It was a scene that repeated itself multiple times throughout the 2007-08 Boston University men’s hockey season. Win or lose, blowout or nail biter: the opposing team’s coach would address reporters with his general comments – comments that often included one statement.
It’s tough to play against a team like BU and a guy like Matt Gilroy who’s going to be in the NHL next year.
Without a shadow of a doubt, it was a definitive statement: who’s going to be in the NHL next year.
Not bad for a kid who three years ago was chomping at the bit to get on a college roster, a forward most of his life, getting a walk-on shot at BU as a defenseman.
Gilroy was courted by a few other teams during his 2004-05 stint with the EJHL Walpole Junior Stars, but the confusion over where a team could put a player like him was obvious: Union College recruited him as a forward, the University of Maine as a defenseman. But there were no scholarship offers on the table when Gilroy received a call from Boston University.
“BU called one day and was like, ‘Hey, you could be a practice player, basically, and we’ll see what happens the year after that. Maybe we’ll move you back up to forward, but you have to play ‘D’.'” Gilroy said. “I said yes immediately.”
There was no scholarship offer from the Terriers, but the North Bellmore, N.Y., native saw BU as a prime opportunity.
The move has been paying huge dividends ever since – for all parties concerned. Gilroy, who has racked up just about every honor college hockey can offer, has made the type of progress over the last three years most athletes strive for – finishing up his junior season as a first-team All-America selection, the only back-to-back All-American in the country. To put that accomplishment in perspective, the last BU junior who took home first-team All-America honors was Chris Drury in 1997.
All signs pointed to a much celebrated and anticipated jump to the NHL and a big pay-day for the 23 year-old. The Boston Globe reported back in February that one NHL General Manager said there was “no question” Gilroy would be coveted by all 30 professional teams.
But when the time came to make the decision, Gilroy thought long and hard and chose to reward the team that had rewarded him three years ago.
“There are a lot of reasons [to come back],” Gilroy said. “But the most important one is BU gave me a shot when no one else did. I’m loyal to them. I love the university, and coach, and my teammates and the fans. I just love being here and I want to get that degree.”
The decision surprised most people – including head coach Jack Parker, who thought his standout defenseman was all but gone.
“We had thought at this time last year that in all probability he’d be signing at the end of his junior year,” Parker said. “He’s a real talented offensive defenseman that has great skating skills. The way the game is played in the NHL right now, they want people who can move the puck, jump into the play and create more offense from the defensive position. He can do all those things, as well as defend.”
It was a calculated decision for Gilroy, one made with the utmost care and a belief in the idea that what will be, will be.
“I had a meeting with coach Parker, my dad and [associate head coach David] Quinn and we just talked about [the NHL offers],” he said. “I came in the next day and said, ‘Coach, you know what, I want to come back to school.’ I started something, I want to finish it. If I’m supposed to be in the NHL, I’ll hopefully be there next year. If I’m not, at least I have my college degree and I had a great four years at BU.”
Coming back also means Gilroy can suit up with his younger brother Kevin, an incoming recruit.
“I asked him, ‘You have to tell me why you want to come back,'” Parker said. “And he said, ‘Well, you think you know how close our family is, but you really don’t. I have the opportunity and maybe never will again, but for the first time, to play with my brother and I’d love to be able to do that.’ I said, ‘That’s a pretty good reason.'”
One of eight children, Gilroy has a large support system. When the team traveled to Madison Square Garden last Thanksgiving to face off against Cornell, there were an estimated 200 fans – probably the whole neighborhood, Gilroy speculated – decked out in GILROY 97 T-shirts and jerseys. It’s that 97 he wears on his back that makes it obvious just how important his family is.
It wasn’t always Matt’s number to wear. In 1993, Matt’s brother, Timmy, who was a year younger, died after a bike accident. Gilroy promised his mother he’d wear Timmy’s No. 97 as far as he could go, in memory of his brother and linemate.
“Everyone has their own number but my number means a lot,” Gilroy said. “My other brothers and sisters all come to the games and they all wear a 97 jersey, and it’s just something special I was able to do for my mom. Every night I look at my stall and I see my number and it just reminds me of why I’m here and how I’ve gotten here.”
Although he isn’t making the jump this year, there’s a good chance GILROY 97 will be gracing an NHL uniform in the near future. For the time being, the BU Gilroy jersey will have to settle for an extra addition, a ‘C’ to share with roommate John McCarthy next season.
McCarthy and Gilroy, with the help of alternate captain Brian Strait, will take the reins of a team that really didn’t show up until the second half of this season, ultimately too little too late. The focus for next year is simple: playing as a team cannot come secondary, whether it’s the first game or the 32nd.
“We didn’t win one championship this year. That hurts,” Gilroy said. “We get to play in the Beanpot. That’s a championship. Hockey East championship. Regional championship. We didn’t win anything.”
Despite the loss of a nine-member senior class that includes the team’s top two scorers in Pete MacArthur and Bryan Ewing, the Terriers won’t lack on-ice leadership, a quality McCarthy noticed in Gilroy immediately.
“When we first came in, we were playing pick-up with the guys and it’s kind of intimidating when you’re just a freshman. You want to impress everybody,” McCarthy said. “But Matt wasn’t afraid to do the things that he does now. He impressed a lot of the guys on our team just from those first pick-up games because of the confidence he had in himself.”
Gilroy’s talents on the ice were cultivated during his first two years with the help of some of the best defensemen BU has seen in recent years – playing his first year as a partner with then-All-American Dan Spang and his second with former captain Sean Sullivan. Combined with his forward instincts and quick movement with the puck, it’s easy to see why the NHL is calling.
“He has this lateral movement that, I mean, you’re right in front of him and all of a sudden he’s eight feet to the right, your jock strap’s in the corner, he’s up the ice and we have a three-on-one,” MacArthur told the New England Sports Network in an interview last month.
But it wasn’t enough to help propel the Terriers past the Hockey East Tournament. And as they watched archrival Boston College take home the ultimate prize, a fire re-ignited within Gilroy to get back on the ice.
“It was like, ‘Geez we hate them,'” Gilroy said of watching the Eagles celebrate their national championship. “But they deserved it. They got hot at the right time. They won their games. What can I say? I was not happy about it. I still have a stomach ache about it, but hats off to them.
“We respect BC, but we also hate BC. There’s nothing like beating BC and there’s nothing like losing to BC. Next year’s a new year and I can’t wait for that week in December. I love that week.”
So, the walk-on turned All-American defenseman is giving himself one more whack at it. One more year to lace up in scarlet and white with the bold red 97 on his back – and another Gilroy on the bench – in the hopes of rewarding the Terrier faithful with some coveted hardware.
“I’m fortunate that I was a junior this year and I get one more shot at it,” he said. “You only get four years in college. That’s what I think makes it so special.
“Hopefully when it’s over I can look back, but I look at it right now and next year there are four more championships up for grabs. I still don’t have a trip to the [Frozen Four]. I think that would be something special.”
