up. He tapped the puck once, twice, then flicked it up the boards with the back of his blade. It rolled, stopped, and sat perfectly at the blue line where his winger was already skating through. No words. No signal. The winger skated past, nodded once, and Gilmour was already skating the other way, his breath a thin white thread in the cold air. Around him, the stands were filling, the noise building like a tide. He laced his skates tighter, flexed his wrists, and waited for the horn. The game hadn't started. But in his mind, the first pass was already made.

Reader's Guide

Gilmour began his NHL career with the St. Louis Blues in 1983–84, scoring 25 goals and 53 points as a rookie. He led the Blues in scoring in 1986–87 with 105 points, finishing fifth in the NHL. He was traded to the Calgary Flames in 1988 and won the Stanley Cup with them in 1989. In 1992–93, he won the Frank J. Selke Trophy. He played for seven NHL teams total: St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, New Jersey Devils, Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres, and Montreal Canadiens.

Did You Know?

• Gilmour's 177 points in 1982–83 is the third highest single-season total in OHL history.
• He had a 55-game point streak in the OHL that remains a league record.
• Gilmour was a seventh-round pick, 134th overall, in the 1982 NHL entry draft.
• He tied for the league lead in playoff scoring in 1986 with 21 points despite the Blues not reaching the Stanley Cup Final.
• Gilmour's uniform number 93 is retired by the Toronto Maple Leafs.