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


Hal Gill sent Zdeno Chara off the ice for medical treatment after this fight. Too bad it was because Chara hurt his hand while converting Gill’s face into hamburger.

So, Gill carries a reputation of being a soft big man, doesn’t score much, takes a lot of penalties, and his own coach labeled him “too slow,” while simultaneously identifying him as Toronto’s likely third-pairing defenseman. For the next three years, at $2.1 million per season.

Maybe I'm being too hard on him. Gill looks about average in his skillset, so maybe I should cut him some slack, especially since he has yet to suit up in a Leaf uniform. Still, he's getting paid above-average money from Toronto, so it's hard not to demand more from him. But who knows, maybe under Paul Maurice, he'll be able to adapt his game and flourish under a new defensive system and exceed all expectations.

It disappoints me a little that Alexi Ponikarovsky already wears the Thrill’s old sweater number, because I can’t imagine anyone else on the team I’d rather see wearing it than -- dare I say it before Bob Cole does? -- Big Hal Gill.

Get used to it, Hal. Welcome to Toronto.