Doug Gilmour

Did You Know?

• Gilmour was nicknamed 'Killer' by a Blues teammate, possibly due to sharing a last name with serial killer Gary Gilmore or because of his physical style of play despite his small stature.
• His daughter Maddison is married to hockey player Evan McGrath.
• Gilmour's uniform number 93 is retired by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Early life

Doug Gilmour was born June 25, 1963, in Kingston, Ontario, the younger son of Don and Dolly Gilmour. His father, a correctional officer at Kingston Penitentiary for over three decades, also coached youth baseball and hockey. As a youth, Gilmour looked up to his elder brother David, a professional hockey player drafted by the Vancouver Canucks who never played in the NHL. Gilmour played in the 1976 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Kingston. Standing five feet, nine inches and weighing 140 pounds in junior hockey, his small size led to being cut from several minor hockey teams. Originally a defenceman, he began his 16-year-old season in Junior B with the Kingston Voyageurs, then moved to the Junior A Belleville Bulls, shifting from defence to left wing during the playoffs.

Playing career

The Cornwall Royals of the QMJHL drafted Gilmour from Belleville, and he joined them for 1980–81. The defending Memorial Cup champions moved him from defence to forward permanently. He appeared in all five games at the 1981 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, scoring no points, as Canada finished seventh. His season was interrupted by a broken collarbone; he finished with 35 points in 51 games.

The Royals won the QMJHL championship and the 1981 Memorial Cup, with Gilmour scoring the winning goal in the final. Unselected in the 1981 NHL draft, he returned to Cornwall, now in the OHL, and led the team offensively with 119 points in 67 games. The St. Louis Blues selected him in the seventh round, 134th overall, of the 1982 NHL entry draft. Returned to Cornwall for 1982–83, he led the OHL in goals (70), assists (107), and points (177), winning the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy and the Red Tilson Trophy as most outstanding player. His 177 points rank third in OHL history, and his 55-game point streak remains an OHL record.

Coaching career

On September 15, 2006, the Toronto Maple Leafs named Gilmour their player development advisor. He held that role until August 7, 2008, when he became an assistant coach with the Toronto Marlies, the Leafs' AHL affiliate. He left that position in November 2008 to become head coach of the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL, taking over a rebuilding club with a 5–13–5 record. He finished the season with a 13–27–5 record, and the team missed the playoffs.

In 2009–10, his first full season, Kingston went 33–30–5, finishing second in the OHL's East Division and fourth in the Eastern Conference; they lost in seven games to the Brampton Battalion in the first playoff round. After that season, Gilmour signed a five-year contract extension. In 2010–11, the Frontenacs went 29–30–9 and made the playoffs, but were eliminated in five games by the Oshawa Generals. At season's end, Gilmour became the team's general manager, replacing Larry Mavety.