Senators by the Numbers: #97

Matt Gilroy D 2011-2012

Born in North Bellmore, New York in 1984, Gilroy was undrafted after four years with Boston University. A three-time All-American, he won the Hobey Baker Award and an NCAA championship in his final college season. A sought-after college free agent, he signed a two-year deal with the New York Rangers in April 2009. After two seasons with the Rangers, he signed a one-year deal with Lightning. He was traded to the Senators at the 2012 trade deadline in exchange for Brian Lee, playing just 14 games for the Senators. After another stop in New York, he signed with the Florida Panthers ahead of the 2013-2014 season but played just 16 games before being assigned to the AHL. He wore #97 for a reason: "Gilroy wears the number 97 in remembrance of his deceased brother Timmy, who died as the result of a bicycle accident at eight years old. Separated by 13 months, Matt and Timmy played on the same hockey teams growing up and wore the numbers 98 and 97, respectively, in homage to Wayne Gretzky." Last month he signed a deal with Atlant Moscow Oblast of the KHL.

This is the end of Senators by the Numbers. If you'd like to take a second look at the series, please check out this dedicated section. I started writing this series over two years ago and it was one of my earliest contributions as a staff writer. It's been a long project interrupted by playoffs and other important events but has always been a consistent part of my writing here. Because of the relative newness of the Senators franchise, the series came to a slow end, but overall was still a pleasure to write. I've read every Wikipedia page for every Senator and I've been able to share anecdotes and history with you - an enjoyable experience!

For those who have read each of the 75 posts in this series, thank you so much for reading!