After Mike Sillinger had played two seasons in the WHL for the Regina Pats, where in his second season he amassed 131 points in 72 games, he was selected by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft. After playing two more seasons in the WHL, Sillinger represented Canada in his native Saskatchewan for the World Junior Championships in 1991 where the team won a gold medal. Sillinger joined the Red Wings for the three regular season games in 1990-91 and saw his first action in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The next year saw him play in Adirondack of the AHL, leading the scoring in the playoffs with 28 points in only 15 games. Sillinger was called up to Detroit for the post-season where he had an immediate impact, scoring four points in eight games.



After two and a half seasons with the Wings, Sillinger was traded to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 1995. He finished the season there and spent the majority of the 1995-96 year with the Ducks before being dealt once again, to the Vancouver Canucks, in 1996. Sillinger stayed with the Canucks until 1998 when he was sent to Philadelphia and was on the move once again in the 1998-99 season from the Flyers to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Sillinger was having a career year in 1999-2000 when he was traded to the Florida Panthers. That season, he also represented Canada during the World Championships as the team's captain. During the 2000-01 season, Sillinger was dealt toward the end of the year to the Ottawa Senators for their push for the Cup. In the off-season, Sillinger signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets as a free agent for 2001-02 and surpassed 700 games played during the 2002-03 season. In the summer of 2003, Sillinger was acquired by the Phoenix Coyotes and spent the better part the season with the club before being dealt to the St. Louis Blues for goaltender Brent Johnson in the latter stages of the season. Following a lock-out year in 2004-05, the former WHLer returned to St. Louis in 2005-06 and 48 games with the club scored a career high 22 goals before being dealt to the Nashville Predators in January of 2006.