|
View: Previous | Next
|
| 1972 NHL DRAFT PICK |
 |
Bill Nyrop
Selected in fifth round
No.
66 overall by Montreal Canadiens
Born July 23, 1952.
Died December 31, 1995
 | Position:
Defense / Center
Height: 6-2 Weight: 205
|
|
| BEFORE THE DRAFT |
Last Team:
Notre Dame (WCHA)
Birthplace: Washington, D.C. (USA)
Hometown:
Edina, Minnesota |
 |
 |
|
| PRE-DRAFT
STATISTICS | | Year |
Team | League |
GP | G |
A | TP |
PIM | | 1970-71 |
Notre Dame | WCHA |
30 |
2 | 4 |
6 | 40 | | 1971-72 |
Notre Dame | WCHA |
31 | 3 |
18 | 21 |
44 |
|
PRE-DRAFT AWARDS AND HONORS
Minnesota High School Championship: 1969 (Edina)
Minnesota All-State
First Team: 1968-69 (Edina)
Notre Dame Rookie of Year: 1970-71
Miscellaneous: Played high school hockey in Edina, Minn., from
1967-1970. ... Tried out for Notre Dame football team in 1971 and won a spot
on roster as backup quarterback. Was injured in practice and never
played for team. |
| NHL CAREER |
Debut: February 22,
1976 (Montreal at Buffalo)
Numbers: 2 (Montreal); 24
(Minnesota)
Stanley Cup: 1976, 1977, 1978.
Status: Retired for final time in 1983 |
| CAREER NHL STATISTICS | | Years | Teams | GP | G | A | TP | PIM | | 1975-1982 |
Montreal, Minnesota | 207 |
12 | 51 | 63 |
101 |
|
| CAREER NHL PLAYOFF STATISTICS | | Years | Teams | GP | G | A | TP | PIM | | 1976-1982 |
Montreal, Minnesota | 35 |
1 | 7 | 8 |
22 |
|
NHL AWARDS AND HONORS
Miscellaneous: Left training camp to return home to Minnesota prior to 1978-79 season and was
suspended by Montreal. Began working in insurance business, insisting he had retired from hockey.
Montreal reluctantly left him unprotected for the 1978 NHL Waiver Draft, but
he was not selected, and remained out of hockey until the Canadiens
traded his rights to Minnesota in September 1980. ... Left unprotected by
Montreal for 1979 NHL Expansion Draft, but was reclaimed as fill-in after
Peter Marsh was taken off Montreal roster on June 13, 1979. Montreal had made pre-drafts deal
with the expansion teams to ensure that Nyrop would not be selected in the draft and
could be reclaimed as a fill-in. ... Convinced by North Stars
general manager Lou Nanne to briefly end his retirement
and play for Minnesota in a preseason tournament in Sweden in 1980. He excelled
at the tournament and won best defenseman honors, but chose not to play
1980-81 season in NHL. Although still retired, he spent much of the 1980-81 season working out
and training with Minnesota, finally re-entering NHL for the start of 1981-82
season. ... Missed parts of 1981-82 season with groin pull, pneumonia and
ankle injury. ... Minnesota traded Nyrop and Steve Christoff to Calgary for St. Louis' 1982 second-round pick
(Dave Reierson) and a 1982 fourth-round pick (Dusan Pasek) on June 7, 1982,
but Nyrop never played in Flames organization. Instead, he played in Europe briefly
and then entered law school.
| | NON-NHL CAREER |
Post-Draft Teams: Notre Dame (WCHA); Nova
Scotia (AHL); Cologne (Germany)
Canada Cup: 1976 (fifth)
World Championships:
1974 (first place, Pool B)
NON-NHL
AWARDS AND HONORS
United States Hockey Hall of Fame: Inducted
1997
NCAA West All-America First Team:
1972-73 (Notre Dame)
WCHA All-Star Second Team: 1972-73 (Notre Dame)
World Championships Pool B All-Star Team: 1974
WHA Draft Pick: 1972 (by Miami)
1975-76: Played on AHL
regular-season champion (Nova Scotia). Team went on to win AHL playoff title
after he was called up to NHL.
Coaching Career: Worked as youth
hockey coach in Minnesota during his first retirement from hockey. ... Named
head coach of Knoxville (ECHL) in 1991 and remained in that position through
1991-92 season. .... Named
himself head coach of West Palm Beach (SuHL) in 1992 and remained in that
position through 1994-95 season. ... Named head coach of West Palm Beach (SHL)
prior to 1995-96 season but never took job because of illness.
Education: Earned law degree from Gonzaga University in 1986.
Management Career: Named general manager of Knoxville (ECHL) in 1991
and remained in that position through 1991-92 season. ... Founded West Palm
Beach (SuHL) team in 1992 and owned team for three years before selling it
after 1994-95 season.
Miscellaneous: Named one of WCHA's all-time top 50 players on Nov. 29, 2001. ... Won
three SuHL titles from 1993-1995 with West Palm Beach team that included female goaltender
Kelly Dyer. ...
Spent summer of 1995 cycling 1,000 miles from the Pacific Ocean to Yellowstone
Park. ... Diagnosed with inoperable colon cancer (that spread to his liver
and lungs) in September 1995 and died three months later in his father's home
in Minneapolis at age 43.
Personal: Grew up in a very wealthy and privileged family. His father, Donald Nyrop,
served as U.S. Administrator of Civil Aeronautics (now FAA chairman)
and Chairman of the U.S. Civil Aeronautics Board (now NTSB chairman) under President Truman
in the early 1950s. Donald Nyrop moved the family to Minneapolis,
where he served as president, CEO and chairman of the board of Northwest
Airlines from 1954-1976. |
| HOW HE GOT AWAY |
| TRADE: Montreal traded Nyrop to Minnesota in
exchange for 1979 second-round pick (Gaston Gingras) and Vancouver's 1982 second-round pick
(Kent Carlson) on August 9, 1979. The original deal had included Minnesota's
1980 No. 2 pick, but was later shifted to the Vancouver pick because
Minnesota had obtained it prior to draft. |
|
|
Visit the new
Hockey Draft Central |
HockeyDraftCentral.com is in the middle of rebuilding. You are looking at a page
that is not yet updated but is still part of the old site. Check out the new look.
• New Home Page
|
|
SNAPSHOT '72 | | Total Selected: |
152 | | Forwards: |
88 | | Defense: |
47 | | Goaltenders: |
17 | | Major Junior: |
121 | | College Players: |
25 |
| Canadian: |
139 |
| Euro-Canadian: |
2 | | USA Citizens: |
11 | | U.S.-Born: |
10 |
| European: |
0 |
| Reached NHL: |
67 |
| Won Stanley Cup: |
11 | | Hall of Fame: |
2 |
| All-Star Game: |
13 |
| Year-end All-Star: |
3 |
| Olympians: |
1 |
| Picks Traded: |
24 |
|
|
