“I Try To Be Extremely Hard To Play Against” | Buffalo Sabres Sign NHL Free Agent Dennis Gilbert

“I Try To Be Extremely Hard To Play Against” | Buffalo Sabres Sign NHL Free Agent Dennis Gilbert

so what was your reaction when you knew the Sabers were interested and of course when the contract got done yeah um obviously super exciting for my family and I and uh something in the back of your mind you always kind of hope for at some point in time to happen and I think that at this point in my career it’s a it’s a good time for it and hopefully I can come in and help what happened last season you know you’ve been up down for a few years and STI last you’re just what happened you that kind of seizer to yeah I think starting probably two years ago around November um playing for Daryl Suter I really figured out what I was and um a big part of that to his credit and the coaching staff in Calgary I figured out what it was going to take for me to be in in the NHL every day and contribute in different ways um so going through last year was just trying to really be consistent I thought I did a pretty good job of that and um you know I thought I took a lot of good steps and um you know make sure that practice days you’re treating like game days and you’re staying competitive and keeping juices flowing and bringing that stuff every day is a big part of consistency and um that’s what I thought I was able to kind of figure out in my fifth and sixth year Pro and I think I can just keep it rolling now for your history in this building and with this organization what’s it like that Lindy Ruff is going to be the coach you didn’t just sign with the Savers you sign with the Savers play for yeah I mean it’s it’s definitely pretty cool um I guess somewhere to talk a couple years ago when he got here like I grew up watching all those teams and um been fortunate enough to meet a lot of those guys and and they’ve a lot of them helped train me from Brian Campbell to Ellie to Kevin back at the Academy hockey so uh there’s been a lot of connections but definitely with with Lindy it’s uh it’s cool I mean we all I grew up you know like you guys all were here it was the city was just amazing like I was getting days off of school for playoff games and it was uh a special time and this super pass fan base here and I think that um you know when you think of that those times you think of the players but you think of Lindy a lot and uh you know I think it’s super exciting time for the organization and it definitely makes signing here at this point in time like a little more special someone who’s from here what would it mean to be part of group that could maybe bring back some of that just as someone who who grew up and saw it like it’s such a great hockey town and um you can see it in I think two ways just from the support the team gets when things are going really well and then the other side of it is so many people that play here stay Hereafter like there’s a massive alumni base here so that just goes to show how amazing the city is and how great the people are and you know it’s a great place to raise a family like there’s so many good parts about playing here and that’s why you see a lot of guys that don’t leave after um so it’s definitely an amazing hockey town and it would be super special to help turn that around and that’s I’m hoping to do we had some very competitive games against these guys the last few years especially in Calgary a couple that went to overtime what were your takeaways from watching you know Alex and those guys and everybody that you’re going to have a chance to play with yeah and I’ve had a unique look at it just because I’ve been able to skate with a lot of them in the summer just in the past you know three four five years so um like watching T’s progression from playing most of the year in Rochester they really popping a couple years ago like I was skating with them for most of that summer so you could see it kind of coming and a lot of the guys are like that and there’s just so much talent and speed and ability kind of throughout the lineup and hopefully with you know age and maturity and some of the guys that have come in including myself we can try to bring some of that snarl and that anger and kind of make some more push back and kind of keep it you know going that way you mentioned you figured out what you are what are you what have you what kind of defensive develop well definitely a defensive first player um I try to be extremely hard to play against and you can look at that in a multitude of ways I mean obviously I’ve been willing to fight in my career and that’s something that’s not going to change but also like there’s a different you can do things that are hard to play against that aren’t just fighting it’s being super physical it’s after the whistle it’s boxing guys out it’s given a cross check if somebody takes a run at somebody on your team and they don’t even connect but you go over and say something to them or get in their face like all that stuff is is a big part of that and you don’t need to have you know two three four five guys that just fight 20 times a year like you did 15 20 years ago now it’s that team toughness and that really starts with having a good group of guys that are willing to do that to start it off and then it’s super contagious I found at least in my career kind of going around so um something I definitely want to help bring here kind of like since I turned Pro honestly um I started off playing in Rockford um after signing with Chicago and I wasn’t playing a ton early on and our captain there Andrew Campbell was like Gibby you’re a good player but there’s seven returners you’re like when you get in you got to do something to stay in and the staff there was unbelievable and um the coach that I had there for a year and a half Derek King was great and mentored me a lot and um just something I figured out and it’s not something that needs to happen 15 20 times a year like I said but be able to do that you know six seven eight times a season and and your teammates know that someone’s there to do that for you I think it’s a big thing in the room and like I said it’s contagious how does that experience Now app for you got a lot of big games a lot of guys that have been around for a bit you separate oh I mean there’s definitely a ton of really good players here especially defenseman um I kind of look at it like how I went into Calgary a couple years ago like our top four in Calgary for the majority of the last two years was hannahan weager Anderson and tanb like that’s a pretty I mean our team had some struggles throughout the last two seasons but I would put that that four up against almost anybody in the league so um in in some ways I’ve learned okay so that’s the top four and they’re going to Crunch a lot of minutes how are you going to be effective in the 10 12 14 minutes you play and what can you bring in those minutes to differentiate yourself and um I played with you know Michael Stone when I was there a little bit Jordan oy U Nikita zadorov like I played with different guys on both sides and um you can kind of just figure out ways because the minutes are those guys are super talented and you want them on the ice as much as possible because how good they are obviously but you got to figure out ways and the minutes that you’re given to be able to make a difference and impact on the game whether it’s 10 12 14 minutes whatever it is whether it’s penalty killing or um being super hard on those forwards that you get out against and turn the momentum and just whatever you can do it’s just you got to find the best you can in those minutes to be effective because there are so many good defenseman here you’re going to you’re not going to play you know it’s not going to be an even spread of 20 mentioned the junior Sabers in Academy of hockey you’re like 10 years are moved now but seeing a lot of the fruits of that building being there what’s it meant for got people from here no matter guys like you become Pros or kids to have that set up down there the last 10 years oh it’s been massive I mean I look at my core group of like good friends here that are still playing for hockey with d Simone Ryan schmeler um Andrew potowski Shawn Malone Dylan McLaughlin Cole Schneider aala was here for a while um there’s a couple of the guys I mentioned that are younger like countar and the McCarthy Brothers they’re coming like it’s such a massive um resource and to have that at age 13 14 like the amount of you know benefit I got out of being able to go on the ice with young Pros or the Sab guys a couple days a week when I was 15 16 like that helps you immensely cuz you might be a little nervous out there or whatever and you might not be doing your best or struggling a bit but just getting those reps in makes everything easier and um the pace of those skates was always super good and having Kevin and Ellie and Adam May was there for a while too um like those guys been there and have done it and they know what it takes to get to that level so to have people like that you their hands on you at such a young age is just massive for development have memory in this building um I would say either winning uh a high school championship here or maybe unfortunately scoring a couple years ago against the Sabres that was pretty cool I had a lot of family here and stuff so that was cool for them and um it was cool afterwards to see everybody and for all come full circle and been a long journey but it was uh it’s been great so far how long have you known um since he got here pretty much I actually grew up playing against him when he was in Syracuse so knew of him and then he went to the US program and I was in USHL and then I put against him in college so we’ve been kind of competing against each other for I would say the better part of 15 20 years now which is kind of crazy to think about but yeah it’s been a while what has he kind of told you about the group and you know on in off the ice about how you can fit in how you can help and what they need yeah I mean a bunch of guys have reached out already um and just kind of said welcome I I know a bunch of them just you know at some level just from the last few years but um he said it’s a great group of guys it seems like the the families around the team are really close um like the wives and girlfriends seem to have a great relationship which is exciting um you know Kevin’s wife reached out to my girlfriend after I signed my contract that’s something that I never heard of before so I think it’s all group really cares about each other and that’s from the top down and um that’s such an important part and it’s really all you can ask for as a foundation and now we just got to go out and get going you’re not a kid you’ve been in three organizations you played in the NHL for two teams what it’s going to be like thaty it’ll be cool um I mean like I like I couldn’t even have imagine how Monday was going to go and it was pretty crazy uh I think I don’t know I think playing here playing some games here and having a bunch of family and friends I’m sure the first couple games will be interesting I think it’ll actually probably be nice that we’re starting overseas um to kind of just get all that out of the way with not a lot of distractions but yeah I think at this point like you said I’m definitely old enough mature enough to handle it um something that’ll be really cool for a lot of people but for me at the end of the day I just it was just a really good fit and um I was super excited about the opportunity that was in front of me with here and being close to home and closer to family is super important to me I’m super close to my extended family so that that was definitely a major bonus but the fit of everything was was a big factor too your favorite growing up um it’s probably I’ll say Danny Brier because I don’t know him but I it was probably Brian Campbell because I grew up like wanting to play like him and everything and then I got the chance to work with him for a couple years in Chicago and he was super instrumental and helping me with learning the offside and all the little ins and outs of what it takes to be a good Pro and everything so probably one of those too thanks guys appreciate it

Dennis Gilbert speaks to the media after being signed by the Buffalo Sabres during NHL free agency. Gilbert discusses growing up in Buffalo, his defensive game, and his family’s reaction to signing with the Sabres.

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