After 11 years with his hometown Kingston Frontenacs in the OHL, Doug Gilmour is rejoining the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Hall of Famer spent seven of his 20 NHL seasons in blue and white — his No. 93 was retired by the club in 2016 — before joining the Frontenacs as head coach in 2008. He eventually moved up the ranks to the role of general manager and team president.
He announced his return to Toronto as a community representative in a letter published to The Athletic, as told to Dan Robson, on Friday.
“I’m taking on a new role as a community representative with the Leafs — alongside some of my good friends Darryl Sittler, Wendel Clark, Curtis Joseph, and Darcy Tucker,” said Gilmour.
“I’m thrilled to be returning to Toronto in a formal capacity at a time when there is so much excitement for a team stacked with incredible talent.”
Gilmour said he was looking forward to heading back to his second home and spending more time with his family.
“I spoke with Brendan Shanahan about the new role with the team the other week — and I couldn’t be more excited. The most memorable days of my career were spent playing in front of Toronto’s fans. Now, I get to be one of them. I know several players on this team personally. There isn’t a better group to lead the franchise into a new era,” he said.
“As they shut out all the outside noise, I can’t wait to see what they accomplish.”
Gilmour also touched on his deep roots in Kingston and his connection to the Frontenacs.
“It’s been such an honour to be part of this franchise. And always, to Kingston — because nothing in my life would have been possible without my hometown,” he said.
In 1993, Gilmour famously led the Leafs to within one victory of their first trip to the Stanley Cup finals since 1967.
He closed his career with 1,414 points in 1,474 NHL games, including 452 points across 393 games in Toronto.
[relatedlinks]
