The Gilmour family has been entrenched in all of hockey for decades, not just the Toronto Maple Leafs.
While Toronto Maple Leafs fans may only recognize the name of the man who was once a hero in the city, Doug Gilmour, there are other Gilmours who have paved their own hockey paths.
Doug actually took up the sport after his brother Dave Gilmour was well established within it.
Dave is 12 years older and was already playing Tier I Junior A hockey for the Peterborough Petes when Doug was just four years old. When Doug was seven, Dave was drafted to the Vancouver Canucks. He was a sixth-round draft pick in 1970, going 72nd overall. (That’s an early third round selection today.)
Though Dave did play professionally, he didn’t ever dress for a contest with the Canucks. The height of his career came in 1973-74 when he played for the Baltimore Clippers in the AHL. In 73 regular season games, he recorded 34 goals and 31 assists for a total of 65 points.
Killer and the Toronto Maple Leafs
Doug was drafted to the NHL later than his brother. He was a seventh-round selection in 1982. The St. Louis Blues took him 134th overall. Doug, however, was significantly more successful.
Doug played 20 years in the NHL, seven of them were with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the most of any of the seven franchises he spent time with. Known as “Killer”, he played a total of 393 games for the Leafs where he collected 452 points on 131 goals and 321 assists.
The Leafs recognized Gilmour’s greatness when they named him to their top 100 players of all-time in 2016. He was ranked as the organization’s 13th best player to ever wear the blue and white. The team recognized Gilmour with their highest honour in 2009. That’s when they raised his number 93 to the rafters of the arena. In 2011, Gilmour was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Though he has been retired for many years, the Gilmour legacy continues with Doug’s sons.