Gilmour book is a Killer read

If you were a small boy with dreams of hockey glory in the 1980s or 1990s, the player you most identified with probably depended on your age and where you grew up. I grew up as a relatively untalented and unproductive winger who attempted, poorly, to emulate Theoren Fleury. But for many youngsters throughout Canada, but particularly out in Ontario, a generation tried to be like Doug Gilmour.

One of the game’s most beloved (and occasionally controversial) figures bares his life to the world in Killer: My Life In Hockey, co-written by Dan Robson – who you might remember from his work on the Pat Quinn bio Quinn: The Life of a Hockey Legend and Clint Malarchuk’s autobiography The Crazy Game. As with his previous collaborations, Robson captures Gilmour’s memories with an engaging and unique voice.

Killer is an immersive read. Gilmour and Robson start at the very beginning, with the hockey star’s childhood in Kingston, Ontario, and share a few anecdotes that illustrate incidents that shaped Gilmour into the man he eventually became – with Gilmour’s father playing a central role throughout. An incident involving his siblings playing on some ice is particularly gripping and sets the tone for the almost “fly on the wall” narrative perspective that’s used throughout.

The best praise I can give Killer is that it feels like a deeper dive version of Gilmour’s Players Tribune piece from last March. The book is a much more expansive look at Gilmour’s life and career, starting with his humble beginnings with the Cornwall Royals and walking the reader right through his entire NHL career. The thing the book arguably does as well as any recent hockey bio is put you into Gilmour’s headspace regarding the various situations he’s been in his career. Whether it’s trying to make Team Canada, his time with the Blues, his departure from the Flames or his tenure with the Leafs, Gilmour provides enough information to understand where his thought process was coming from. Flames fans may find themselves fuming when reading about the January 1992 trade between Calgary and Toronto that is widely considered to be the worst trade in Flames history.

The descriptions of Gilmour’s various relationships, particular with coaches Jacques Demers, Jacques Martin and Pat Burns and teammate Brian Sutter, do a great job of fleshing out the hockey world outside of the player. The league’s free agency system and escalating salaries are a recurring theme, tying in with Gilmour’s ascent to the top of the NHL pecking order. Contextual information is sprinkled throughout and rather than being info dumps, they’re used sporadically enough that you just know what’s mentioned is going to be important.

The notable exception to the depth approach is the treatment of the summer 1988 allegations against Gilmour that led to his departure from St. Louis. The exclusion is a bit jarring, if completely understandable given everything that went on.

Killer is a deep dive into the life and times, and mindset, of Gilmour. It spends a ton of time getting the reader comfortable in the player’s head so they can try to grasp the motivations, pressures and lifestyle experienced by the Kingston native during his entire hockey career. It’s not something that can be read in one sitting, as it’s a pretty thick read, but it’s also a book that you’ll find yourself starting to read only to discover several hours have blown by.

Gilmour’s a fascinating person and Killer does a great job at capturing his voice.