Mike Gillis, Law '89, Appointed General Manager of Vancouver Canucks

Mike Gillis, Law ‘89, was introduced as the Vancouver Canucks' new general manager at a press conference in General Motors Place on April 23, 2008. Gillis signed a five-year deal, becoming the National Hockey League club's tenth general manager in its 38-year history.

Taking over the team which missed the playoffs this season, finishing with a 39-33-10 record, former player agent Gillis brings a new approach to his role.

"I'm hoping to bring different ideas to the draft table and to player development," said Gillis. "I'm hoping to be able to attract players here because, in dealing with them for the last 17 years, I understand the message they want to hear and what is important to them."

While the team has a solid defence and goaltending, Gillis told the media that more talent is needed in order for the Canucks to become a Stanley Cup contender. "I don't think this team is close at this particular point," he said. "I think there is a good foundation here. I think this team needs to get faster. It needs more grit. It needs to be more competitive."

"We view Mike as the right guy for the job," Canucks' owner Francesco Aquilini told the media. "He possesses tremendous skill sets which I think we are looking for [such as] assessing player's abilities, assessing their talents, knowing the players and understanding the game."

Gillis played with the Kingston Canadians in the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League from 1975 until 1978. Drafted fifth overall by the Colorado Rockies in 1978, Gillis played parts of six NHL seasons with that team and the Boston Bruins. Following his retirement in 1985 due to an injury, he earned an LL.B. degree at Queen's Law where he returned to co-teach Entertainment Law as a sessional instructor from 1996 until 1999. Becoming a player agent, Gillis founded the Kingston-based M.D. Gillis and Associates in 1994.

For more information, see the following:

The article "Mike Gillis introduced as Canucks GM" on the CBC Sports website at http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/story/2008/04/22/nhl-canucks-gillis.html.

The article "Gillis starts new career" by Jim Morris, which was published in the Kingston Whig Standard on April 24, 2008.

The Vancouver Canucks website at http://canucks.nhl.com/, where you can also watch the press conference and interviews, and view photos.