Robert Paul McGill (born April 27, 1962) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

player. McGill played in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL) from 1981 until 1994.

Early life

McGill began playing hockey when he moved to Leduc with his family in 1970. He left Leduc to play for the BCJHL’s

Abbotsford Flyers The Abbotsford Flyers were a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. They were a part of the British Columbia Hockey League and played in the Coastal Conference. History In 1983, the Flyers avenged a poor playoffs i ...

in 1978. McGill joined the WHL’s

Victoria Cougars The Victoria Cougars were a major league professional ice hockey team that played in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) from 1911 to 1924 under various names, and (after the PCHA's merger with the Western Canada Hockey League) in the W ...

from 1979 to 1981, winning the WHL championship in 1981.

Playing career

McGill started his NHL career with the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

in 1981–82 after he was selected 26th overall by the Leafs in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft. He also played for the

Chicago Black Hawks (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertainm ...

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...

, and

Hartford Whalers The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut. The club played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 until 1979, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979 to ...

. He retired from the NHL after the 1993–94 season.

Coaching career

McGill has coached in both the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

, becoming the assistant coach of the AHL’s

Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania, a town located 14 miles east of the state capital of Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the c ...

from 1996 to 1998, who won the 1997 Calder Cup. He then went on to become the head coach of the

Baton Rouge Kingfish The Baton Rouge Kingfish were a minor professional ice hockey team in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as a member of the East Coast Hockey League. The franchise arrived in Baton Rouge in 1996 after relocating from Erie, Pennsylvania, where they had playe ...

from 1998 to 2000 in the

East Coast Hockey League The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The E ...

Broadcasting career

In 2005, McGill has transitioned into a career as an analyst with

Leafs Nation Network Leafs Nation Network (formerly Leafs TV) was a Canadian English language Category B regional specialty channel owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. Leafs Nation Network broadcasts programming related to the Toronto Maple Leafs Natio ...

, a popular media outlet in the Greater Toronto Area following the Toronto Maple Leafs and their AHL affiliate the

Toronto Marlies The Toronto Marlies are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a member of the North Division of the Eastern Conference. The Marlies is owned by Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment, a c ...

. McGill also serves as the

colour analyst A color commentator or expert commentator is a Sportscaster, sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian E ...

for the Marlies radio broadcasts on AM 640 Toronto.

Personal

In 2018, McGill and his mother Kay McGill, long-time Leduc Minor Hockey Association volunteer and first female president in 1977, both made their way into Leduc’s Sports Hall of Fame.

Career statistics

References

External links

* 1962 births Living people Canadian ice hockey defencemen Canadian radio sportscasters Canadian television sportscasters Chicago Blackhawks players Chicago Wolves (IHL) players Detroit Red Wings players Hartford Whalers players Ice hockey people from Alberta New York Islanders players St. Catharines Saints players San Jose Sharks players Sportspeople from Edmonton Springfield Indians players Toronto Maple Leafs draft picks Toronto Maple Leafs players Victoria Cougars (WHL) players {{Canada-icehockey-defenceman-1960s-stub