Ulf Nilsson
Ulf Nilsson during the Internet Days in Stockholm, Sweden in October 2008
Born (1950-05-11) 11 May 1950
Nynäshamn, Sweden
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Right
Played for AIK IF
Winnipeg Jets
New York Rangers
National team  Sweden
NHL Draft Undrafted
Playing career 1967–1983
Medal record
Representing  Sweden
Men's ice hockey
World Championships
Silver medal – second place1973 Soviet Union
Bronze medal – third place1974 Finland

Ulf Gösta Nilsson (born 11 May 1950) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey player who played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) for the Winnipeg Jets and in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers. Nilsson won 2 Avco World Trophies as WHA champions with the Winnipeg Jets.

Career in North America

In the early 1970s Nilsson was part of a group of hockey players who was tested on by Jerry Wilson, a Canadian former hockey player who was studying the physiology of hockey players, specifically their heart and lung conditioning.[1] Wilson had been asked by the Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association (WHA) to watch out for any notable Swedish hockey players, and he recommended both Nilsson and Anders Hedberg, who was one of Wilson's interns.[2] Both would join the Jets in 1974.[3] At the time the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League owned Nilsson's NHL rights, but by going to the WHA there was no compensation required.[3]

Part of the first major wave of Europeans to star in North American hockey, Nilsson was a major star in the World Hockey Association from 1974 to 1978. He scored at least 114 points in each of his four seasons in the upstart league, finishing third or fourth among overall scorers every time. He led the WHA with 85 assists in 1976–77, and tied Marc Tardif for the lead the next season with 89. Along with countryman Anders Hedberg and established superstar Bobby Hull, he played a starring role as the Jets won Avco Cup titles in 1976 and 1978. In the 1976 playoffs, he scored 26 points in 13 games and was named WHA Playoff MVP.[4]

By this time both Hedberg and Nilsson were looking to join the NHL, as they had nothing left to prove in the WHA. They were also looking for a massive increase in salary: both had earned around $125,000 in the 1976–77 season.[5] With their high salary demands, the only NHL team capable of signing them was the New York Rangers.[6] While the Jets stated they wanted to re-sign both players, the team did not have the financial backing to do so.[7]

In the summer of 1978, Nilsson and Hedberg signed with the Rangers. Each signed contracts $600,000 per season for two years.[8] Their signings further weakened the struggling WHA which would cease operations after just one more season. Nilsson's NHL career was marred by two significant injuries. The first was a broken ankle suffered when his skate blade got caught in a crevice in the Madison Square Garden ice as he was hit by Denis Potvin of the New York Islanders, which resulted in Nilsson bearing the entire force of the hit on only one leg. Although Nilsson has never characterized the hit as dirty and, in 2009, said, "He [Potvin] was always fair. But the ice was never great in the Garden, because they had basketball and other events. My foot got caught. It was a freak thing," the incident is nevertheless commemorated by the "Potvin Sucks" chant that takes place during every Rangers home game.[9]

As a player of NHL All-Stars team, Nilsson took part in the 1979 Challenge Cup, where they played against the Soviet Union national team.

Nilsson's second serious injury was to his knee while representing Sweden at the 1981 Canada Cup which caused him to miss the entire 1981–82 season.[10] Nilsson was limited to 160 games in his three full seasons with the Rangers, though he scored an impressive 163 points in that time. He scored 8 goals and 16 points in the 1980–81 playoffs as the Rangers advanced to the semi-finals before being eliminated by their local rivals, the defending champion Islanders. After missing the previous season, he returned to the Rangers lineup for ten games early in the 1982–83 season.

Use of banned substances

Nilsson tested positive for ephedrine after Sweden's 4–1 victory over Poland on 6 April 1974, at the 1974 World Ice Hockey Championships. As a result, Sweden's win was vacated, and Poland was awarded a 5–0 walkover win.[11] Nilsson was suspended for the remainder of the tournament.

Awards and achievements

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1967–68AIKSWE19213——————
1968–69AIKSWE8246071344
1969–70AIKSWE14661210145382
1970–71AIKSWE14103136142468
1971–72AIKSWE145611285162
1972–73AIKSWE14117184141081823
1973–74AIKSWE14991832151462026
1974–75Winnipeg JetsWHA78269412079—————
1975–76Winnipeg JetsWHA7838761148413719266
1976–77Winnipeg JetsWHA71398512489206212733
1977–78Winnipeg JetsWHA7337891268991131412
1978–79New York RangersNHL592739662120002
1979–80New York RangersNHL501444582090662
1980–81New York RangersNHL511425394214881623
1981–82Springfield IndiansAHL20000—————
1982–83New York RangersNHL102462—————
1982–83Tulsa OilersCHL32134—————
NHL totals 170 57 112 169 85 25 8 14 22 27
SWE totals 97 45 36 81 54 72 37 25 62 65
WHA totals 300 140 344 484 341 42 14 53 67 51

International

Year Team Comp   GP G A Pts PIM
1973 Sweden WC 10 5 3 8 4
1974 Sweden WC 2 0 0 0 0
1976 Sweden CC 5 1 1 2 6
1981 Sweden CC 4 1 2 3 2
Senior totals 21 7 6 13 12

See also

References

  1. ↑ Kirbyson, Geoff (2016). The Hot Line: How The Legendary Trio of Hull, Hedberg and Nilsson Transformed Hockey and Led the Winnipeg Jets to Greatness. Winnipeg: Great Plains Publications. p. 33. ISBN 978-1-927855-65-2.
  2. ↑ Kirbyson. The Hot Line. p. 32.
  3. 1 2 Kirbyson. The Hot Line. p. 34.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Ulf Nilsson". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  5. ↑ Kirbyson. The Hot Line. p. 113.
  6. ↑ Kirbyson. The Hot Line. pp. 110–111.
  7. ↑ Kirbyson. The Hot Line. pp. 112–114.
  8. ↑ Kirbyson. The Hot Line. p. 120.
  9. ↑ Vecsey, George (24 February 2009). "Potvin Chant Endures with a Smile, Not a Snarl". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  10. 1 2 "Ulf Nilsson". New York Rangers. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  11. ↑ "Sports in Brief". Chicago Tribune. 9 April 1974. p. 7 (Section 3). Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  12. ↑ "Ulf Nilsson". Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  13. ↑ WHA Hall of Fame Members
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