Doug Gilmour was already an established star in hockey before he arrived in Toronto, as he had a 105-Point season with St. Louis, and he later helped the Calgary Flames win the 1989 Stanley Cup. While Gilmour did not win a Cup as a Maple Leaf, he became their leader and led them to the best success in years.
Gilmour was the best player in the ten-player trade he was involved in during the 1991-92 Season, and he brought a culture that immediately turned the team around. The following year, Gilmour had his best year in hockey, scoring a career-high 127 Points. Despite being an offensive dynamo, he was equally gifted on the defensive side, as he won the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL's top defensive forward. Gilmour, who was second for the Hart, led the Leafs to the Western Conference Final, where they came close to upending Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings. Toronto may not have made the Finals, but “Dougie” was installed as an iconic figure in the city.
Gilmour followed that with his second consecutive 100-Point year (111) and was fourth in Hart voting. This ended Gilmour's apex, but he was still a Point-per-game player, and the two-time All-Star averaged 1.15 Points per Game during his time in Toronto. That period ended when he was dealt to New Jersey in 1997, but he played one final game in Toronto in 2003, when he was reacquired at the trade deadline. His return to the Leafs was brief, as a collision tore his ACL, and he never played professional hockey again.
The Hockey Hall of Fame inducted Gilmour in 2011, two years after the Leafs elevated a banner in his honor. His number 93 was retired in the mass group in 2016.
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