Kent Nilsson

[Raoul Duke*]

What was the deal with this guy? I know he's the father of Robert of the Oilers now.... but if you look up all time PPG players in NHL history, he's ranked top 10, and it's not that he played too little, he had a decent NHL career, 500+ games.

Was watching a Flames/Oilers game on ESPN classics and the guy was dominant for Calgary. Looked up the stats and they are pretty consistent.

Over 100 points in each his first 2 years in North America in the WHA for Winnipeg. "Slowed" down a bit for hit first NHL year with 93 points in 80 games that year. Followed by 49 goals and 131 points in 80 games the next season.

Like what the hell? Why is this guy not mentioned... not just in great players, but ever?

Seems like he started to get injured a bit only putting up 99 points in 77 games, off to the NorthStars where the games played went down to 61 games with 60 points, 44 games 46 points, off to Edmonton, 16 games 17 points...

And that was it in the NHL for almost 10 years before the Oilers brought him back for a swan song in 1997.

Went to Italy after the NHL putting up 132 points with 60 goals in 35 games in 1988.

These are years I was a child so I didn't pay that much attention. But why did he not have a long NHL career after putting up huge numbers year in and out?

 

[Lard_Lad]

If the NHL handed out a trophy for the biggest floater of the year, Nilsson would have a pile of them - hell, they probably would have named it after him. Absolutely brilliant offensively, and completely useless if the other team had the puck. Also didn't like to put much of an effort in off the ice, his conditioning was usually awful. If he had a work ethic, with his talent he'd be an all-time great; instead, he half-assed his way out of the league and collected some easy paydays in places like Italy and Switzerland.

 

[Raoul Duke*]

So if he didn't half ass it - what could he have done?

Even half hearted like you're saying he put up big numbers in the NHL for a while. It seems like teams would take a lazy 99 point player than let him dick around in Europe for 10 years.

 

[Lard_Lad]

I don't think it was a question of teams not wanting him as much as him not wanting to deal with things like the long NHL season and travel demands. By the time he left, he was a second-liner/PP specialist, and the money in Europe was close enough to his likely NHL salary that the lifestyle difference won out.

He could still play well enough to get an NHL shot at 38, so if he had put in the effort and stayed in the league, he'd probably be a decent bet to be in the top 25 all-time scorers and a sure-thing HOF'er.

 

[Howe Elbows 9]

Why is this guy not mentioned... not just in great players, but ever?

But why did he not have a long NHL career after putting up huge numbers year in and out?

I believe the second question I quoted might be the answer to the first quoted question. If he had stayed in the NHL and kept on producing, he could have had a career worthy of the Hall of Fame.

In reality he decided to move on after winning a Stanley Cup, and since he won it with the Oilers, it's unlikely that he would have transformed into a superstar with them.

 

[MS]

He was a brilliant offensive talent - possibly the most purely skilled player in the world in the early 1980s after Gretzky - but one of the worst defensive players ever. Was somehow a -24 on the .500 1983-84 Flames while scoring 80 points in 67 games. Floater who made no effort to backcheck at all.

Resulted in him being dealt for a second-round pick after a 99-point season, then sold to Edmonton despite being a point-per-game player in Minnesota.

I'm pretty sure he could have kept playing in the NHL post-1987 if he'd wanted to (I think Edmonton wanted to keep him), but the wage disparity between the NHL and Europe at the time wasn't nearly as great as today, and like Hakan Loob and Mats Naslund saw more attractiveness in the easier Euro schedule closer to home.

 

[Fredrik_71]

I think Gretzky said that Kent Nilsson was the most skilled player he had ever played with. But as mentioned he a wasn't solid defensive player. But give him the puck and watch the fireworks. He had fire under his skates and excellent stickwork. I do think its unfair to call him a floater though. Its up to the coaches to tell you what they want and he played over 500 NHL games so maybe they wanted him to play the way he did.

One of my favorites players Btw, he had an excellent shot.

/Cheers

 

[Dark Shadows]

I think Gretzky said that Kent Nilsson was the most skilled player he had ever played with. But as mentioned he a wasn't solid defensive player. But give him the puck and watch the fireworks. He had fire under his skates and excellent stickwork. I do think its unfair to call him a floater though. Its up to the coaches to tell you what they want and he played over 500 NHL games so maybe they wanted him to play the way he did.

One of my favorites players Btw, he had an excellent shot.

/Cheers

Oh, he was definitely a floater. His floating has nothing to do with coaches or his lack of backchecking and everything to do with him giving half assed effort night in and night out.

Nilsson could have been one of the greatest players of all time if he had the work ethic of a guy like Gretzky or Messier. He certainly had the skill.

One of the times I will say Messier's sometimes overrated Leadership was not overrated was the Nilsson situation.

Messier during the 87 playoffs slammed Nilsson into the wall, literally lifted Nilsson of the ground by the throat and told him he was going to kill him if he didn't start giving his all. Nilsson ended up having his best playoff performance ever. The good thing was, Messier was the first guy in Hextall's face after Hextall's vicious chop to Nilsson.

 

[Fredrik_71]

Messier during the 87 playoffs slammed Nilsson into the wall, literally lifted Nilsson of the ground by the throat and told him he was going to kill him if he didn't start giving his all. Nilsson ended up having his best playoff performance ever. The good thing was, Messier was the first guy in Hextall's face after Hextall's vicious chop to Nilsson.

I didn't know that. Good done Messier! That chop at the back of the knees by Hextall is a classic. What a ******!

/cheers

 

[Raoul Duke*]

Good stuff on the replies.

I always find it strange that people can make it to the NHL while being lazy. I guess if you have that much talent, you can do it, but it seems like you'd have to work your ass off just to make it there. Only to give up once in the league.

Thankfully his son didn't inherit that from him.

 

[dcinroc]

Good stuff on the replies.

I always find it strange that people can make it to the NHL while being lazy. I guess if you have that much talent, you can do it, but it seems like you'd have to work your ass off just to make it there. Only to give up once in the league.

Thankfully his son didn't inherit that from him.

There always seems to be some talented but lazy guys around the league, just as there are guys whose talent level doesn't justify being in te NHL, but make it by working their ***** off.

Mario Lemieux was kinda lazy his first few years in the league, but seemed to double his effort after the 87 Canada Cup.

 

[Spawn]

Thankfully his son didn't inherit that from him.

Although that was Robbie's knock on him for most of his career up until this season really. He still gets it by people who didn't watch the Oilers this year. Seem to think that he's as bad as his dad when in reality he's actually a damned effective backchecker and actually plays with alittle grit.

 

[AM]

Kent Nilsson was my favorite player. He was a tremendous talent, absolutely tremendous.

Think Kurri but a better scorer.

His problem is that he played on the Flames. Its hard being the franchise every night.

If you ever had a down game, you lose.

And all of the fans are on you for losing.

My favorite playoffs is when Kent signed on with the Oilers to win a cup.

 

[dcinroc]

Kent Nilsson was my favorite player. He was a tremendous talent, absolutely tremendous.

Think Kurri but a better scorer.

His problem is that he played on the Flames. Its hard being the franchise every night.

If you ever had a down game, you lose.

And all of the fans are on you for losing.

My favorite playoffs is when Kent signed on with the Oilers to win a cup.

That's not much of an excuse.

The Flames made the playoffs all but one year that Kent was there and he only scored 4 goals in 33 games!

Clearly, if Kent's problem was that he wanted to be on a winner, then he wasn't doing much to help the Flames become one.

 

[DFF]

Kent Nilsson was my favoritte player also when I was a kid.

Had some of the best hockey moves I have ever seen. Very talented.

Yes, he was very soft and didnt show up every night....but he was masterful.

BTW, One of the 2nd rounders the Flames got for him turned out to be Joe Neuwendyk....who should be a HOF.

 

[AM]

That's not much of an excuse.

The Flames made the playoffs all but one year that Kent was there and he only scored 4 goals in 33 games!

Clearly, if Kent's problem was that he wanted to be on a winner, then he wasn't doing much to help the Flames become one.

Guys

Explain to me why did they made the playoffs those years?

All any team had to do was shut down Kent and the Flames wernt doing anything, and it was easy enough to do back in the stone age, just hack him to the ice.

 

[Shabutie]

Kent Nilsson was my favoritte player also when I was a kid.

Had some of the best hockey moves I have ever seen. Very talented.

Yes, he was very soft and didnt show up every night....but he was masterful.

BTW, One of the 2nd rounders the Flames got for him turned out to be Joe Neuwendyk....who should be a HOF.

And the flames got Iginla for Nieuwendyk...Nilsson has brought much good to the Flames

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Good stuff on the replies.

I always find it strange that people can make it to the NHL while being lazy. I guess if you have that much talent, you can do it, but it seems like you'd have to work your ass off just to make it there. Only to give up once in the league.

Thankfully his son didn't inherit that from him.

Pierre (Fiffy) Larouche is the classic example. Incredible offensive talent (great golfer too) but lazy as hell. When your name is Pierre and you score 50 in a season for the Habs and they trade you 2 years later to a team in the same division, you got problems with your game.

 

[Hoser]

That's not much of an excuse.

The Flames made the playoffs all but one year that Kent was there and he only scored 4 goals in 33 games!

Actually, they made the playoffs every year he was with the Flames. He didn't play in the '83-'84 playoffs, but the team made it. They lost the Smythe Finals to the Oilers in seven games.

Explain to me why did they made the playoffs those years?

All any team had to do was shut down Kent and the Flames wernt doing anything, and it was easy enough to do back in the stone age, just hack him to the ice.

Right buddy, right. Lanny MacDonald, Guy Chouinard, Paul Reinhart... what a bunch of scrubs...

 

[MS]

Pierre (Fiffy) Larouche is the classic example. Incredible offensive talent (great golfer too) but lazy as hell. When your name is Pierre and you score 50 in a season for the Habs and they trade you 2 years later to a team in the same division, you got problems with your game.

Funny thing about Larouche is that he kept himself in great shape after his career ended, and when you saw him play in old-timers games 10-15 years after he retired he looked like he could almost still play at a high level, while guys younger than him were struggling with beer guts. Odd for a guy who had such a poor reputation during his career.

 

[Lard_Lad]

Right buddy, right. Lanny MacDonald, Guy Chouinard, Paul Reinhart... what a bunch of scrubs...

And Loob, MacInnis, and Dan Quinn later on. The Flames had two solid scoring lines during Nilsson's whole time with them, and two of the best offensive defensemen in the game in Reinhart and MacInnis. I suppose AM thinks he was carrying the Hull-Hedberg-Ulf Nilsson line while he was in Winnipeg, too?

 

[greatgazoo]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=QobAlzxDdXc

There's a little taste of the "Magic Man's" Talent.

Kent Nilsson...for those who didn't see him, think of Datsyuk without the defensive game.