Johnson: Gilmour on Sam Bennett
The mentor, the model, the reference point, sat across the same room, a couple of seats down to the left from where the protege does now, all those winters ago.
“Similarities?” repeats Doug Gilmour. “That’s for you guys to talk about. I’ll leave any comparisons up to others.
“All I know is: he’s a special player. “He’s his own player. “Real good kid. Focused. He wants to win. He doesn’t give up. He’s got a lot — a LOT — of grit for a smaller guy.
“He’s a talented kid. That’s no secret. We all know that. You’ve started seeing that in the last couple of weeks. I saw it the last couple years.
“His skill level, his thought processes, his work ethic ... And he’s a gamer, a difference- maker, on top of that.”
Sounds suspiciously like the guy who used to wear No. 39 in this town, the indomitable centreman with a heavyweight heart beating inside a cruiserweight body, the one who tipped the scales the Calgary Flames’ way in that never- to- be- forgotten, maybe never- to- be- replicated springtime of 1989.
No Doug Gilmour, no Stanley Cup. The architect, Cliff Fletcher, said as much.
Sam Bennett has the same street- rat mentality to go along with those penthouse- suite skills as the youngish Gilmour, his GM in junior with the Kingston Frontenacs the past two seasons. Call him Kid Killer. Making his NHL and Calgary pre- season debut last Thursday versus the Canucks, the 18- yearold top draft pick gave everyone a teasing, tantalizing trailer of what the finished product might resemble down the road a piece. An appetite- whetter, for certain.
Seven shots on goal. A handful of jaw- dropping feints and dekes. The trademark try. The next night, as tellingly, he was every bit as polished again in Vancouver against a far stronger Canucks lineup. His old boss got back to the house around 11: 30 p. m. from Peterborough, the Frontenacs taking out the Petes 5- 3 in their Ontario Hockey League regular- season opener on Thursday, the evening of Bennett’s Flames’ debut.
“So I saw the midnight highlights,” says Gilmour. “Liked what I saw. Rang one off the crossbar. Created some chances. And you can never question Sam’s effort.
“Our head scout was watching the game and he said, ‘ Oh my God. He was the best player on the ice.’ So we are getting updates. We’re interested, naturally.”
The evolution of Sam Bennett took the Frontenacs somewhat by surprise.
“Right away, he just took over as the No. 1 centre. We were not expecting that.
“Obviously he got overshadowed in minor midget by Connor McDavid, playing on the same line. When draft time came and he was there for us, we were happy to take him.
“I liked him right away. I liked the number ( Gilmour’s signature Toronto Maple Leaf No. 93) he picked.
“You could just tell. Every practice, every game he just got better and better and better.
“You watched him here, at this level, how he controlled the puck, how hard he worked. Half the year he played with a separated shoulder. Never complained. Played hard, as I said, every night.
“People talk about testing all that ... this kid played hurt. Now you guys are seeing what kind of character he has. We already know all about that here.”
During his era, what set Doug Gilmour apart from players his size — of any size actually — was that visceral desire to succeed, to prove wrong, to excel.
His value went beyond statistics, beyond fitness testing results, beyond what’s detectable by the naked eye.
“If you want a guy who’s going to go and compete for you every single night and make the team better,” says Gilmour, “that’s Sam.
“You’re not going to get any wins lifting a weight. Obviously, that’s stuff you need to do but for Sam, it’s about how competitive he is, how intense he is, how much he wants to make a difference.”
Obviously, the Flames need to look long and hard at Bennett and his NHL readiness before making a call. Sean Monahan, last season’s top pick, hung around and enjoyed a fine freshman campaign.
How top- level ready does a Hall of Famer think this teenager is?
“I think you have to be there, every day, to see how he’s handling things,” replies Gilmour. “So I really can’t say. Obviously, as he goes along ( in exhibitions), he’ll be playing against better lineups. It’s rewarding for us, though, to see a kid develop like that.
“We want what’s best for him. Obviously, on the selfish side, I’d love to have him back. But we also want him to succeed. He’s already done a lot for us.
“Before he left we talked to him and he said, ‘ I’m going for it.’ And I said ‘ You’ve gotta do that. We expect nothing less.’ That’s Sam.
“From my perspective, once you’ve made that statement and you’re there, don’t let anybody come and take your job.
“What decisions have to be made, you never know. If he comes back, well, Merry Christmas. If he doesn’t, we wish him all the best and we’ll be watching, for sure.”
Doug Gilmour spent only three and a half seasons decked out in a flaming C jersey, all memorable, before exiting for Toronto and a kind of Centre of the Universe immortality.
Bennett figures to be around a heckuva lot longer here than that.
“When Calgary got Sam where they did ( No. 4 overall),” says Gilmour.
“I thought: ‘ Wow! They’re gonna love him.’ ”
The infatuation is only beginning to take hold.
“You’re just,” says the model, the mentor, the reference point, “seeing a small portion right now. A year, two years, three years from now, what this kid can be ...
“Well, you guys out there will be smiling, let me put it that way.”