Chris Nilan

Chris Nilan
Born	(1958-02-09) February 9, 1958 Boston, MA, USA
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position	Right Wing
Shot	Right
Played for	Montreal Canadiens New York Rangers Boston Bruins
NHL Draft	231st overall, 1978 Montreal Canadiens
Playing career	1979–1992

Christopher John Nilan (born February 9, 1958) is a retired professional ice hockey player and current radio host. Nilan played 688 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season games as a right-wing for the Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, and New York Rangers between 1980 and 1992. He won the Stanley Cup in 1986 with Montreal. Known as "Knuckles," he was famous for his propensity to fight. Nilan's life and career are prominently featured in Alex Gibney's 2011 documentary film The Last Gladiators.

Playing career

Nilan grew up in Massachusetts where he idolized Bobby Orr and dreamed of playing for the Boston Bruins. He played his youth hockey with the Parkway (West Roxbury, Massachusetts) team of the Greater Boston Youth Hockey League (GBYHL), sponsored by the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC). He later played college hockey for the Northeastern University Huskies, from 1976 to 1979, averaging 3.5 penalty minutes per game in his final collegiate season.

Nilan was selected 231st overall in the 1978 NHL Entry Draft, and was best known as a tough-guy for the Montreal Canadiens in the mid 1980s. One of only nine players in National Hockey League (NHL) history to have recorded more than 3,000 career penalty minutes, he holds the records of highest penalty minute average per game at 4.42 minutes per game, as well as the record for most penalties in a single game. March 31, 1991, when the Hartford Whalers visited Boston, Nilan was assessed a record ten penalties; six minors, two majors, one misconduct and one game misconduct, for a total of 42 penalty minutes.

Seriously hobbled by repeated injuries, Nilan missed over two hundred games in his final five seasons, and retired after the 1992 season. Highlights of his career include winning the Stanley Cup in 1986 with the Canadiens, being named to Team USA for the 1987 Canada Cup, and his controversial selection to the 1991 NHL All-Star Game by his then-coach Mike Milbury (Nilan missed the game with a broken left ankle), which led to changes in how players are selected for all-star games.

Post career

Nilan returned to the Boston area and went into the insurance business after retirement. He spent three years as community relations consultant for John Hancock Insurance before returning to hockey as a coach. He was initially hired as an assistant coach of the New Jersey Devils on August 3, 1995, and remained in that position until May 1996, before becoming a head coach for the Chesapeake Icebreakers of the ECHL.

In 2009, Nilan was arrested in Braintree, Massachusetts for shoplifting after attempting to leave a Lord & Taylor store wearing a pair of Tommy Bahama swim shorts underneath the shorts he wore in. Nilan struggled with store security before police officers managed to subdue him. "I just wanted to save a few bucks," he told police. The case was dismissed with Nilan being ordered to pay $100 in court costs.

Nilan was married to Karen Stanley in 1981. They were divorced in 2006. They have two daughters, Colleen and Tara, and one son, Christopher. Karen was a daughter of Theresa Stanley, who was one of notorious crime boss Whitey Bulger's girlfriends.

Today Nilan talks openly about his past problems with alcohol and prescription drugs, as well as battling a heroin addiction. He is involved in numerous social and charitable causes. Nilan also speaks to local students in Montreal about learning from his life experiences and mistakes.

Nilan lived in Oregon for two years, and most recently, moved back to Montreal.

He began hosting his own program, Off the Cuff on TSN Radio 690 Montreal, on March 18, 2013, after being a daily phone-in guest on Melnick in the Afternoon for a number of months. He is on the air from noon to 3:00 p.m. weekdays local time, also streaming live on the internet.

Awards

• Won the Stanley Cup in 1986 with the Montreal Canadiens
• Selected to one NHL All-Star Game: 1991

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1979–80	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		15	0	2	2	50		5	0	0	0	2
1980–81	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		57	7	8	15	262		2	0	0	0	0
1981–82	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		49	7	4	11	204		5	1	1	2	22
1982–83	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		66	6	8	14	213		3	0	0	0	5
1983–84	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		76	16	10	26	338		15	1	0	1	81
1984–85	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		77	21	16	37	358		12	2	1	3	81
1985–86	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		72	19	15	34	274		18	1	2	3	141
1986–87	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		44	4	16	20	266		17	3	0	3	75
1987–88	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		50	7	5	12	209		—	—	—	—	—
1987–88	New York Rangers	NHL		22	3	5	8	96		—	—	—	—	—
1988–89	New York Rangers	NHL		38	7	7	14	177		4	0	1	1	38
1989–90	New York Rangers	NHL		25	1	2	3	59		4	0	1	1	19
1990–91	Boston Bruins	NHL		41	6	9	15	277		19	0	2	2	62
1991–92	Boston Bruins	NHL		39	5	5	10	186		—	—	—	—	—
1991–92	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		17	1	3	4	74		7	0	1	1	15
NHL totals				688	110	115	225	3043		111	8	9	17	541

See also

• List of NHL players with 2000 career penalty minutes

External links

• Official website
• Radio host at TSN Radio 690 Montreal
• Chris Nilan's Hockeydraftcentral.com profile
• Datos y curiosidades sobre Chris Nilan en espanol
• Chris Nilan's biography at Legends of Hockey
• Chris Nilan's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database