Gillis was born in Bend, Oregon and raised in Montreal, the son of skier Gene Gillis (a member of the American alpine skiing team for the 1948 Winter Olympics), and Rhona Wurtele, a Canadian Olympic skier who competed at the 1948 Winter Olympics. His sister Margie Gillis is a dancer and choreographer, and member of the Order of Canada. His older brother Christopher Gillis was also an important dancer and choreographer, and a member of the Paul Taylor Dance Company.\n', '

As a youth, Gillis played in the 1970 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Mount Royal, Quebec.\n', '

Drafted fourth overall in the 1977 NHL Amateur Draft by the Vancouver Canucks, Gillis played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1977 to 1987 for the Canucks, New York Rangers, Quebec Nordiques, Buffalo Sabres and Philadelphia Flyers. From 1988 to 1991, he played in the United Kingdom for Solihull Barons and Peterborough Pirates, finally playing five games in the Quebec Senior Provincial Hockey League in 1996–97.\n', '

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