Kent Nilsson

Kent Nilsson
Nilsson in 2022
Born	(1956-08-31) 31 August 1956 (age 70) Nynäshamn, Sweden
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	Djurgårdens IF AIK Winnipeg Jets Atlanta Flames Calgary Flames Minnesota North Stars Edmonton Oilers HC Bolzano SC Langnau EHC Kloten
National team	Sweden
NHL draft	64th overall, 1976 Atlanta Flames
WHA draft	11th overall, 1976 Toronto Toros
Playing career	1976–1998

Kent Åke Nilsson (born 31 August 1956) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey centre. He played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) for the Winnipeg Jets, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Atlanta and Calgary Flames, Minnesota North Stars and Edmonton Oilers, as well as teams across various European leagues.

A prolific scorer during his era, Nillson was called "Mr. Magic" and "The Magic Man" during his NHL career, referring to his exceptional puck skills. Wayne Gretzky commented on Nilsson's skills saying "Skills-wise he might have been the most skilled hockey player I ever saw in my entire career". Nilsson has the 10th highest career NHL points-per-game average of any player who scored at least 500 points, the most among any player not inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Nilsson was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2006, the World Hockey Association Hall of Fame in 2010, and the Swedish Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012.

Playing career

Nilsson with the Atlanta Flames in 1979

1980 photo of Nilsson with the newly relocated Flames

Nilsson began his career during the season of 1973–74, playing for Djurgårdens IF during his first of four seasons in Sweden. He then came to North America, and played for the Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association (WHA) beginning in 1977. He scored two consecutive 100-point seasons in the WHA. He was claimed by the Atlanta Flames, and in his first season with the team he scored 93 points. The next season, 1980–81, the Flames moved to Calgary; Nilsson scored 131 points.

Nilsson played with the Flames, wearing number 14, until the 1984–85 season, when the team, perceiving him as inconsistent, traded him to the Minnesota North Stars for a draft pick that the Flames used to draft Joe Nieuwendyk. Nilsson won his first and only Stanley Cup while playing with the Edmonton Oilers in 1987. He announced in June 1987 that he would return to Europe. Ultimately, he would play in Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, and Norway. In 1988–89, he was named player-of-the-year in Sweden. He returned to the NHL in an attempted comeback in the 1994–95 season with Edmonton at the age of 38, which lasted six games. He was the last former Atlanta Flames player to play in the NHL. He then played the remainder of his playing career in Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Austria, Germany until 1998 when he last played in the Spanish hockey league for SAD Majadahonda in six games, making Nilsson one of the few former Stanley Cup winners to play in the league.

Nilsson holds the NHL record for the quickest goal scored during a season-opening game, at ten seconds in, while playing for the North Stars versus the Quebec Nordiques on 11 October 1986.

Awards

Medal record
Representing Sweden
Men's ice hockey
European Junior Championships
	1974 Switzerland
	1975 France
World Junior Championships
	1975 Canada & USA
	1980 Finland
Canada Cup
	1984 Canada
World Championships
	1990 Switzerland

Records

• Most points scored by a Swedish player in a single NHL season (131 in 1980–81)
• Calgary Flames team record for points in a single season (131 in 1980–81)
• Calgary Flames team record for assists in a single season (82 in 1980–81)
• Calgary Flames team record for shorthanded goals in a single season (9 in 1983–84)
• Calgary Flames team record for career hat-tricks (14)

Post-playing career

In 2006, he was featured on HCZ, a Swedish reality show as coach for a hockey team of non-athletes. After retiring, he worked as a European scout for the Edmonton Oilers, departing in 2010. He later served as a scout for the Florida Panthers.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life

Nilsson was married from 2005 to 2016 to Swedish golfer Helen Alfredsson. He occasionally caddied for her in professional events. He is also the father of Robert Nilsson, a former Edmonton Oilers player, from an earlier marriage.

Career statistics

References

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database