When Doug Gilmour came to Toronto, it was a part of history. Soon after, he would be named the 22nd captain in franchise history; 30 years ago today.
The gritty hard-nosed forward nicknamed 'Killer' endeared himself to Toronto fans for his no-nonsense style of play while also being a leader on and off the ice. During his time in Toronto, he registered 452 points (131G and 321A) over 393 games, including a franchise record 127 points in his first season with Toronto. He also sparked Toronto's run to the Conference Final where they fell to Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings.
That series also contained the infamous non-call high sticking penalty in Game 6 on Gilmour at the hands of Gretzky, which drew the ire of Maple Leafs fans for decades and still continues to this day.
Gilmour would be handed the 'C' in the summer of 1994 after Toronto swung a trade with the then-Quebec Nordiques to bring aboard Swedish superstar Mats Sundin, another player who would become a legend for the Maple Leafs. Gilmour would hold the captaincy for three seasons until Sundin took it over following GIlmour being traded to New Jersey for three players (Steve Sullivan, Alyn McCauley, and Jason Smith; all who enjoyed fruitful careers).
All in all, Gilmour put together an illustrious career spanning 20 seasons with 7 teams including Toronto, New Jersey, Montreal, Chicago, Buffalo, Calgary and St. Louis; who drafted him in the 7th round, 134th overall in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft. He registered 450 goals and 964 assists for 1414 points over 1474 games and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011 and has his #93 retired by Toronto as well.
