Who is Hal Gill?

When I saw the announcement on TSN’s website last month, I did a double-take. The Leafs have signed – Gill? What the…?
But no, Todd “the Thrill” Gill hadn’t returned from the grave to sign a contract with the Leafs. Thankfully, the days of relying on The Thrill as a pillar on the blueline are long gone, although it’s possible Hal isn’t much of an upgrade over Todd. My message-board rummagings have uncovered few testimonials supporting his acquisition. Hal Gill was a regular target of boo-birds during his time in Boston, and online comments I’ve read can be summarized as, “I can’t believe Toronto signed that pylon.”
(Although, according to Gill, plenty of other teams had interest in signing him as well - take that for what it's worth. Credit Toronto Truthiness for the link.)
His numbers are ordinary. Last season: one goal, ten points, 124 penalty minutes. These numbers are acceptable if he’s the hardnosed shutdown defenseman the Leafs have been lacking, but he isn’t. His penalty totals include 52 minor penalties, by far a career high. This is probably due to his attempts to overcome his total lack of footspeed in the new NHL. Every online scouting report I can find notes his tortoise-like fleetness, and even Paul Maurice remarked on Leaf Lunch that, “Hal Gill is too slow to deliver the big hit.”
Oh well, you’re thinking. He’s got to be tough, at least. Six foot seven, about two-hundred and fifty pounds, he’s one of the biggest men in the league – he’ll fill the void Domi left behind, right? This guy must fight like an enraged gorilla! Well, think again. He was involved in only four fights last season, actually throwing a punch in only three of them, and winning just one. And then there’s this:
Hal Gill: Owned
4 Comments:
Well, as you know, Belak was actually extended to 2007-2008, so Gill doesn't replace him.
Surprisingly or not, Belak had more hits last season than Gill (100 vs. 91), and Gill's 111 blocked shots would have ranked 4th on the Leafs after Khavanov - 131.
What is it Charlie Brown says?
"I just can't stand it."
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For a brief time Hal Gill was known in Pittsburgh as the "anti-Jagr". He would be considered by pundits to be the best defender and consistently held Jagr into a statistical shutout when the Penguins played the Bruins.
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