Bio: Gilbert played 15 seasons for the New York Rangers, scoring 406 goals and 1,021 points. He played from 1960 to 1978, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982. He was the first person to have his number retired by New York, and is the only player to score more than 1,000 points for the Rangers.

Gilbert was a guest coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning squirt team.

What do you think of this tournament?

“I think it’s just a wonderful experience for all of the kids. I was the honorary coach for the Rangers for many years for their pee-wee team, and we went to the tournament in Quebec, and it was awesome. It’s really just about the competition between the kids.

“I was really surprised by the quality of the team that we just played in Carolina. The kids are just mites, and they seemed so well coached.

“The tournament was great, it keeps the interest in hockey alive in the young kids.”

What advice did you give them?

“Well, number one, they have to have fun. And number two, if they have the intention to be good, they have to be really determined and be passionate. For those of us that made the NHL, there wasn’t a day in which we didn’t think about playing hockey, even in the summer, and training for it, and looking at the players ahead of us that had paved the way and seeing what they did to become good.”

What was your favorite event in the skills competition last night?

“The YoungStars was the most fun. The game they played, the 3 on 3, was just great. The whole event was well promoted. The hardest shot is always fun, and I enjoyed the speed skating. The whole event was enjoyable. “

Who was your favorite player growing up?

“My favorite was Boom Boom Geoffrion because I simulated him with my slapshot when I was young and it helped me a lot.”