Career
A stay-at-home defenceman, Pilon played for three teams during his 15-year, the New York Islanders, New York Rangers and Saint Louis Blues, but is primarily recognized for his time with the Islanders. The New York Islanders drafted him in the seventh round, 143rd overall, in the 1986 National Hockey League Entry Draft. Pilon made his debut in the 1988-1989 National Hockey League season, playing 62 games, recording 14 assists and 242 penalty minutes for the New York Islanders.
He would play 10 season there before being claimed on waivers December 1, 1999, by the New York Rangers.
He played parts of two seasons as a Ranger. He was traded to the San Jose Sharks for a seventh round draft pick, days before he became an unrestricted free agent in 2001.
He was then signed by the Saint Louis Blues on July 10, 2001. He played eight games for the Blues before he suffered a broken left wrist in a game against the Rangers that subsequently ended his Kevin Stevens hit
Early in the first period, the puck went into the Islanders" corner.
The Penguins" star power-forward, Kevin Stevens, skated in hard and attempted to hit Pilon but instead was met by Pilon"s visor which knocked Stevens unconscious in mid-air.
The unprotected fall left Stevens to smash his face on the ice upon impact. Stevens laid motionless on the ice for several seconds with the referee and Penguins teammates concerned, a pool of blood forming around Stevens" head, before the team trainer attended to him. Stevens was carted off the ice in a stretcher with a neck brace around his head
He required immediate surgery on his crushed face, injuries that ended up being a broken sinus bone and nose, as well as many facial lacerations and bruises.
Stevens" face required over one-hundred stitches that left him unrecognizable, even to his own family, for the next few weeks until the swelling went down. Pilon and Jeff Norton are depicted as the two defenders Mario Lemieux skates between in a 4,700-pound bronze statue unveiled on 7 March 2012 at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.
He learned of his inclusion in the statue via text message on the day it was unveiled.