Hal Gill

Hal Gill was drafted 207th overall in the 8th round of the 1993 draft by his hometown Boston Bruins. He spent 4 years playing for Providence College. Gill entered the league in the 1997-1998 season and logged over 600 regular season games over 8 seasons with the Bruins. During the lockout Hal Gill played in Finland.

After signing a three year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2006 Hal Gill's play declined and was traded to Pittsburgh in 2008 where his team made the Stanley Cup Finals. Gill won the Stanley cup the year after. During the off season of 2009 the Montreal Canadiens signed Hal Gill to a 2 year 4.5 million dollar contract much to the dismay of Montreal Canadiens fans.

Hal Gill is a stay at home third pairing defenceman. Standing 6 foot 7 inches with no skates, Hal is one of the tallest in the NHL. He uses his height and long reach quite effectively by blocking shots with his long frame and poke checking unexpecting players (usually once they blow past him). He is fairly smart with the puck, as many veteran defencemen in the NHL are. At times Hal Gill can make some poor decisions when pressured but he is fairly consistent when he simplifies his game.

Hal Gill is dynamite on the penalty kill. He uses every inch of his frame to block shots and interrupt passing lanes. Because of his long reach and the amount of room he takes up he works well as a shutdown defender taking away room from star players. Hal Gill as a shutdown defenceman works best when Gill plays conservatively especially on the rush otherwise because of Hal Gill`s slow foot speed players are usually able to skate past him. Hal Gill Pinches on the cycle fairly well but will occasionally get caught out of position during transitional play. Hal Gill brings a leadership presence into the locker room and is a proven playoff performer.

Some of Hal Gill`s strengths include his penalty killing, shot blocking, playoff experience and veteran leadership. On the downside on of Gill`s weaknesses is his speed. Hal Gill is one of the slowest skaters in the league. He has lots of trouble switching from skating backward to skating forward.

Hal Gill's full name is Harold Priestley "Hal" Gill the third. He used to play quarterback in high school and was supposedly pretty good. Gill says he would be a quarter back if he wasn't a hockey player.