Chris Nielsen | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born | Moshi, Tanzania | February 16, 1980||
Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
Weight | 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb) | ||
Position | Centre | ||
Shot | Right | ||
Played for | Columbus Blue Jackets Kassel Huskies | ||
NHL Draft | 36th overall, 1998 New York Islanders | ||
Playing career | 2000–2006 |
Chris Nielsen (born February 16, 1980) is a Tanzanian-born Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. [1] Nielsen was drafted in the 2nd round, 36th overall by the New York Islanders in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. He played parts of two seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Nielsen was born in Tanzania while his Canadian father was stationed there working for the Canadian International Development Agency. His family moved back to Canada when he was three, and he grew up on a farm near the small town of Goodlands, Manitoba. [2]
Nielsen played junior hockey with the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League. He was a member of the 1998–99 team that won the President's Cup, and got within a game of winning the Memorial Cup. He won the Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy in 1999–2000 as the WHL's Humanitarian of the Year.
Nielsen turned pro in 2000, playing three seasons with the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League, earning two callups to the Blue Jackets during that time. He then bounced around between the Chicago Wolves, Manitoba Moose and San Antonio Rampage of the AHL and the Laredo Bucks of the Central Hockey League before heading to Europe to play in Germany in 2005–06. Nielsen retired from professional hockey in 2006.
After retiring from hockey, Nielsen went back to school at the University of Manitoba and was the colour commentator for the Manitoba Moose at their home games. He then completed undergraduate and postgraduate medical education at the Univerisity of Calgary, graduating from the Cumming School of Medicine in 2012 and completing his residency in Orthopaedic Surgery in 2017. Dr. Nielsen then moved to Toronto for fellowship, completing his training in complex spinal surgery at Toronto Western Hospital in 2018, at which time he transitioned into the role of Clinical Associate. He is now an Attending Surgeon at University Health Network and an Assistant Professor in the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery with the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto. [3] [4]
Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
1995–96 | Calgary Hitmen | WHL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1996–97 | Calgary Hitmen | WHL | 62 | 11 | 19 | 30 | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1997–98 | Calgary Hitmen | WHL | 68 | 22 | 29 | 51 | 31 | 18 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 10 | ||
1998–99 | Calgary Hitmen | WHL | 70 | 22 | 24 | 46 | 45 | 21 | 11 | 5 | 16 | 28 | ||
1999–00 | Calgary Hitmen | WHL | 62 | 38 | 31 | 69 | 86 | 13 | 14 | 9 | 23 | 20 | ||
2000–01 | Syracuse Crunch | AHL | 47 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 24 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | ||
2000–01 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 29 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2001–02 | Syracuse Crunch | AHL | 47 | 12 | 12 | 24 | 18 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | ||
2001–02 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 23 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2002–03 | Syracuse Crunch | AHL | 19 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2002–03 | Chicago Wolves | AHL | 18 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2002–03 | Manitoba Moose | AHL | 33 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 16 | ||
2003–04 | Manitoba Moose | AHL | 72 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2004–05 | Laredo Bucks | CHL | 7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2004–05 | San Antonio Rampage | AHL | 54 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2005–06 | Kassel Huskies | DEL | 38 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
NHL totals | 52 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — |
Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1999 | Canada | WJC | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
2000 | Canada | WJC | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 | ||
Junior totals | 9 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 12 |
The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada, alongside the Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. Teams play for the Ed Chynoweth Cup, with the winner moving on to play for the Memorial Cup, Canada's national junior championship. WHL teams have won the Memorial Cup 19 times. Many players have been drafted from WHL teams, and have found success at various levels of professional hockey, including the National Hockey League (NHL).
Eric Peter Brewer is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played sixteen seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 2000 to 2015. He is an NHL All-Star and Olympic gold medalist.
The 2000–01 NHL season was the 84th regular season of the National Hockey League. With the addition of the expansion Columbus Blue Jackets and the Minnesota Wild, 30 teams each played 82 games. The Stanley Cup winners were the Colorado Avalanche, who won the best of seven series 4–3 against the New Jersey Devils. The focus of Colorado's Stanley Cup run was on star defenceman Ray Bourque, who was on a quest to win his first Stanley Cup championship in his illustrious 22-year career.
Mathieu David Schneider is an American former professional ice hockey player. Considered an offensive defenseman, Schneider played 1,289 games in the National Hockey League with ten different teams, scoring 233 goals and totaling 743 points. He won the Stanley Cup in 1993 with the Montreal Canadiens.
Michael Anthony Peca is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Vancouver Canucks, Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Columbus Blue Jackets. Peca served as the Washington Capitals player development coach and is currently an assistant coach for the New York Rangers.
Timothy Robert Hunter is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, and most recently the head coach of the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League (WHL), having previously served as an assistant coach in the National Hockey League (NHL), most recently for the Washington Capitals. Chosen in the 3rd round of the 1979 NHL Entry Draft by the Atlanta Flames, Hunter went on to a 16-season playing career with the Calgary Flames, Quebec Nordiques, Vancouver Canucks, and San Jose Sharks.
Michael John Sillinger is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 17 seasons. Sillinger played for 12 teams and was traded nine times during his NHL career, both of which are league records.
Brad Larsen is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player who most recently served as the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). Before coaching, he played in the NHL with the Colorado Avalanche and the Atlanta Thrashers between 1998 and 2008. He is the former head coach of the Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League (AHL).
Brad Moran is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre, his last team being the Nottingham Panthers of the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL).
James Heward is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman, who currently serves as an associate coach for the Henderson Silver Knights.
Gilbert Jean Marco Brulé is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre.
Claude Noël is a Canadian professional ice hockey former player and coach. He most recently worked as a scout with the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). Noël has close to 30 years experience coaching with his most recent coaching position being head coach of the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League in the 2014–15 season. He played 7 games in the NHL with the Washington Capitals during the 1979–80 season. The rest of his playing career, which lasted from 1976 to 1988, was mainly spent in the minor leagues.
Zenith Komarniski is a Canadian former ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League for the Vancouver Canucks and the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Spencer Machacek is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is currently under contract to Grizzlys Wolfsburg of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL).
Aaron Rome is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He is currently serving as a skills coach with the Brandon Wheat Kings in the Western Hockey League (WHL). Rome was selected in the fourth round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by the Los Angeles Kings.
Steve Mason is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. During his National Hockey League career, he played for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Philadelphia Flyers and Winnipeg Jets.
Kevin Connauton is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Ontario Reign of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 83rd overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Connauton has also played for the Dallas Stars, Columbus Blue Jackets, Arizona Coyotes, Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers, and Philadelphia Flyers.
Travis Hamonic is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 53rd overall by the New York Islanders in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.
Ryan James Murray is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Murray was drafted second overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Murray won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022.
Denton Mateychuk is a Canadian junior ice hockey defenceman for the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League (WHL) and a prospect of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted twelfth overall by the Blue Jackets in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.