At the age of 16 in 1970, Gillies landed in Covington, Virginia where the tyke suited up for the Astros' minor-league outfit for five games. Obviously, Gillies was far from being the physical presence he was on the ice at the age of 16, but the kid from Moose Jaw was still a man among boys at his age. Playing in the Appalachian League was a different story than senior men's baseball in Saskatchewan, though, and Gillies struggled in his three games as a positional player and one as a pitcher.
He had a solid showing in a pair of games at first base, committing just one error while recording 11 put-outs, two assists, and was part of one double-play. He played one game in the outfield where he made just one out without committing an error, and he also suited up as the Astros' pitcher for one game where he pitched six innings, giving up three hits and two runs while recording five strikeouts, three base-on-balls, and one hit-by-pitch. Defensively, the kid looked fine, but it was a different story at the plate as Gillies went 1-for-13 with a single while striking out ten times.
The Astros weren't willing to give up on Clark Gillies after he struggled in 1970 as they invited him back to Covington in 1971 after his hockey season ended. Gillies saw action in 35 games that season for a Covington team that ended up going 33-35 to finish 8.5 games back of the first-place Bluefield Orioles in the Appalachian League's North Division.
Gillies played 14 games at first base, and he looked the part as a 17 year-old. In 105 balls thrown his way, Gillies recorded 92 put-outs against eight errors while assisting on five outs and being part of seven double-plays. He also suited up for ten games as the Astros' catcher in 1971, and it was here that Gillies really excelled as he was part of 60 put-outs while committing no errors. He did give up 13 passed balls, but he also added three assists on outs from behind the plate. Defensively, Gillies was solid.
At the plate, Gillies was starting to find his groove as a pro ball player as well. In 92 at-bats, he recorded 22 hits and five walks while being hit-by-pitches three times and sacrificing twice. His .239 batting average doesn't look great, but he was playing against guys two years older than him in the Appalachian League so there may be a little slack given on this one. What should stand out is his 22 hits saw him hit five doubles, score eight runs, and drive in 11 more runs. Gillies was also caught stealing in his only attempt that season.
After heading home to join the WCHL's Regina Pats where he scored 31 goals and added 48 helpers in 68 games while posting 199 PIMs, Gillies began to look like a man carved out of the side of a mountain. He'd come back to Covington for the summer of 1972 where he played in 46 games with the Astros this summer as Covington finished in second-place in the one-division Appalachian League despite recording the most wins in the league with 41. The Bristol Tigers were 40-28 for a .588 win percentage while the Covington Astros were 41-29 for a .586 win percentage - a .002 difference in what has to be the slimmest of margins between the top-two teams in any league!
Gillies spent most of his 1972 season at first base where the big Saskatchewan kid showed an improvement over his previous season, recording 271 put-outs against just six errors made. His 29 assists matched the same number of double-plays he was involved in, and he looked like he may have a future at the corner for the Astros. It should be noted he played one game as catcher where an error and two passed balls overshadowed his two put-outs, and his four games as an outfielder saw him record six outs while making one error. He seemed to be destined to be a first baseman.
1972 also saw his work at the plate improve as well. In 156 at-bats, Gillies recorded 40 hits that included five doubles, two triples, and two balls that landed outside Casey Field. His average improved to .256 in this season, but he was still plagued by the whiff as he recorded 52 strikeouts against ten walks and two sacrifices. Gillies did score 23 runs that season while driving in 20 more, and he recorded his only stolen base of his professional career while being caught once.
Among Gillies' teammates with the Astros that year was another notable NHL star as Bob Bourne, a future teammate with the New York Islanders, was the other first baseman on the team! The 18 year-old Bourne played 33 games at first base in 1972, recording 250 put-outs against just four errors. He also assisted on 23 other outs and was part of 24 double-plays. At the plate, Bourne hit .257 with 28 hits in 109 at-bats. He had one double, one triple, scored 16 runs, and drove in 15 more. While he struck out 29 times, I'll also note he was hit by a pitch once, sacrificed four times, and stole six bases out of the seven times he tried to swipe a bag.
Gillies would head back to Regina for the 1972-73 hockey season where he'd once again find all sorts of success in scoring 40 goals and 52 assists in just 68 games as the Pats looked dangerous once again, but they were swept from the playoffs by the second-seeded Flin Flon Bombers in the opening round of the WCHL playoffs. Gillies made the decision to focus on hockey after being homesick every summer he was in Virginia, and that would put an end to his baseball career before it every truly got started.
It may have been for the best, though, because Gillies and the Pats went off in a big way in 1973-74. Gillies scored 46 goals and added 66 assists in 68 games to end up as the tenth-best scorer in the WCHL as he helped Regina to a 43-14-11 record as the top team in the WCHL. Regina downed Saskatoon in six games in the opening round of the playoffs, eliminated New Westminster in five games, and claimed the WCHL championship after sweeping the Calgary Centennials in the final. Gillies was named a WCHL all-star for his efforts, and the Pats would go on to play at the 1974 Memorial Cup tournament in Calgary.
The Pats defeated St. Catharines in their opening game by a 4-0 score after St. Catharines had defeated Quebec the day before. If the Pats defeated Quebec, they'd be the home team in the final against St. Catharines once more. Instead, the Remparts downed the Pats by a 5-3 score, and the two finalists were determined by goal differential. The 1-1 Regina Pats were the top team at +2, and they awaited the winner of the semifinal between Quebec and St. Catharines. Quebec downed St. Catharines in their rematch by an 11-3 drubbing, but they couldn't pull off a second win against Regina as the Pats claimed the Memorial Cup with a 7-4 victory over the Remparts!
The summer saw Clark Gillies' name become very popular as he was drafted in the WHA's secret draft for players younger than 20 at seventh-overall by the Edmonton Oilers before the New York Islanders called his name as the fourth-overall pick at the 1974 NHL Entry Draft in Montreal. Gillies would sign with the Islanders that summer, make the 1974-75 team as a rookie, and would hoist the Stanley Cup for the first of four times six seasons later.
Playing on the LILCO line with Billy Harris and Bryan Trottier before landing on the famous Trio Grande line with Trottier and Mike Bossy, Clark Gillies was the epitome of toughness and skill for the Islanders - a guy who could finish off a passing play, set up a teammate, or battle the opposition's toughest hombres. After a Hall-of-Fame career in the NHL, it's hard to imagine Clark Gillies having the same impact on baseball as he did on hockey, but it almost happened 53 years ago when a 16 year-old kid from Moose Jaw arrived in Covington, Virginia.
He was once an Astro, but Clark Gillies was destined to be a star.
Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!
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