Mike Gillis

Michael David Gillis
Born	(1958-12-01) December 1, 1958 Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Occupation(s)	Professional ice hockey player, sports agent, general manager
Years active	1975–1984 (player), 1985–present (coach, agent, executive)
Known for	Former president and general manager of the Vancouver Canucks

Michael David Gillis (born December 1, 1958) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player and former president and general manager of the Vancouver Canucks. He hails from Sudbury, Ontario.

Playing career

Gillis competed in junior hockey with the Kingston Canadians in the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League (OMJHL) between 1975 and 1978, amassing 132 points over 111 games. Selected fifth overall by the Colorado Rockies in the 1978 NHL Entry Draft, he began his professional career in the 1978–79 season, dividing his time between the Rockies and their AHL affiliate, the Philadelphia Firebirds. Throughout the following seasons, Gillis played for both the Rockies and later the Boston Bruins, achieving a personal best of 24 points during the 1980–81 NHL campaign. His AHL tenure included a standout year with the Baltimore Skipjacks, where he ranked fourth in league scoring with 113 points in 74 contests during the 1982–83 season. Gillis concluded his professional playing career in 1984.

Agent

After hanging up his skates, Gillis took on coaching duties for the Queen's University Golden Gaels in the 1985–86 season before earning a law degree from Queen's University in 1990. Transitioning into sports representation, he served as an agent for prominent players such as Pavel Bure, Markus Näslund, Bobby Holík, and Mike Richter. In 1997, Gillis successfully pursued legal action against former NHLPA executive director Alan Eagleson, obtaining $570,000 in damages related to misappropriated disability insurance funds amid broader investigations into Eagleson's misconduct.

General manager

Upon the dismissal of Dave Nonis following the conclusion of the 2007–08 NHL season, Mike Gillis was named general manager of the Vancouver Canucks on April 23, 2008. Entering free agency that July, he made decisive roster changes, notably opting not to renew contracts with longtime captain Markus Näslund and forward Brendan Morrison. Gillis aggressively courted unrestricted free agent center Mats Sundin with a two-year, $20 million proposal that would have positioned Sundin as the NHL’s highest-paid player; however, Sundin ultimately signed a one-year, prorated $8.6 million contract in December 2008. Additionally, Gillis secured emerging forward Alexandre Burrows to a four-year deal worth $8 million in March 2009, reflecting Burrows’ breakout season.

Following a Northwest Division title and advancement to the second playoff round in 2009, Gillis solidified key components of the roster. He locked up top scorers Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin with matching five-year contracts valued at $30.5 million each just prior to free agency in July 2009. Soon after, star goaltender Roberto Luongo received a 12-year extension worth $64 million. Other significant additions included signing unrestricted free agent Mikael Samuelsson and acquiring KHL prospect Sergei Shirokov.

Gillis executed his first major trade in August 2009 by obtaining defensemen Christian Ehrhoff and Brad Lukowich from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for prospects. Ehrhoff emerged as a vital puck-moving defenseman and led team blueliners in scoring that season. During this period, Vancouver faced tampering allegations involving the Toronto Maple Leafs, resulting in fines and warnings but no severe sanctions.

In preparation for the 2010 season, Gillis enhanced defensive depth by trading for Keith Ballard and signing defenseman Dan Hamhuis to a six-year contract worth $27 million. The roster was further strengthened by center Manny Malhotra. Although Ballard dealt with injuries, Hamhuis and Malhotra played crucial roles during Vancouver’s successful 2010–11 campaign. Gillis also re-signed goaltending prospect Cory Schneider, who served as backup to Luongo; together they earned the William M. Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals against. The Canucks secured their inaugural Presidents' Trophy with the NHL’s top regular-season record, earning Gillis recognition as the first-ever NHL General Manager of the Year.

During the 2011 playoffs, following a contentious Game 6 defeat to Chicago, Gillis was fined for publicly criticizing officiating decisions. The Canucks advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals but were defeated in seven games by the Boston Bruins. It is noteworthy that foundational players such as the Sedin twins, Ryan Kesler, Burrows, Edler, Luongo, and Schneider were already established prior to Gillis assuming GM responsibilities.

In the subsequent 2011–12 season, Vancouver repeated as Presidents' Trophy winners but were eliminated in the opening playoff round by eventual champions Los Angeles Kings. That year saw Schneider replace Luongo as starting goaltender. Despite Luongo’s readiness to waive his no-trade clause, Gillis encountered difficulties moving him due to his sizable contract.

The lockout-shortened 2012–13 campaign concluded with another Northwest Division championship but ended with a first-round sweep by San Jose. Critics pointed to Gillis’ inability to trade Luongo for offensive reinforcements and questioned acquisitions such as Derek Roy and Zack Kassian. Following these developments, head coach Alain Vigneault and his assistants were dismissed.

John Tortorella was hired as head coach amid increased involvement from owner Francesco Aquilini in team decisions. At the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, Gillis traded goaltender Cory Schneider for a top-ten pick used to select Bo Horvat. However, ongoing poor performance and controversial transactions—including Luongo’s trade—provoked fan dissatisfaction as Vancouver fell out of playoff contention.

On April 8, 2014, after another disappointing playoff exit accompanied by declining attendance figures, Aquilini relieved Gillis of his duties as president and general manager. Former captain Trevor Linden succeeded him despite reports of past tensions between them dating back to Linden’s playing career.

Prior to his departure, Gillis acknowledged that substantial roster overhauls were necessary to sustain long-term competitiveness. He sought trades involving Ryan Kesler and Alex Burrows aimed at acquiring multiple first-round draft selections to accelerate a youth-focused rebuild; however, ownership interference curtailed these plans. Kesler was eventually traded but yielded less favorable returns than initially intended.

Personal

Gillis is the sibling of Paul Gillis and the uncle to professional hockey athletes Matt and Adam Pelech. Following his departure from the Vancouver Canucks, he served as an instructor at the University of Victoria. Between July 2021 and December 2023, he provided consultancy services to the NHLPA focusing on business growth strategies.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1975–76	Kingston Canadians	OMJHL		64	16	45	61	34		7	1	2	3	11
1976–77	Kingston Canadians	OMJHL		4	2	2	4	4		—	—	—	—	—
1977–78	Kingston Canadians	OMJHL		43	21	46	67	86		5	3	12	15	0
1978–79	Colorado Rockies	NHL		30	1	7	8	6		—	—	—	—	—
1978–79	Philadelphia Firebirds	AHL		2	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1979–80	Colorado Rockies	NHL		40	4	5	9	22		—	—	—	—	—
1979–80 CHL season	Fort Worth Texans	Central Professional Hockey League		29	9	13	22	43
1980–81	Boston Bruins	NHL		17	2	4	6	15		1	0	0	0	- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"	1981–82 NHL season	Boston Bruins	NHL	53	9	8	17	54	11	1	2	3	- |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"	1982–83 NHL season	Boston Bruins	NHL	5	0	1	1	0	12	1	3	4	- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"	1982–83 AHL season	Baltimore Skipjacks	AHL	74	32	81	113	33
1983–84 NHL season	Boston Bruins	NHL		50	6	11	17	35		3	0	0	0	- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
NHL totals !246 !33 !43 !76 !186 !27 !2 !5 !7 !10 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"				AHL totals !102 !40 !102 !142 !46 ! — ! — ! — ! — ! —|}