- Gary Nylund
Infobox Ice Hockey Player
team=
former_teams =Toronto Maple Leafs Chicago Blackhawks New York Islanders
league = NHL
position = Defence
shoots = Left
height_ft = 6
height_in = 4
weight_lb = 203
nickname =
nationality = CAN
birth_date = birth date and age|1963|10|28
birth_place = Surrey, BC, CAN
draft = 3rd Overall
draft_year = 1982
draft_team = Toronto Maple Leafs
career_start = 1982Gary Nylund (born
October 28 ,1963 inSurrey, British Columbia ) is a retired former professionalice hockey player who played 608National Hockey League games for theToronto Maple Leafs ,Chicago Blackhawks andNew York Islanders .Nylund appeared to be the complete package on defence when he joined the NHL in 1982. The 6'4" defenceman was a punishing hitter whose mobility and passing ability far exceeded most big men in the game. A knee injury suffered as a
rookie curtailed his development and he ended up being a role player in eleven NHL seasons, rather than a star.The native of
Surrey, British Columbia played in theBCJHL with the "Delta Islanders" before joining theWHL 'sPortland Winter Hawks . In 1981-82, he registered 59 assists, was placed on the league's first all-star team, and helped Portland reach theMemorial Cup tournament. Although theKitchener Rangers won the Cup, Nylund was placed on the tournament all-star team. That year he was a key figure when Canada won its first-ever-gold medal at theWorld Junior Hockey Championships in 1982. The talented prospect was chosen 3rd overall by theToronto Maple Leafs at the1982 NHL Entry Draft after onlyGord Kluzak andBrian Bellows .Nylund was off to a fine start as a rookie in the 1982-83 pre-season but twisted his knee when he checked Quebec's
Wilf Paiement and was able to play only a few games in mid-season. After re-injuring his knee, Nylund remained on the sidelines for the rest of the year and did not return until the 1983-84 schedule was over 30 games old. The youngster showed glimpses of returning to form but he never rose to the top three on the fairly weak Toronto defence. Nylund played 79 games in 1985-86 and doled out several punishing bodychecks when the Maple Leafs came within one game of the semi-finals.In the off-season, Nylund signed with the
Chicago Blackhawks as a restricted free agent and helped solidify their blueline for nearly three years. He scored a career-high 27 points in 1986-87 and fit in well on the deeper Hawks defense corps. In November 1988 he was traded to theNew York Islanders and was a solid performer there until he retired early in the 1992-93 season.According to a 2006 issue of
The Hockey News , Nylund currently works as afirefighter inDelta, British Columbia .
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