Gilbert's Guile A Definite Plus for Bears

By: John Sparenberg

When defenseman Tom Gilbert joined the Washington Capitals organization in a February trade from the Los Angeles Kings organization for future considerations, the move was viewed as a depth move down the road for the Capitals, who were looking to add to their roster for the playoffs should an emergency situation arise that called for a veteran like Gilbert, who has skated in more then 700 games a pro, including 655 in the National Hockey League.

But the move brought immediate relief to the Hershey Bears' blueline when Gilbert was immediately assigned to the club, adding a solid defensive presence, with an offensive touch to their young, weary defensive corps. At time of the deal, the Bears sported an impressive 25-14-8-3 record, yet a spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs was anything but solidified, as the defense/goaltending began to buckle, in part due to the loss of minutes eating defenseman Madison Bowey to injury on December 28th. In the 20 games after Bowey went down, the Bears went a respectable 8-8-3-1, but at one point won only once in 10 outings, getting outscored 47-24 in the process.

"It was a good opportunity for me out in LA, but it just didn’t work out. When things don’t work out, just getting out there is probably the best thing any player can do. Landing a spot in this organization, and Washington is obviously number one in the league, and Hershey was I think 6th in this league (at the time of the trade). To get a chance to maybe get an opportunity to play up there, or play down here for a minor league team that was doing really well was really a no-brainer for me, and the trade worked out really well", said Gilbert.

Bears bench boss Troy Mann, who has been around the game a long time, is fully aware that the needs of his club have to be in line with the needs of the parent Caps before they pull the trigger on a trade, had to be breathing a huge sigh of relief when he learned that they heard his concerns and eventually closed the deal that brought Gilbert to central Pennsylvania.

“Two of the biggest areas I was hoping we could improve on in the second half was to acquire a top-four defenseman to replace Bowey’s minutes, said Bears' bench boss, Troy Mann, earlier this month. "It’s difficult to replace a 20-25 minute defenseman on a long-term basis. You can do it on a short-term basis, but to replace a guy like that is impossible. We were hoping the Caps could address that, and they did. It took some time because it’s difficult to make trades nowadays. It’s not easy to find the right guy", said Mann, of Gilbert an 11-year pro who, prior to this season, had not played in the AHL since his rookie campaign with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the 2006-2007 season.

Mann continued, “We preferred a right-handed shot to replace Bowey (who is also a right shot). Gilbert gives us a veteran presence back there. He’s a puck mover, and that fits into how we play. He enjoys the style of hockey that we play, and he’s been great in the room with the young guys. He’s giving us some quality hockey, and he’s a real good fit.”

A new team and a new organization always brings on a learning curve, and that's true of any player, even one possessing the abundance of experience of Gilbert.

In his first six games with the Bears, the club went 3-3 and Gilbert sported a solid +/- rating of +2, but he was only able to chip in a single assist on the offensive side. However, starting with the Bears' win at Syracuse on March 3rd, a game in which he scored the first goal of the game, and continuing through the end of the regular season, in 19 games, the Minnesota native was +10, and registered 12 points (3g, 9a), as he fit smoothly into what he confirmed is unique to him, the Bears' system.

"They are very much about puck possession in every single zone, especially in the offensive zone. If we get outshot in a game it’s not a big deal, and this is the first time that I’ve been on a team like that, where they’re not forcing shots on you and for a great reason too", said Gilbert, whose last two goals of the regular season where both scored at precisely the same time, 4:49 into the scond period.

Gilbert continued, "They want us to have the puck and wear teams down and they want us to have great shots in good spots on the ice. That’s been the biggest thing, the biggest chance since I got here, and obviously as an offensive guy like me it’s great. You’re allowed to lug the puck and it gives you a better feel for the game. Yeah, there are a lot of times you could probably shoot the puck, especially coming down the stretch and this playoff run and in the playoffs, you can watch it on TV now and goals are going in from everywhere and everyone’s shooting. But, you still have to have that mentality of just holding onto the puck and trying to wear teams down."

A lot has changed in the game of hockey since Gilbert's rookie season with the baby Pens, where he was actually property of the Edmonton Oilers at the time, as the Oilers and Pittsburgh Penguins shared an affilaition, and Gilbert gives a unique observation on what changes his eyes see in the AHL now, 10 years later.

"Both in the AHL in the NHL, you just see better players. I think the game has gotten faster first of all and you can see that down here. There’s plenty of guys that given the opportunity to go play up top would fit right in. The skillset down here is great, there are guys that make the exact same plays that you see up in the NHL..".

As the Bears prepare to take on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs, there will be few surprises for either team, thanks to the clubs clashing 12 times in the regular season, and although Gilbert only played in the last three of those dozen duels, he was lightning quick offering up an answer as to what the Bears have to guard against in the series.

"That’s an easy one, it’s their transition game. They are a very offensive team and they just kind of wait for their moments. When they get it, they are fast and they know how to score goals. For us, it’s going to be about how we control the puck and where we are positionally. We can’t be just flying around the ice because this team is just waiting for a turnover and they are gone.."