April 23, 2008 | 2:20pm ET
Canucks hire Gillis as GM TheFourthPeriod.com
The Vancouver Canucks didn't wait long to replace Dave Nonis, hiring Mike Gillis to become the 10th general manager in club history.
Gillis joins the Canucks organization after spending the past 16 years as a player agent.
"This is an exciting day for the future of the Vancouver Canucks," Canucks Chairman Francesco Aquilini said in a statement. "Mike's involvement with the National Hockey League dates back 30 years as a player and player representative. We believe that he brings a wealth of experience to this role and will embrace the opportunity to lead our Hockey Operations department."
Gillis, 49, began his NHL career in 1978 as the fifth selection of the Colorado Rockies. In 246 NHL regular season games, Gillis recorded 33 goals, 43 assists and 186 penalty minutes with Colorado and the Boston Bruins.
"I feel privileged to have been given the opportunity to lead the Vancouver Canucks as General Manager," Gillis said. "This is a great hockey market with loyal fans and supporters. Everyone who works in this industry wants to work in a Canadian NHL city, there is nothing else like it."
