Gilmour and Howe Elected to Hall of Fame
TORONTO (June 28, 2011) — Bill Hay, Chairman and CEO of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Jim Gregory and Pat Quinn, Co-Chairmen of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Selection Committee, announced today that former Cornwall Royal and current General Manager of the Kingston Frontenacs Doug Gilmour along with former Toronto Marlboros defenceman Mark Howe have been elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in the Player Category along with Ed Belfour and Joe Nieuwendyk. The vote took place today at the annual meeting of the Selection Committee in Toronto.
“The Hockey Hall of Fame is proud to welcome these four hockey legends as Honoured Members,” said Jim Gregory. “Their contributions to the game of hockey are well documented and their election to the Hockey Hall of Fame is richly deserved.”
Doug Gilmour was born in Kingston, Ontario and played Junior hockey nearby as a member of the Cornwall Royals, winning a Memorial Cup in 1981. Doug played 20 years in the NHL, winning a Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames in 1989.
“This is an overwhelming honour and one that makes me reflect back on the teammates and coaches I have had over years,” said Gilmour. “Larry Mavety, who gave me a chance in Tier II hockey and Gord Wood who drafted me into Junior at Cornwall, are two people who were instrumental in helping me establish myself as a player”.
Douglas Robert Gilmour was born June 25, 1963 in Kingston, Ontario, and through a heralded career of twenty NHL seasons, proved to be a determined and productive forward worthy of induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. When Doug joined the Cornwall Royals of the Ontario Hockey League, he was a solid defensive forward who could also score, although his size was considered a major stumbling block in the eyes of most NHL scouts. In 1980-81, his first year with the Royals, Gilmour was 5’9″ and 150 pounds. Although he would gain a couple of inches in his three years in Cornwall, he didn’t add many extra pounds. What did add up in the OHL were his offensive numbers. After an early injury curtailed his effectiveness in Cornwall’s 1981 Memorial Cup championship, he returned to score 46 goals and 119 points in 1981-82.
Gilmour joined the Calgary Flames prior to the 1988-89 season. Cornwall repeated as Memorial Cup champions and Gilmour, who had been passed over in his first year of draft eligibility, was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the seventh round, 134th overall. He was returned to junior hockey by the Blues for the 1982-83 season and set the OHL on fire with 70 goals and 177 points, capturing the Eddie Powers Trophy as the OHL’s leading scorer. He set a record with a 55 consecutive games scoring streak and was named the league’s most valuable player.
Gilmour played in 1474 NHL games and recorded 1414 points scoring 450 goals and 964 assists before becoming the 17th player to be honoured by the Toronto Maple Leafs when his number 93 was raised to the rafters of the Air Canada Centre in 2009.
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Mark Howe played his Junior hockey in Toronto before turning professional with the Houston Aeros in 1973. He stayed in the WHA until the merger with the NHL, playing with the Hartford Whalers, the Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings before retiring in 1995.
“I was elated to have this dream come true given that it is a tremendous honour just to have my name mentioned with the upper echelon of hockey,” said Howe. “To actually have my name in the Hall of Fame with my Dad will mean so much to my family.”
Born May 28, 1955 in Detroit, Michigan, Mark Howe inherited the hockey bloodline from his father, Honoured Member Gordie Howe. The thrill of Gordie’s life was being able to play on a line with two of his sons, Mark and Marty, while playing in the World Hockey Association with the Houston Aeros. Mark played minor hockey in Detroit with the Tier II Junior Red Wings. In 1970-71, at the age of 15, he collected 107 points to lead the Western Ontario Junior ‘A’ Hockey League in scoring. A knee injury knocked him out of the first three months of the next season, so when he had regained his health, he joined the U.S. national team and helped the squad win a silver medal at the Winter Olympic Games in Sapporo, Japan.
He then joined the Toronto Marlboros of the Ontario Hockey League in 1972-73. In his only season of major junior hockey, he scored 38 goals and 66 assists for 104 points, and helped lead the Marlies to the Memorial Cup championship. He was the recipient of the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as the outstanding player in the championship tournament after scoring 4 goals and 4 assists in 3 games.
Howe went on to play in 929 NHL games scoring 197 goals and 545 assists for 742 points.
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The 2011 Induction Celebration will be held on Monday, November 14th at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
For more information please visit www.hhof.com