'Killer' goes home | 
KITCHENER – Home may be where the heart is, but for former Maple Leafs legend Doug Gilmour home is where the head coaching opportunity is.
On Friday, Nov. 21, “Killer” made his head-coaching debut in his hometown of Kingston. Gilmour stepped behind the bench of the lowly Kingston Frontenacs, losers of nine out of their last ten games in the Ontario Hockey League. The Frontenacs promptly won the game 4-3 in overtime, against first-place Belleville.
Gilmour had to step down from his assistant coaching job with the Toronto Marlies, the Maple Leafs’ American Hockey League team, to accept his post in Kingston. It was anything but an easy move for No. 93.
“It was tough,” said Gilmour after his Frontenacs lost a close 3-2 game in Kitchener the following day. “It was tough, but it was one of those things. I left there. It was tough because I was just starting to get to know the team and get familiar in that league as well.”
“It was tough, but it was one of those things. I left there.”
No one can accuse Gilmour of taking the easy route. The Frontenacs have won just six of their first 26 games this season. It’s not like jumping from one NHL gig to the next. In the NHL, you know all the players. You have an idea of what they can do.
“It’s a big difference. The problem I have is I just don’t know the players,” he explained. “It’s going to take some time but I will get them.”
Going into the third period against Kitchener the Frontenacs looked poised to steal another game for the new head coach. With less than three minutes to play Kitchener forward Scott Timmins sealed the game with his second goal of the afternoon.
“Felt great you know. I feel it’s one of the best games I’ve ever played,” said Timmins after being named the games first-star. “My confidence is really high and it makes you play better.”
It wasn’t lost on Timmins that there were two ex-NHL stars in the building. The Rangers honoured former star Al MacInnis before the game.
“We definitely had that in the back of our minds,” he said. “We wanted to get off to a good start.”
In another ceremony close to the heart of Coach Gilmour, his former teammate and captain, Wendel Clark, had his No. 17 honoured by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.
Topics: Doug Gilmour, Killer, Kingston Frontenacs, Scott Timmins, Toronto Maple Leafs
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