BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
SPRINGFIELD, MA – Lightning fast skating has been at the top of the calling card of the Hartford Wolf Pack’s John Gilmour. As he prepared to defend his fastest skater title, he was able to reflect on his early development in the St. Lambert section of the West Island and in the rinks of Montreal, Quebec in Canada.
“My dad really instilled the importance of skating,” Gilmour said. “I was going to power skating lessons from the time I was 10 years old.“
“All the kids, we were rink rats. We went to wherever ice was available. Pierrefonds, and Verdun at the old auditorium, that’s where I got the joy of being on the ice and where I knew just how important skating is.”
This time around Gilmour was unable to repeat and reclaim the title when he hit a pylon on the first turn and hit the side-boards slowing him to 14.42, way off his mark of 13.663 last year.
Gilmour jokingly laid the blame for the defeat on Wolf Pack team equipment manager, Craig Lewis, and Chris “Omar” Gray, who were both a part of the locker room crew assisting at the event.
“I had a long talk with Craig Lewis after that, and I put (losing the title) squarely on him,” Gilmour said with a laugh.
Afterward, Gray needled his comrade Lewis. “You’ve got to give Gilly a letter of apology.”
The title went to the hometown boy, Anthony Greco, of the Springfield Thunderbirds with a time of 13.25 seconds.
Despite not reclaiming his title, Gilmour thoroughly loved the event and the whole atmosphere.
“It’s the All-Star break and a celebration of the league. It’s loose and a lot of fun and it’s for the fans. It’s so much fun seeing the kids faces, signing things for them. That’s why you play the game.”
Gilmour in the “Three-On-Zero” goalie challenge, had to pass to a Sound Tiger, Michael Del Colle.
“I didn‘t like that too much,” Gilmour said and followed with a laugh. “We were joking beforehand what we wanted to do. We thought we had a game plan, and we really thought we were going to come up with a couple of goals there. We had fun and just enjoyed the night.”
Changing your mindset from your regular routine game preparation to an event like this for a player wired to play was an adjustment.
“It’s not like this is an everyday occurrence. You don’t think so much in your head, you just go out and have fun with it.”
Before participating in the skills competition and while standing in the Springfield T-Birds locker room, Gilmour couldn’t resist some self-deprecating humor. “All the times I have been here, I was on the other side (the visitors locker room which for this event was the West All-Star locker room for next two days) so now I get a chance to see the other side, You know, I haven’t had many good nights in this building. Maybe tonight I can change that.”
Slip in a Wolf Pack logo under the carpet.
“Not saying,” Gilmour said coyly and responded with a big grin.
