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1982
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1982 NHL DRAFT PICK
Gary Nylund
Selected in first round
No. 3 overall by Toronto Maple Leafs

Born October 28, 1963
Position: Defense
Height: 6-4   Weight: 210
BEFORE THE DRAFT
Last Team: Portland (WHL)                               
Birthplace: Surrey, British Columbia (Canada)
Hometown: North Delta, British Columbia
PRE-DRAFT STATISTICS
Year TeamLeague GPG ATP PIM
1978-79 DeltaBCJHL 576 2935 107
  PortlandWHL 20 00 0
1979-80 PortlandWHL 725 2126 59
1980-81 PortlandWHL 706 4046 186
1981-82 PortlandWHL 657 5966 267

PRE-DRAFT AWARDS AND HONORS
World Junior Championships:
1982 (gold medal)
WHL Top Defenseman: 1981-82 (Portland)
Memorial Cup All-Star First Team: 1982 (Portland)
WHL All-Star First Team: 1981-82 (Portland)
WHL All-Star Second Team: 1980-81 (Portland)
Miscellaneous: Rated in The Hockey News draft preview issue as
No. 2 overall prospect and No. 1 WHL prospect for the 1982 NHL draft. ... Played on first Canadian team to win gold medal at World Junior Championships in 1982. ... Was a Boston Bruins fan growing up in British Columbia because his idol was Hall of Famer Bobby Orr.
NHL CAREER
Debut: February 6, 1983 (Toronto at Detroit)
Numbers:  2, 8 (Toronto); 22 (Chicago); 36 (N.Y. Islanders)
Stanley Cup: Never won.  Playing Status: Retired 1993
CAREER NHL STATISTICS
Years TeamsGP GA TPPIM
1983-1993 Toronto, Chicago, NYI 60832 139171 1,235
CAREER NHL PLAYOFF STATISTICS
YearsTeams GPG ATP PIM
1986-1990 Toronto, Chicago, NYI24 06 663

NHL AWARDS AND HONORS
Chicago Penalty-Minutes Leader:
1987-88 (208)
Chicago Playoffs Points Leader: 1987 (2, tie)
Chicago Playoffs Assists Leader: 1987 (2, tie)
Miscellaneous: Became highest-drafted player in Toronto history when he was picked third overall in 1982 (record since broken). ... Was represented by agent Norm Caplan during his first NHL contract negotiations in summer of 1982. ... Signed first NHL contract with Toronto in August 1982. It was the largest rookie contract ever signed by a Maple Leafs player up to that time. ... Missed start of 1982-83 season with torn ACL in left knee, an injury suffered during Toronto's Sept. 27, 1982, preseason game vs. Quebec. The injury required surgery ... Missed remainder of 1982-83 season and entire 1983 playoffs with re-aggravation of the ACL damage in his left knee, an injury suffered during Toronto's March 12, 1983, game vs. Chicago. The injury required surgery. ... Missed start of 1983-84 season while recovering from surgery for March 12, 1983, left knee injury. ... Missed part of 1984-85 season with concussion, an injury suffered during Toronto's Nov. 5, 1984, game at Minnesota. ... Was represented by player agent Rollie Thompson when he signed with Chicago in August 1986. ... Wore No. 25 in Chicago's 1986 training camp. ... Paired on defense with Keith Brown for Chicago in 1986-87. ... Missed part of 1987-88 season with bruised elbow, an injury suffered in October 1987. ... Missed part of Chicago's 1988 training camp with broken bone in forearm, an injury suffered in September 1988. ... Suspended one game by NHL (automatic suspension) for receiving second high-sticking major of season during second period of N.Y. Islanders' Dec. 14, 1988, game at N.Y. Rangers. He was forced to sit out N.Y. Islanders' Dec. 15, 1988, game vs. Pittsburgh. ... Missed part of 1988-89 season with injured right knee. The injury required arthroscopic surgery on Jan. 11, 1989. ... Missed part of 1988-89 season with bruised ribs and lung, an injury suffered in March 1989. ... Missed part of 1989-90 season with irritation of ligament in right knee, an injury suffered during N.Y. Islanders' March 8, 1990, game at New Jersey. ... Missed part of 1990-91 season with dislocated right shoulder, an injury suffered during N.Y. Islanders' Dec. 29, 1990, game vs. Chicago. ... Missed remainder of 1990-91 season and first half of 1991-92 season with broken left heel, an injury suffered in N.Y. Islanders' March 24, 1991, game at N.Y. Rangers. The injury, which threatened his career, required surgery to insert a protective steel plate on March 28, 1991. The plate was removed in December 1991, and Nylund did not return to action until N.Y. Islanders' Feb. 17, 1992, game vs. Winnipeg. ... Missed remainder of 1991-92 season with pulled groin, an injury suffered during N.Y. Islanders' Feb. 29, 1992, game vs. New Jersey. ... Missed part of 1992-93 season with pulled groin, an injury suffered during N.Y. Islanders' Nov. 14, 1992, game vs. Buffalo. ... Missed remainder of 1992-93 season with strained ligaments in right knee, an injury suffered during N.Y. Islanders' Jan. 12, 1993, game vs. Calgary. The injury effectively ended his career. ... Retired in 1993 after failing to catch on with another team as a free agent during summer of 1993.
Injury-Plagued Rookie Year: Although Nylund's luck in the NHL wasn't quite as bad as that of 1982 No. 1 pick Gord Kluzak, it wasn't much better. Like Kluzak, Nylund would spend much of his early NHL career out of the lineup with injuries. Unlike Kluzak, however, Nylund had never suffered a major injury prior to entering the NHL. The trouble began right away, as he missed the start of the 1982-83 season with a torn ACL in his left knee, an injury suffered when he was checked by Wilf Paiement in the offensive zone during Toronto's Sept. 27, 1982, preseason game vs. Quebec. The injury required surgery on Oct. 6, 1982, and Nylund returned home to British Columbia, to recuperate from the surgery and begin his rehabilitation. Three months later, in January 1983, Nylund was ready to skate again. Because Nylund still had major-junior eligibility remaining, he could not be sent to the minor leagues for an injury rehab stint before entering the NHL. Toronto wanted him to have pro experience rather than return him to junior, so he suffered through the injury-plagued rookie season while on the Maple Leafs roster. Wearing a special knee brace, he finally made his NHL debut on Feb. 6, 1983, and would play only 16 games for Toronto in the 1982-83 season. His brief season ended with another tear of the ACL in his left knee. He suffered the injury during Toronto's March 12, 1983, game vs. Chicago. The injury required surgery, and he did not begin his 1983-84 season until Toronto's Dec. 23, 1983, game at Detroit. He scored a goal in that first game back, played all of the remaining 47 games that season and had no other major problems with his left knee for the remainder of his career. He did, however, later suffer injuries to his right knee. Ironically, it was a final injury to his right knee, suffered during the 1992-93 season, that ended his career.
NON-NHL CAREER
Post-Draft Teams: Capital District (AHL)
NON-NHL AWARDS AND HONORS
Miscellaneous:
Did not play his first minor-league games until he was assigned by N.Y. Islanders to Capital District (AHL) for 4-game injury rehab stint while recovering from heel surgery during 1991-92 season. ... Assigned by N.Y. Islanders to Capital District for 2-game injury rehab stint during 1992-93 season. ... Played lead guitar in a band of Chicago pro athletes called "The Chicago Six" during his playing days with Black Hawks. ... Was active in charitable causes during playing days with N.Y. Islanders, serving as chairman of team's annual food drive in 1989-90, 1990-91 and 1991-92. ... Opened a trucking company and worked as a volunteer firefighter in Delta, British Columbia, after his retirement until devoting himself to full-time work as a firefighter. ... Became active in Oldtimers' charity hockey and taught hockey skills classes in Vancouver after his retirement.
Gary Nylund, Firefighter: After some years as a volunteer firefighter in British Columbia after his retirement from hockey, Nylund became a professional firefighter. He was involved in a major July 31, 2001, fire at a paper products warehouse on Annacis Island, in which he went back into a building burning to rescue two of his trapped colleagues, who were buried under some of the warehouse's cardboard boxes. In June 2003, Nylund and two other firefighters received British Columbia's prestigious Medal of Bravery for their efforts in the warehouse rescue.
Personal: Son of a Royal Canadian Mounted Police sergeant.
HOW HE GOT AWAY
FREE AGENCY: Nylund played out his option with Toronto in 1985-86 and became a restricted free agent. Toronto offered Nylund a multiyear deal with $140,000 (Canadian) for the first season. Chicago offered a four-year deal with $150,000 (U.S.) for the first season. Taking the money, Nylund signed with Chicago on August 27, 1986, becoming the first restricted NHL free agent to join a new team since 1981. As compensation, Toronto demanded Ed Olczyk. Chicago, unwilling to give up Olczyk, took the case to arbitration and won. On Sept. 6, 1986, the NHL arbitrator, judge Edward Houston of Ottawa, ruled Chicago's final loss to Toronto for signing Nylund would be Jerome Dupont, Ken Yaremchuk and a 1987 fourth-round pick (Joe Sacco).

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SNAPSHOT '82
Total Selected: 252
Forwards: 152
Defense: 82
Goaltenders: 18
Major Junior: 129
Tier II/Jr. B: 27/4
College Players: 20
High School: 37
Canadian: 152
Euro-Canadian: 3
USA Citizens: 62
U.S.-Born: 62
European: 35
Reached NHL: 109
Stanley Cup: 18
Hall of Fame: 0
All-Star Game: 14
Year-end All-Star: 4
Olympians: 37
Picks Traded: 50
 
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