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Rats Off-Season Q&A With Left Wing Trevor Gillies

June 20, 2008 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany River Rats News Release


Congratulations on signing a new contract with Carolina, you must be really excited!

Oh yeah absolutely. Going into the summer and the year-end meetings with Tom, Geordie, Ron Francis and Pete Friesen it was pretty apparent that I wanted to come back and also that they wanted me back. The feeling was mutual and my agent and I felt that we might as well try to get something done early. Ron Francis asked us to put in a proposal, so we did and we happened to be able to work something out. I'm really happy to be on board again, Carolina is a first class organization, probably the best I've ever played in. They treated me really well, I really liked the guys and I'm just excited to be back on board.

What are some of your goals for the 2008-09 season?

Well the main thing, just like every other guy, is that I'm working really hard this summer on my fitness and my training. I've been training every day. Actually right before you called I was having a little nap, trying to rest the body a little bit. (Laughs) So you might be getting a little "tired-Gilly" on the interview...but seriously, I'm just going to workout really hard and get ready for training camp. I‘m going to eat well and all that stuff, train and spend some time with the family.

You broke your hand in December; coincidentally about the same time that Carolina acknowledged the need for more toughness. Did the timing of that injury frustrate you?

Obviously every player wants to get called up and I truly believe that I would've gotten an opportunity if it hadn't been for my broken hand. But we had a job to do in Albany and our team did well, we really came together and it's an absolute honor to go to war for all those guys in that room every night. We have a great group of guys and that was one of the main reasons that I wanted to come back. Hopefully I'm going to be in the NHL full time, but if not it's a first class group of guys and we can build on what we did last year and hopefully win a Calder Cup.

Tom Rowe gave you a lot of credit, as well as a lot of your teammates, for what you were able to do in the room, developing great team chemistry and keeping all the guys together. Were you proud in the way you were able to contribute to the team concept?

I wouldn't say it was me. There are a lot of great guys in that locker room that had a big part in all of it. We had Keith Aucoin, Mike Leighton, you could go through that whole locker room, even rookies; we had Casey Borer, who's very, very mature for his age. Just a great group of guys, who all believed, who followed the boss's orders and bought into what the coaches were preaching. I just can't say enough good things about team and I'm happy to be a piece of the puzzle. Whether it was a small or large piece doesn't matter to me, as long as they all fit together at the end of the year and we do something in the playoffs.

What was your reaction to the news that Coach Rowe was heading to the NHL to be an assistant coach in Carolina?

I was so excited for Tom and his family. If it wasn't for Tom I could be digging ditches somewhere. Tom gave me my shot out of the ECHL when it was looking like I wasn't going to get another one. I just absolutely love the man. He's a hardcore coach and he expects his players to work hard every day and give their all on every shift and I honestly try to do that every day. If you do that for him he will play you and he'll give you an opportunity and I think that's really good. He and Geordie give guys in the lower leagues chances and I think that's amazing, because a lot of coaches don't.

As a professional, how important is it for any player to make sure that fitness and conditioning is not a reason to be cut from an NHL team?

Everyone knows that hockey is not like it was back in the old days. Everyone is getting stronger and faster every year and you'd be a fool not to work out all year round; maybe take a week or two off at the end of the season to let the old' bones and body heal up. Every guy is treating it as a full time job and if you're not willing to pay the price and workout every day then there's someone younger and hungrier out there ready to take your job. That's just the way I look at it and I happen to enjoy working out, which never hurts.

I hear that you started doing some Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) training this summer, what made you decide to incorporate this into your off-season workouts?

I just look at the way other athletes train and maybe getting a little older you learn how to train properly, you don't need to be lifting all the weights every day and stuff like that, it's more functional movements. I think boxers and Ultimate Fighters train the hardest of anybody. So I'm there in the mornings, pretty much every day, and they're working me pretty hard; there are a lot of weird drills. We do circuit training for a good little while, then we hit the heavy bags, there's a core program and then we do tons of stretching. We flip these huge tractor tires for a minute, using your legs and your core, there's a sledgehammer drill where you bang on a tractor tire non-stop. It's really intense hardcore stuff, I love it, and hopefully it'll get me in the best shape of my life, that's the goal.

When you're lifting one of these huge tractor tires do you feel like your training for the world's strongest man competition?

(Laughs) It's not that big of a tire! (Laughs again) It definitely is big enough and it definitely is a good work out. There's lots of different stuff that we do, I can't really explain it, you'd have to come see it for yourself. It's something different; you kind of get tired of doing the same old lifts. I‘m not trying to be a body builder; I'm trying to be the best athlete I can, so I think this is a lot better training. Obviously I'm doing the sprints and the plyos just like everyone else, trying to follow as much of Carolina's program as I can. This is just something extra I do on my own, but it's not like I'm the only enforcer doing this.

Is it just a training tool or would you consider competing in the sport of MMA?

(Laughs) I really respect what they do and how hard they train. I'm going spar this summer, but it's something that I might get into if I didn't have a family and a wife telling me no. (Laughs) So to answer your question, probably not.

Albany plays certain teams up to eight times a year, including Syracuse where it seems you have a budding rivalry with Jon Mirasty. Do you like going up against rival enforcers or is that not really what you're all about?

To be honest with you, we had some good battles during the year. He's a real tough guy and he happened to make his mark this year in the league. He's fighting all comers and that's what you have to do when you're trying to get established. Pretty much for me now in my career I'm willing to fight anybody at anytime, but there's a time and a place for everything. If it's right for the team then that's when you do it. There's a million scenarios of when to fight and when not to fight, but pretty much if it's going to help my team win or if it's in the right context of the game for my teammates then I'll be willing to do it. If not, well then sometimes it's not a good idea to do it.

So young enforcers sometimes have to be willing to fight anyone to establish themselves?

I'm not saying they have to fight everyone. As a young guy that's just what you do, welcome all comers. Like my boy Rechlicz there, that's how you get established. If you want to be the best and the toughest, then you have to fight the best and the toughest, that's the way it works. They both did a great job and congratulations to both Jon and the Recker for getting their contracts. As an enforcer you just have to pay your dues, whether you start in the lower leagues, or whatever.

You have one goal and one assist last year for the River Rats, is your plan to increase that goal total this year?

Yeah, definitely. (Laughs) You know I haven't been known to score a whole bunch in my career. It's not like I'm going to win the Hart Trophy or anything crazy like that. As long as my teammates know that I'm there every night for them and I know that I give an honest effort every night then I'm satisfied. The points are a bonus, but I would like to get those point totals us higher; I believe I would have it I hadn't shattered my hand. (Laughs).

A lot of guys like to golf during the summer time to relax and have fun, what's a day at the golf course like with the Gill-dog?

A day at golf course would probably be shooting high 90s or over 100. I'm not a great player at all, pretty bad actually. Probably some serious laughs and maybe a few adult beverages.

What some other things you like to do for fun when you're not working out?

I prefer fishing, water sports or lying by a pool. Honestly I'm pretty busy working out so I don't really have time for much. When I come home from the gym here in Georgia it's like 100 degrees outside, so I don't feel like hanging outside and sweating. I usually just hang inside with my family and we don't do a whole lot.

Casey Borer told me last month that he and Tim Conboy really like to fish up in Minnesota. Do you think you could give them a run for their money?

I don't know, I've seen some of their pictures...(Laughs) I've talked to both of them this summer and their both great fishermen, I'm not going to start a competition or anything. I definitely wouldn't mind going fishing with either of them; I'm probably going to in August when I go up there for a skating camp. Down here we fish mostly for stripers and hybrid bass, and some pretty big catfish.

What's it like being able to spend the summer with your daughter?

Oh, I can't even explain it to you. Besides my wedding, my daughter is the best thing that's happened to me in my life. It's a joy; everyday there's something new that she's doing. The other day she learned how to pull herself up on the table. She's always laughing and giving big smiles with all her little teeth showing. It's just a real fun time, when I'm not training it's pretty easy to come home and be in a great mood, no matter how sore your body is, when she's just looking at you with that big grin.

Can you see her growing up to be an Olympic champion hockey player?

(Laughs) I don't know. I mean I support my kids in whatever they want to do, if she wanted to be a hockey player that's fine. If I could kind of discourage her from being a hockey player I probably would. Maybe volleyball...hockey would be ok; it's supposed to be the best sport for females to get a college scholarship right now. But maybe volleyball because I think she's going to be pretty tall with my height and my wife is 5'7". If she doesn't want to play sports, that's fine too, I'll support my kids in anything they do.

If you had to play forecaster, do you think your daughter would have Dad's sense of aggressiveness and energy?

Oh yeah, definitely. My wife's no slouch either, she's pretty feisty. (Laughs) My daughter definitely has her own attitude, she's starting to scream a bit if she wants something; we're not really a fan of that.

Lastly, Who chirps more on the team, you, Joey Mormina or Mark Flood?

It's definitely not me. I kind of only start when someone starts with me, then I'll try to finish it. I like a healthy little chirping battle, it's fun. Mo' (Mormina) is "Sweetness" and I probably have to pick him. He is just so sweet. (Laughs).



American Hockey League Stories from June 20, 2008


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