Ulf Nilsson (ice hockey)

Ulf Gösta Nilsson (born May 11, 1950, in Nynäshamn, Sweden) is a former professional ice hockey player who played for the Winnipeg Jets, the New York Rangers, the Springfield Indians and the Tulsa Oilers. Part of the first major wave of Europeans to star in North American hockey, he was a major star in the WHA 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, 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 just 13 games.

In the summer of 1978, Nilsson and Hedberg signed with the NHL's New York Rangers for $2.4 million, further weakening the struggling WHA which would cease operations after just one more season. Nilsson's NHL career was marred by injuries due to a hit by Dennis Potvin of the New York Islanders, which is remembered by the "Potvin Sucks" chant that takes place during every Rangers home game at Madison Square Garden. He 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 cross-town rivals, the defending champion New York Islanders. He didn't play in the NHL during the 1981–82 season, but returned to the Rangers lineup for the final ten games the following year.

Awards and achievements

*World Championship Silver Medalist (1973)
*World Championship Bronze Medalist (1974)
*WHA First All-Star Team (1976 & 1978)
*Playoff MVP (WHA) (1976)
*WHA Second All-Star Team (1977)
*Avco Cup (WHA) Championships (1976 & 1978)
*Played in the Canada Cup (1976 & 1981)
*Played in the Challenge Cup (1979)
*“Honoured Member” of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame

Career statistics

			Regular season					Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1974–75	Winnipeg Jets	WHA	78	26	94	120	79	--	--	--	--	--
1975–76	Winnipeg Jets	WHA	78	38	76	114	84	13	7	19	26	6
1976–77	Winnipeg Jets	WHA	71	39	85	124	89	20	6	21	27	33
1977–78	Winnipeg Jets	WHA	73	37	89	126	89	9	1	13	14	12
1978–79	New York Rangers	NHL	59	27	39	66	21	2	0	0	0	2
1979–80	New York Rangers	NHL	50	14	44	58	20	9	0	6	6	2
1980–81	New York Rangers	NHL	51	14	25	39	42	14	8	8	16	23
1981–82	Springfield Indians	AHL	2	0	0	0	0	--	--	--	--	--
1982–83	New York Rangers	NHL	10	2	4	6	2	--	--	--	--	--
1982–83	Tulsa Oilers	CHL	3	2	1	3	4	--	--	--	--	--
	WHA totals		300	140	344	484	341	42	14	53	67	51
	NHL totals		170	57	112	169	85	25	8	14	22	27

External links

*
*legendsofhockey|13854|Ulf Nilsson
* [http://www.mbhockeyhalloffame.ca/honoured/players.html?category=8&id=37 Ulf Nilsson's biography] at [http://www.mbhockeyhalloffame.ca/index.html Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame]