It's Doug Gilmour's night at the Air Canada Centre, and - judging by this conversation - it's a pretty big night for a couple of Maple Leafs, too. John Mitchell was being asked about how he felt about the Leafs fêting Gilmour - his favourite player - by raising No. 93's jersey to the rafters tonight when Jeremy Williams interrupted:
Williams: He can't be your favourite player, he's my favourite player.
Mitchell: He's your favourite player too?
Williams: It was either Doug Gilmour or Mario Lemieux.
Mitchell: Did you wear Doug Gilmour's number in minor hockey?
Williams: I wore it in Triple A.
Mitchell: So did I.
Williams: When I was on Team Saskatchewan I wore No. 93. (Williams explained he usually couldn't get the number on his club team.) I lived in a small town and you couldn't pick your number. They just gave you a ratty jersey from 10 years before.
Mitchell: When I played in Hamilton in Triple A, for four years I wore 93. Ninety-three, tucked the jersey in the side. Used the Titan stick. I was a big fan, big supporter.
Williams: Big geek.
Mitchell: No. I was a kid.
Williams: Sure. Dweeb.
Mitchell: I was a kid who idolized his favourite player. What's wrong with that?
Williams: You got picked on.
Mitchell: No, I didn't. I was looked up to, because I wore No.93.
(He now wears No. 39.)
What former teammates say
There might be no better way to measure Doug Gilmour's impact on the Toronto Maple Leafs than by having a conversation with one of his former teammates. While others debate where No. 93 fits on a list of the franchise's all-time performers, the men who played alongside him think he should be right near the top.
Former linemate Dave Andreychuk:
"I've played with bigger players and maybe more talented players, but to me this is a guy that did everything he could to make the team win and to make people around him better. There was nobody better at that, that I've ever played with. I think it's a deserving honour after what he's done for that organization. Those years he was there, he put them to the next level. He provided the excitement for the fans, for us as players, to watch him every day. Why shouldn't they? I see no reason why they shouldn't and I see thousands of reasons why they should."
Wendel Clark, who says Gilmour might have been the NHL's top player shortly after arriving via trade midway through the 1991-92 season:
"I don't know if there was anybody better playing in the game at that time. Those two years he was unbelievable offensively, defensively, the tenacity, everything. All facets of the game. He played with real emotion."
Mike Kitchen, the Leafs' assistant coach at the time of the 10-player trade that brought Gilmour to the Leafs from Calgary:
"The trade gave us an identity. He was terrific in his own end. He would position himself in such a way where he could pick off a lot of passes. By doing that, he was able to get the puck - and who would you rather have the puck?"
Former Leafs forward Mike Foligno:
"He was part of a couple of teams before in St. Louis and Calgary where he wasn't really recognized as being one of the go-to guys and the leaders. When he came to Toronto, I think it was his opportunity to put his stamp on that team for a couple years."
No comments:
Post a Comment