Doug Gilmour calls it quit

[mike2003]

TSN has reported that Doug Gilmour will make a press conference at 1pm to officially announce his retirement.

It has been a pleasure watching this guy play through out his career especially during his tenure with the leafs. He bled blue and white and will always be remembered for his heart, grit and determination when he led his team to the conference finals. He will be sadly missed…


Your thoughts?

Are you disappointed in the Leafs management for not bringing him back for another year?

What are your fav memories of Dougie?

And, 10 yrs from now, if you had to describe Doug Gilmour to your son or grandson in one word, what would it be? My would be Fearless...

 

[The Doctor]

Sad to see it end this way...

I was very excited last year when they brought him back. Based on some reports though, it may not be Leafs management that is unwilling, but that the knee just isn't healing like he thought it would

I think I'll remeber those ads he did for Milk, with his wife in the painted on cow suit. And then there is his wife's ad for CHUM FM...wait you wanted Dougie memories. The no-call that prevented a Leafs/Habs cup final in '93 and all he did to get them to that point.

Go with you're head held high Doug.

BTW- No Dougie. They're passing on Niewendyk..fuck it...Joe from Whitby. What are they going to do with all that money. I don't care what they say, the holes on defense are obvious, but I think they could use and experienced centre to add some depth.

And for all you Habs and Sens fans who are going to wade into this tribute to Dougie thread with lame comments about the Leaf's futility record, I'll say it in advance...Bite Me!

Doc

 

[Medic]

It was an honor watching the man play hockey...twice when he was a Leaf and one when he played for New Jersey.

He'll be missed by both players and fans.

 

[lewd]

As a long time Hab fan, even I admit that Dougie was awesome player. His speed and skills however have really caught up with him pretty abruptly though. But in his prime with the Leafs, he was almost "out Gretzkying" Gretzky.
In fact, had the Leafs beat the Kings and made it to the finals against the Habs, I'm not sure the Canadians would have come out on top.

 

[The Doctor]

*bump* Sorry just fell off my chair.

Lewd, you give me hope that there are other Hab fans out there with their feet firmly planted in reality. We can only dream about it but '93 would have been a much better cup final were it Leafs/Habs.

 

[lewd]

Well Doc, not all Hab fans (and Leaf fans for that matter) are blind to reality. .

1993 was an awesome playoff for both teams with the Habs relying primarily on goaltending to pull it out.
Fans of both can hardly boast as both the Leaf and the Habs, have not done much since

 

[The Doctor]

Fans of both can hardly boast as both the Leaf and the Habs, have not done much since

Ah yes, but it's September and the optimism is in the air. For another month or so, until they step on the ice to start the season (some will argue until the end of the season) everyone is a contender and anyone can win. If the Ducks could get that far then I say Leafs/Habs final in '04? Ooops! I mean Leafs or Habs in the final (really I'm a hockey fan).

Doc

 

[mike2003]

Doc, you were right. The management were not at fault for not resigning him …Apparently in his press conference, Gilmour revealed that his knee couldn’t healed up to 100%. His retirement was based on that decision. But still, it would’ve been nice to see him finish his career on a high note; instead of the way it ended by a knee injury.

What I’ll miss about him the most will be his passion and dedication for the game. He was never the biggest, fastest or most skilled guy on the ice but what he lacked in those areas, he made up with heart and work ethic.

Thx for the memories “killer”.

 

[The Real Deal]

I grew up in Kingston and I worked in his sports bar and am friends with his older brother. He wasn’t my favorite, I found him arrogant in real life.

I also went to school with and played minor hockey with Kirk Muller who also retired last week. Did I miss the link on Kirk? Were there similar sediments about him?

 

[The Doctor]

No Real Deal, I think the Muller retirement went unoticed. Both guys did a lot for the Leafs in a short time, so hats off to Kirk as well.