The Gilmour trade - 25 years later

[tvp2003]

25 years ago today: the infamous 5 for 5 deal between the Flames and the Leafs that saw Doug Gilmour, Jamie Macoun, Ric Natress, Rick Wamsley and Kent Manderville traded for Gary Leeman, Craig Berube, Alexander Godynyuk, Michel Petit, and Jeff Reese.

Lots of coverage from Toronto (not surprisingly) -- some interesting (new?) info looking back, including interviews with Gilmour and Leeman:

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/2...-player-trade/

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/g...g-maple-leafs/

http://theleafsnation.com/2017/1/2/2...th-anniversary

http://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/fr...-gilmour-trade

As a Flames fan, this trade more or less crippled the team for the next several years

[albertGQ]

The start of the end of being an elite NHL team.

[Hockey Fan #751]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

25 years ago today: the infamous 5 for 5 deal between the Flames and the Leafs that saw Doug Gilmour, Jamie Macoun, Ric Natress, Rick Wamsley and Kent Manderville traded for Gary Leeman, Craig Berube, Alexander Godynyuk, Michel Petit, and Jeff Reese.

Lots of coverage from Toronto (not surprisingly) -- some interesting (new?) info looking back, including interviews with Gilmour and Leeman:

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/2...-player-trade/

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/g...g-maple-leafs/

http://theleafsnation.com/2017/1/2/2...th-anniversary

http://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/fr...-gilmour-trade

As a Flames fan, this trade more or less crippled the team for the next several years

91-92 was a tough year for the team, but really they weren't that bad of a team in 93, 94 or 95; they just underperformed in the playoffs.

[Fire in the disco]

25 years!? Oh man I'm getting old

[underGRADFlame]

I remember the 11 y/o me being so excited about this because we were getting a new goalie and I was excited to see his Flames mask.

I believe I even mailed a design to him... a few months later I got a thank you letter and a signed photo of Jeff Reese in his Flames gear and new mask.

Back to the actual trade... wow did we get hosed!

[the_only_turek_fan]

http://articles.latimes.com/1992-01-...calgary-flames

THE NHL : Trade of Gilmour Stirring Up Calgary
January 08, 1992|STEVE SPRINGER


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New Year's resolutions always sound good.

On New Year's Day.

By Jan. 2 . . . well, you know how it goes.

Except in the case of center Doug Gilmour.

In his ninth NHL season, Gilmour had spent the last 3 1/2 with the Calgary Flames.

But after a recent bitter arbitration battle, Gilmour vowed to spend no more time in the uniform with the bright red flame.

Gilmour had been asking for $1.2 million a season. The Flames had countered much lower down the pay scale at $550,000. The arbitrator settled on $750,00

Was that salary demand for the current 1991-92 season or the next season (1992-93)?

[killer_carlson]

I remember exactly where i was when I heard the trade (at a hotel in Jasper on a ski trip as a kid). I thought it was a New Years prank because there was no way the Flames would ever trade Gilmour, or if they did, there was no way they were trading him for a bunch of spare parts.

Plus trading Macoun - no way
Nattress - the Macoun Nattress pairing was our shut down physical pairing.
Walmsley? Not after we'd spent so many years trying to find a decent back up for Vernon.

bwahahahahaha. Good try but I saw through your joke..... until I saw news story after news story saying it was true. I was stunned for an entire day. Riding the chair lifts at Marmot thinking how the Flames could have been that stupid.

[CSharp]

Flames totally got bent over, sodomized, and slapped so hard, they're left for dead what seemed like an eternity. You'd think that this would not happen again. However, Sutter did almost the same thing. Yeah, you don't trade with the Leafs again. They just give you a bad taste you'd never want to ever get in your life!

[FlatLandFlamesFan]

[MarkGio]

Originally Posted by the_only_turek_fan

http://articles.latimes.com/1992-01-...calgary-flames

Was that salary demand for the current 1991-92 season or the next season (1992-93)?

This makes a lot of sense to me. Think about it like this:

YOU: "Hey boss, my one-year anniversary is up and I've worked very hard this year, so can we talk about a raise"

HIM: "I can offer you 30 cent more an hour"

YOU: "30 cents?!? That doesn't even accommodate inflation?"

HIM: "Take it or leave it..."

Chances are you're putting in your resume to a few places thereafter. Now I know it seems different when we're talking about six to seven figures with hockey players, but people are people, and once you put that bitter taste in their month, chances are there is no recovering thereafter. Gilmour probably wanted out after and there was little to change that.

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by MarkGio

This makes a lot of sense to me. Think about it like this:

YOU: "Hey boss, my one-year anniversary is up and I've worked very hard this year, so can we talk about a raise"

HIM: "I can offer you 30 cent more an hour"

YOU: "30 cents?!? That doesn't even accommodate inflation?"

HIM: "Take it or leave it..."

Chances are you're putting in your resume to a few places thereafter. Now I know it seems different when we're talking about six to seven figures with hockey players, but people are people, and once you put that bitter taste in their month, chances are there is no recovering thereafter. Gilmour probably wanted out after and there was little to change that.

Yeah but do you have a chance to win a Stanley Cup with your current boss? Probably not.

I'm a big believer in players taking as much dough as possible since that money will go to a fat owner if it doesn't go to the player. Having said that, if I'm a player on a really strong team, I would be willing to take a pay cut to have another shot at the Cup.

Hell, if I had a really comfortable office job with a great boss and a good organization, I would probably forego a 10 to 20% raise to go elsewhere to an unknown org with an unknown boss and work environment and just stay put.

But that's just me.

[activeStick]

Doug Riseborough was able to turn the franchise's fortunes around with one swift move... Impressive...

[Matty81]

This trade still hurts a little but at least it was a long time ago now. From a stacked contender to sad sack within a few years after that. Seeing Gilmour, Macinnis, Suter, Makarov, Mullen, Nieuwendyk, Roberts etc etc unloaded for so much garbage (excepting Iggy) is still hard to reflect on. I don't know if I've ever seen what was almost a dynastic core disassembled for so much crap, and it had to be the only sports team I am really into. Within a few years the core was a young iggy and Val Bure/Derek Morris. Ouch.

[Badgers Nose]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

25 years ago today: the infamous 5 for 5 deal between the Flames and the Leafs that saw Doug Gilmour, Jamie Macoun, Ric Natress, Rick Wamsley and Kent Manderville traded for Gary Leeman, Craig Berube, Alexander Godynyuk, Michel Petit, and Jeff Reese.

Lots of coverage from Toronto (not surprisingly) -- some interesting (new?) info looking back, including interviews with Gilmour and Leeman:

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/2...-player-trade/

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/g...g-maple-leafs/

http://theleafsnation.com/2017/1/2/2...th-anniversary

http://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/fr...-gilmour-trade

As a Flames fan, this trade more or less crippled the team for the next several years

That trade hurt me more than the loss in 86 and 04.

Thereafter the team was essentially parted out, and the resulting mess almost resulted in Calgary losing its only major professional franchise. Dark days.

[DazzlinDino]

Originally Posted by activeStick

Doug Riseborough was able to turn the franchise's fortunes around with one swift move... Impressive...

... Seemed reluctant to make trades afterwards, either that or his hands were firmly tied!

[Badgers Nose]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

Yeah but do you have a chance to win a Stanley Cup with your current boss? Probably not.

I'm a big believer in players taking as much dough as possible since that money will go to a fat owner if it doesn't go to the player. Having said that, if I'm a player on a really strong team, I would be willing to take a pay cut to have another shot at the Cup.

Hell, if I had a really comfortable office job with a great boss and a good organization, I would probably forego a 10 to 20% raise to go elsewhere to an unknown org with an unknown boss and work environment and just stay put.

But that's just me.

Not really, it was more like following your favorite boss ever (Cliff) go to the 900lb gorilla of your industry (Leafs) with the promise that he would build a team around you and show old co/new boss how its done.

After many years of Cliff winning trades for the Flames it hurt to have him Fletcher us. LOL

I'm glad the cap exists, without it Flames would be nothing but a feeder for the big clubs. Thanks Gary!

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Fire in the disco

25 years!? Oh man I'm getting old

I am old! Stop reminding me!

[locsofblu]

Brutal. Set the franchise back a few years at least. I remember that painful day like it was yesterday.

[Reggie Dunlop]

The story broke at the tail end of the CFCN Newscast. Russ Peake was handed a slip of paper, made a grimace, and said something to the effect that "someone had better not be pulling my leg" (although he probably wanted to use stronger language).

[Rick M.]

Time heals all wounds...not.