Flames All-Time Countdown Chapter CXVIII: 38-37

38. Doug Gilmour

Gilmour, a 5’11", 175 lb. center from Kingston, Ontario, was born on June 25th, 1963. After two seasons with the Cornwall Royals (QMJHL, OHL) where he scored 58 goals and 96 assists in 118 games, the St. Louis Blues selected him in the seventh round of the 1982 NHL Entry Draft with the 134th overall choice. He played another year with the Royals, blowing up for 70 goals and 107 assists in 68 contests.

Starting in 1982-83, Gilmour joined St. Louis for the following five seasons, totaling 149 goals and 205 assists in 384 contests. The Blues traded him during the 1988 offseason with Mark Hunter, Steve Bozek, and Michael Dark to the Flames for Mike Bullard, Craig Coxe, and Tim Corkery.

Gilmour’s first season in Calgary would see him ranking second on the high-scoring club with 85 points. He scored 26 goals on 161 shots over 72 games, with 59 assists. He also ranked second on the team with a plus-45 rating and spent 44 minutes in the penalty box. He placed third on the 54-17-9 club with five game winning goals. He had 20 games where he totaled multiple points, including a dozen three+ point games. He scored 14 points in a five game span from October 30th through November 7th, including a five assist performance on November 5th in a 9-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres. On January 5th, he scored a goal with four assists in an 8-6 win over the Los Angeles Kings. The Flames defeated the Vancouver Canucks in seven, the Kings in four, the Chicago Blackhawks in five, and the Montreal Canadiens in six to claim their first Stanley Cup. Gilmour scored 11 goals with 11 assists in the 22 contests.

In 1989-90, Gilmour played in 78 games for Calgary. He scored 24 goals on 152 shots, with 67 assists to rank second on the team with 91 points. He posted a plus-20 rating, and spent 54 minutes in the penalty box. He racked up 40 points over 26 games from December 30th through March 3rd. He again had 20 games with multiple points, and finished with three or more in 10 contests. On February 22nd, he had two goals and two assists in a 12-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs. On March 3rd, he scored a goal and dished out three helpers in a 5-1 win over the Canucks. The Flames went 42-23-15, then lost in the first round of the postseason in six games to the Kings. Gilmour had three goals and an assist, while appearing in every game.

Gilmour had a team-fourth 81 points for the Flames in 1990-91, scoring 20 goals on 135 shots with 61 assists, a plus-27 rating, and a career high 144 penalty minutes. He lit the lamp with the game winner on five occasions, ranking him second on Calgary. On February 21st, he scored two goals and an assist in a 6-4 win over the Canucks. The Flames finished with a 46-26-8 record, then lost in the opening round to the Oilers in seven contests. Gilmour pitched in with a goal and an assist.

In 1991-92, Gilmour played 38 games for the Flames through the first half of the season. He scored 11 goals on 64 shots with 27 assists. He had a plus-12 rating and 46 penalty minutes. On January 2nd, the Flames traded him to the Maple Leafs with Jamie Macoun, Ric Nattress, Kent Manderville and Rick Wamsley for Gary Leeman, Alexander Godynyuk, Jeff Reese, Michel Petit, and Craig Berube.

Gilmour played 392 games, scoring 131 goals and 321 assists over his six seasons in Toronto. He later played with the New Jersey Devils (83 games, 20 goals, 55 assists), the Chicago Blackhawks (135 games, 38 goals, 74 assists), the Buffalo Sabres (82 games, 10 goals, 45 assists), and the Montreal Canadiens (131 games, 21 goals, 50 assists) before rejoining the Leafs for one game in 2002-03 to close out his career. Gilmour joined the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011.

All-Time Statline: 266 games, 81 goals, 214 assists, plus-104 rating, 288 penalty minutes, 23.40 point shares.

37. Ed Kea

Kea was born in Weesp, Netherlands in January 19th, 1948.  A 6’3", 190 lb. defenseman, he played with the EHL’s Jersey Devils for two seasons starting in 1969-70, scoring 12 goals and 44 assists with 278 penalty minutes over 126 games. He later made appearances with the Seattle Totems (five games), the St. Petersburg Suns (63 games, 10 goals, 39 assists), the Omaha Knights (75 games, 12 goals, 23 assists), and the Tulsa Oilers (51 games, six goals, 17 assists).

In 1973-74, Kea made his NHL debut with the Atlanta Flames, earning two assists in three contests. The following season would see him skate in 50 games with the club, scoring a single goal on 61 shots with nine assists, a plus-7 rating and 39 penalty minutes. The club posted a 34-31-15 record, but failed to qualify for the second season.

1975-76 would see Kea earn a career high 7.3 point shares, ranking him second on the team behind Dan Bouchard. His plus-21 rating placed him first on the club by a wide margin (Bill Flett and Rey Comeau both came in second with a plus-9 ratings). He also collected eight goals on 125 shots with 19 assists and a Flames-second 101 penalty minutes in 78 games. Atlanta closed shop on a 35-33-12 season with a first round playoff loss to the Los Angeles Kings in two straight contests. Kea didn’t score, but led the club with seven penalty minutes.

Kea played in 72 games for the Flames in 1976-77. He lit the lamp four times on 112 shots with 21 assists, an even rating, and a team-third 63 penalty minutes. Atlanta finished with a 34-34-12 record, then faced and lost to the Kings in the first round of the playoffs for the second season in a row, this time in three games. Kea earned an assist.

In 1977-78, Kea played in 60 games for the Flames, and lit the lamp three times on 78 shots with a career high 23 assists, a team-third plus-25 rating, and 40 penalty minutes. The Flames posted a 34-27-19 overall record, then lost in the first round in two games to the Detroit Red Wings. Kea appeared in one, and did not figure onto the scoresheet.

1978-79 would see Kea score six goals on 53 shots, with 18 assists, a minus-2 rating, and 40 penalty minutes over 53 games. For the first time in franchise history, the Flames finished 10 games over .500, at 41.31.8, but lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Toronto Maple Leafs in two games. Kea played in both, but did not score.

During the 1979 offseason, the Flames traded Kea to the St. Louis Blues along with Don Laurence and a second round pick (Hakan Nordin) for Garry Unger. He played four seasons with St. Louis, scoring eight times with 53 assists in 267 contests. He was playing with the Salt Lake Golden Eagles in 1983 when he suffered a career ending concussion which left him physically and mentally disabled. The NHL did not cover his injuries under their insurance plan, and so he struggled for years to make his medical bills. He accidentally drowned in his swimming pool in 1999.

All-Time Statline: 316 games, 22 goals, 92 assists, plus-53 rating, 283 penalty minutes, 23.50 point shares.