Chris Nilan

Chris Nilan
Position	Forward
Height Weight	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 205 lb (93 kg)
Teams	Montreal Canadiens New York Rangers Boston Bruins
Nationality	American
Born	February 9, 1958(1958-02-09), Boston, MA, USA
NHL Draft	231st overall, 1978 Montreal Canadiens
Pro Career	1979 – 1992

Christopher John "Chris" Nilan (born February 9, 1958 in Boston, Massachusetts) is a former professional player. Nilan played 688 NHL regular season games as a right-wing for the Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, and New York Rangers between 1980 and 1992. He won the Stanley Cup in 1986 with Montreal. Known as "Knuckles," he was famous for his propensity to fight.

Amateur career

Nilan grew up in Massachusetts. He played his youth hockey with the Greater Boston Youth Hockey League (GBYHL). He later played college hockey for the Northeastern University Huskies, from 1976 to 1979, averaging 3.5 penalty minutes per game in his final collegiate season.

Pro career

Chris Nilan was selected 231st overall in the 1978 NHL Entry Draft, and was best known as a tough-guy for the Montreal Canadiens in the mid 1980's. One of only nine players in NHL history to have recorded more than 3,000 career penalty minutes, he holds the dubious records of highest penalty minute average per game at 4.42 minutes per game, as well as the record for most penalties in a single game. It was March 31, 1991, when Hartford played at Boston. Before the evening was over, Chris Nilan was penalized a record ten penalties; six minors, two majors, one misconduct and one game misconduct, for a total of 42 penalty minutes.

Seriously hobbled by repeated injuries - he missed over two hundred games his final five seasons - Nilan retired after the 1992 season. Highlights of his career include winning the Stanley Cup in 1986 while with the Canadiens, being named to play for Team USA in the 1987 Canada Cup and his controversial all-star selection to the 1991 NHL All-Star Game by his then-coach Mike Milbury (Nilan missed the game with a broken left ankle), which led to changes in how players are selected for all-star games.

Career statistics

			Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1979–80	Montreal Canadiens		15	0	2	2	50		5	0	0	0	2
1980–81	Montreal Canadiens		57	7	8	15	262		2	0	0	0	0
1981–82	Montreal Canadiens		49	7	4	11	204		5	1	1	2	22
1982–83	Montreal Canadiens		66	6	8	14	213		3	0	0	0	5
1983–84	Montreal Canadiens		76	16	10	26	338		15	1	0	1	81
1984–85	Montreal Canadiens		77	21	16	37	358		12	2	1	3	81
1985–86	Montreal Canadiens		72	19	15	34	274		18	1	2	3	141
1986–87	Montreal Canadiens		44	4	16	20	266		17	3	0	3	75
1987–88	Montreal Canadiens		50	7	5	12	209
1987–88	New York Rangers		22	3	5	8	96
1988–89	New York Rangers		38	7	7	14	177		4	0	1	1	28
1989–90	New York Rangers		25	1	2	3	59		4	0	1	1	19
1990–91	Boston Bruins		41	6	9	15	277		19	0	2	2	62
1991–92	Boston Bruins		39	5	5	10	186
1991–92	Montreal Canadiens		17	1	3	4	74		7	0	1	1	15
NHL totals			688	110	115	225	3043		111	8	9	17	531

Post career

He initially served as assistant coach of the New Jersey Devils on August 3, 1995, and remained in that position until May 1996 before becoming a head coach of the Chesapeake Icebreakers in the ECHL.

Awards and Achievements

• 1991 NHL All-Star game (injured, did not play)
• Played for Team USA in 1987 Canada Cup tournament

External links

• Chris Nilan's Hockeydraftcentral.com profile
• Chris Nilan's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database