Christopher John Nilan(born February 9, 1958) is an American former professionalice hockeyplayer and former radio host. Nilan played 688National Hockey League(NHL) regular season games as aright-wingfor theMontreal Canadiens,New York Rangers,andBoston Bruinsbetween 1980 and 1992. He won the Stanley Cup in 1986 with Montreal.
| Chris Nilan | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
February 9, 1958 Boston,Massachusetts,U.S. | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb) | ||
| Position | Right wing | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for |
Montreal Canadiens New York Rangers Boston Bruins | ||
| National team |
 United States | ||
| NHL draft |
231st overall,1978 Montreal Canadiens | ||
| Playing career | 1979–1992 | ||
| Website | Official website | ||
Known as"Knuckles"or"Knux",he was famous for his propensity to fight. He holds a record for most penalty minutes by an American-born player. Nilan's life and career are prominently featured inAlex Gibney's 2011 documentary filmThe Last Gladiators.
Playing career
editNilan grew up inMassachusettswhere he idolizedBobby Orrand dreamed of playing for theBoston Bruins.He played his youth hockey with the Parkway (West Roxbury,Massachusetts) team of the Greater Boston Youth Hockey League (GBYHL), sponsored by theMetropolitan District Commission(MDC). He later played college hockey for theNortheastern UniversityHuskies, from 1976 to 1979, averaging 3.5 penalty minutes per game in his final collegiate season.
Nilan was selected 231st overall in the1978 NHL Entry Draft,and was best known as a tough-guy for the Montreal Canadiens in the mid 1980s. One of only nine players inNational Hockey League(NHL) history to have recorded more than 3,000 career penalty minutes, he holds the records of highest penalty minute average per game at 4.42 minutes per game, the most penalty minutes in a single playoff season at 141, as well as the record for most penalties in a single game; on March 31, 1991, when theHartford Whalersvisited Nilan's Bruins, Nilan was assessed a record ten penalties: six minors, two majors, one misconduct and one game misconduct, for a total of 42 penalty minutes.[1]
Seriously hobbled by repeated injuries, Nilan missed over two hundred games in his final five seasons, and would only play as many as 50 games twice in his final four seasons. He retired after the 1991–92 season. Highlights of his career include winning theStanley Cupin 1986 with the Canadiens, being named to Team USA for the1987 Canada Cup,and his controversial selection to the1991 NHL All-Star Gameby his then-coachMike Milbury(Nilan missed the game with a broken left ankle), which led to changes in how players are selected for all-star games.
Post career
editNilan returned to the Boston area and went into the insurance business after retirement. He spent three years as community relations consultant forJohn Hancock Insurance[2]before returning to hockey as a coach. He was initially hired as an assistant coach of theNew Jersey Devilson August 3, 1995, and remained in that position until May 1996, before becoming a head coach for theChesapeake Icebreakersof theECHL.
Nilan was married to Karen Stanley in 1981. They were divorced in 2006. They have two daughters, Colleen and Tara, and one son, Christopher. Karen was a daughter of Theresa Stanley, who was one of notorious crime BossWhitey Bulger's girlfriends.
Today Nilan talks openly about his past problems with alcohol and prescription drugs, as well as battling aheroinaddiction. He is involved in numerous social and charitable causes. Nilan also speaks to local students in Montreal about learning from his life experiences and mistakes.
Nilan lived in Oregon for two years, where he met his current girlfriend, Jaime Holtz (who is originally from Kailua-Kona, Hawaii). Chris moved back to Montreal with Jaime in 2011, and they currently reside in Montreal.
He began hosting his own program,Off the CuffonTSN Radio 690Montreal, on March 18, 2013, after being a daily phone-in guest on Melnick in the Afternoon for a number of months. The show aired from noon to 3:00 p.m. weekdays local time, also streamed live online. In 2022, he was fired from hisOff the Cuffhosting position byBell Mediaafter he refused to getvaccinated against COVID-19.[3]
Nilan Currently hosts his own Podcast "The Raw Knuckles Podcast"
Awards
edit- Won theStanley Cupin1986with theMontreal Canadiens
- Selected to oneNHL All-Star Game:1991
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
editBoldindicates led league
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1975–76 | Northwood School | Prep | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Northeastern University | ECAC | 20 | 3 | 2 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | Northeastern University | ECAC | 20 | 8 | 9 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | Tri-Valley Squares | NEJHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978–79 | Northeastern University | ECAC | 32 | 9 | 17 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Nova Scotia Voyageurs | AHL | 49 | 15 | 10 | 25 | 304 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 15 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 50 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1980–81 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 57 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 262 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1981–82 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 49 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 204 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 22 | ||
| 1982–83 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 66 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 213 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 1983–84 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 76 | 16 | 10 | 26 | 338 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 81 | ||
| 1984–85 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 77 | 21 | 16 | 37 | 358 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 81 | ||
| 1985–86 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 72 | 19 | 15 | 34 | 274 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 141 | ||
| 1986–87 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 44 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 266 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 75 | ||
| 1987–88 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 50 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 209 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | New York Rangers | NHL | 22 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 96 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | New York Rangers | NHL | 38 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 177 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 38 | ||
| 1989–90 | New York Rangers | NHL | 25 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 59 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19 | ||
| 1990–91 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 41 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 277 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 62 | ||
| 1991–92 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 39 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 186 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 17 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 74 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 15 | ||
| NHL totals | 688 | 110 | 115 | 225 | 3,043 | 111 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 541 | ||||
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | United States | CC | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 14 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"NHL – Single game records".StatsHockey.net.RetrievedJune 4,2012.
- ^Hohler, Bob (July 18, 2009)."Nilan drops gloves over shoplifting charge".Boston.RetrievedOctober 3,2018.
- ^"Former Hab Chris Nilan fired from TSN radio for refusing vaccination".Montreal.February 4, 2022.RetrievedFebruary 5,2022.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics fromNHL,orEliteprospects,orHockey-Reference,orThe Internet Hockey Database
- Chris Nilan's Hockeydraftcentral profile