As Gilmour tells it, “I grew up in Montreal, Quebec. But I was late getting into hockey. I didn’t start skating until age six.”
By Montreal standards, that’s not just late, that’s like late-Jurassic Era late. Most kids in Montreal — or most of Canada for that matter — are skating by the time they’re 3-years-old.
“I hated it at first,” said Gilmour. “I didn’t want to continue, but my dad was persistent. And looking back, I’m glad he was.”
It’s a good thing his dad was persistent, otherwise, he wouldn’t be the swift-skating Rangers’ defenseman he’s become.
Maybe he would have played another sport.
“Growing up, I played soccer, swimming, baseball and hockey. Luckily, hockey prevailed,” reminisced Gilmour.
Of course, he could’ve had a career in the blossoming eSports industry.
As Gilmour recalls, “When NHL ‘09-’10 came out, I was playing every day. Eventually, I worked my way up to being ranked third in the world. But then school and hockey took over my time.”
Thankfully, Gilmour preferred playing in real-life compared to virtual reality.
And there’s nothing more real than playing in the NHL.