Mon Jul 21 18:29:11 2008

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Former Maple Leafs Clark, Gilmour to be honored this season

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Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - The Toronto Maple Leafs announced Monday that the franchise will honor former captains Wendel Clark and Doug Gilmour in separate ceremonies during the upcoming season.

Clark will get his night on November 22 as Toronto faces the Chicago Blackhawks, while Gilmour is set to be feted when the Pittsburgh Penguins visit on January 31.

A feared fighter who developed a scoring touch and valued leadership skills, Clark was the first-overall pick of the Leafs in the 1985 draft. He spent three separate stints with the team (1985-94, 1996-98; 1999-2000) recording 260 goals, 441 points and 1,535 penalty minutes in 608 contests.

Clark also skated with the Quebec Nordiques, New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning, Detroit Red Wings and Blackhawks over a 15-year NHL career. The 41- year-old Saskatchewan native had his best years with Toronto, notching five 30-or-more goal seasons, culminating in a career-high 46 in 1993-94.

He added a franchise-best 34 goals, along with 61 points and 185 penalty minutes in 79 playoff contests, helping the club to the Western Conference finals in 1993 and 1994.

Gilmour spent parts of six seasons with the Maple Leafs, accumulating 132 goals and 452 points in 392 games. It didn't take long for the feisty winger to make an impact after coming over in a blockbuster trade in January, 1992 from the Calgary Flames. In his first full campaign, he set an all-time team mark for points in one season with 127, and also put together the third-best total (111) in 1993-94.

The 45-year-old also played with the Blues, Devils, Blackhawks, Sabres, Canadiens before completing his 20-year career with one appearance for Toronto at the end of the 2002-03 season. Gilmour also set team-playoff records with 60 assists and 77 points in 52 postseason games.

Although both men will be honored as Leaf greats, neither ceremony will take place in order to retire their respective numbers. Historically, the team only retires the numbers of those players whose careers were cut short by death or other exceptional circumstances.

Clark's 17 and Gilmour's 93 will remain in circulation but will have special status as "Honoured Numbers" within the organization.