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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
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| BEFORE THE DRAFT |
Last Team:
Portland (WHL)
Birthplace:
Surrey, British Columbia (Canada)
Hometown: North Delta, British
Columbia |
 |
 |
|
| PRE-DRAFT
STATISTICS | | Year |
Team | League |
GP | G |
A | TP |
PIM | | 1978-79 |
Delta | BCJHL |
57 | 6 |
29 | 35 |
107 | | |
Portland | WHL |
2 | 0 |
0 | 0 |
0 | | 1979-80 |
Portland | WHL |
72 | 5 |
21 | 26 |
59 | | 1980-81 |
Portland | WHL |
70 | 6 |
40 | 46 |
186 | | 1981-82 |
Portland | WHL |
65 | 7 |
59 | 66 |
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 |
Teams | GP |
G | A |
TP | PIM | | 1983-1993 |
Toronto, Chicago, NYI |
608 | 32 |
139 | 171 |
1,235 |
|
| CAREER NHL PLAYOFF STATISTICS |
| Years | Teams |
GP | G |
A | TP |
PIM | | 1986-1990 |
Toronto, Chicago, NYI | 24 |
0 | 6 |
6 | 63 |
|
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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