Jere Alan Gillis (born January 18, 1957) is an American-born

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

player, actor and stuntman.

Background

Gillis was born in

Bend, Oregon Bend is a city in central Oregon and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is located to the east of the Cascade Range, on the Deschutes River. The site became known by pioneers as a ford (cros ...

and raised in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, the son of skier Gene Gillis (a member of the American alpine skiing team for the

1948 Winter Olympics The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games (; ; ; ) and commonly known as St. Moritz 1948 (; ), were a winter multi-sport event held from 30 January to 8 February 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Games were the ...

), and Rhona Wurtele, a Canadian Olympic skier who competed at the 1948 Winter Olympics. His sister

Margie Gillis Margie Gillis (born July 9, 1953) is a Canadians, Canadian dancer and choreographer. Gillis has been creating original works of modern dance for over thirty-five years. Her repertoire includes more than one hundred pieces, which she performs as ...

is a dancer and choreographer, and member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

. His older brother Christopher Gillis was also an important dancer and choreographer, and a member of the

Paul Taylor Dance Company Paul Taylor Dance Company is a modern dance company, formed by dancer and choreographer Paul Taylor (1930—2018). The modern dance company is based in New York, New York and was founded in 1954. Taylor originally performed in the companies of M ...

Playing career

As a youth, Gillis played in the 1970

Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament () is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, and give an opportunity for international competition to p ...

with a

minor ice hockey Minor ice hockey or minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body c ...

team from

Mount Royal, Quebec Mount Royal ( , officially Town of Mount Royal, Ville Mont-Royal, abbreviated TMR, ) is an affluent Greater Montreal, on-island suburban town located on the northwest side of the eponymous Mount Royal, northwest of Downtown Montreal, on the Isla ...

. Drafted fourth overall in the

1977 NHL amateur draft The 1977 NHL amateur draft was the 15th NHL entry draft. It was held at the Mount Royal Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. It was notable for the inclusion of players being drafted at 20 years of age. This was the only draft in which the Cleveland Bar ...

by the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...

, Gillis played in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL) from 1977 to 1987 for the Canucks,

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...

Quebec Nordiques The Quebec Nordiques (, pronounced in Quebec French, in Canadian English; translated "Northmen" or "Northerners") were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association (1972–1979) an ...

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...

and

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...

. From 1988 to 1991, he played in the United Kingdom for

Solihull Barons The Solihull Barons are an English ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. ...

and Peterborough Pirates, finally playing five games in the Quebec Senior Provincial Hockey League in 1996–97.

Personal life

Upon retiring from ice hockey he became a stuntman in movies as well as a Scientologist.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

*''All statistics are taken from eliteprospects.com.''

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gillis, Jere 1957 births Living people American men's ice hockey left wingers American stunt performers Buffalo Sabres players Bishop's College School alumni Canadian ice hockey left wingers Canadian stunt performers Cincinnati Stingers draft picks Fredericton Express players Hershey Bears players Ice hockey people from Oregon NHL first-round draft picks New York Rangers players Philadelphia Flyers players Quebec Nordiques players Rochester Americans players Sherbrooke Castors players Sportspeople from Bend, Oregon Vancouver Canucks draft picks Vancouver Canucks players Ice hockey people from Montreal American emigrants to Canada