Nick Fotiu

Nick Fotiu
Born	(1952-05-25) May 25, 1952 (age 72) Staten Island, New York, U.S.
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight	210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb)
Position	Forward
Shot	Left
Played for	New England Whalers New York Rangers Hartford Whalers Calgary Flames Philadelphia Flyers Edmonton Oilers
NHL draft	Undrafted
Playing career	1973–1990

Nicholas Evlampios Fotiu (born May 25, 1952) is an American former professional ice hockey forward. He played in the World Hockey Association and National Hockey League between 1974 and 1988.

Playing career

Fotiu's father was of Greek descent, while his mother was of Italian descent. ^[1] A left winger, Fotiu began his career in the World Hockey Association (WHA) with the New England Whalers in the 1974–75 season. Two years later, he signed with his hometown New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL), where his role as an enforcer endeared him to Ranger fans. He was loved for his fighting style, which he picked up as a golden-gloves boxer, and he was the first New York City-born Ranger. ^[2] Fotiu's popularity as a Ranger was enhanced by his willingness to throw pucks up into the Madison Square Garden "blue seats" after pre-game warmups, where previously he sat as a young fan. These seats were the least expensive and farthest seats from the action, far beyond where pucks would normally land during game play. Fotiu played with the Rangers until 1979, when he was claimed by the renamed Hartford Whalers in the 1979 NHL Expansion Draft.

Fotiu's second tour with the Whalers ended when he was traded back to the Rangers during the middle of the 1980–81 NHL season, where he remained for five seasons. He was traded to the Calgary Flames in 1986 and helped them get to their first Stanley Cup finals appearance. Fotiu also played for the Philadelphia Flyers and briefly with the Edmonton Oilers before retiring from professional play in 1990.

Post-playing career

After retiring, Fotiu moved into coaching, and was most recently an assistant coach of the Hartford Wolf Pack. Fotiu runs a construction business and a charitable foundation, in addition to doing public relations for the Rangers.^{[ citation needed ]}

Nick Fotiu has been inducted into the Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame. He is the first native of New York City to play for the New York Rangers.

Legacy

In the 2009 book 100 Ranger Greats, the authors ranked Fotiu at No. 100 all-time of the 901 New York Rangers who had played during the team's first 82 seasons. ^[1]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1971–72	New Hyde Park Arrows	NYJHL		32	6	17	23	135		5	4	4	8	14
1972–73	New Hyde Park Arrows	NYJHL		—	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—
1973–74	Cape Cod Cubs	NAHL		72	12	24	36	371		13	4	7	11	80
1974–75	New England Whalers	WHA		61	2	2	4	144		4	2	0	2	27
1974–75	Cape Codders	NAHL		5	2	1	3	13		—	—	—	—	—
1975–76	New England Whalers	WHA		49	3	2	5	94		16	3	2	5	57
1975–76	Cape Codders	NAHL		6	2	1	3	15		—	—	—	—	—
1976–77	New York Rangers	NHL		70	4	8	12	174		—	—	—	—	—
1977–78	New York Rangers	NHL		59	2	7	9	105		3	0	0	0	5
1977–78	New Haven Nighthawks	AHL		5	1	1	2	9		—	—	—	—	—
1978–79	New York Rangers	NHL		71	3	5	8	190		4	0	0	0	6
1979–80	Hartford Whalers	NHL		74	10	8	18	107		3	0	0	0	6
1980–81	Hartford Whalers	NHL		42	4	3	7	79		—	—	—	—	—
1980–81	New York Rangers	NHL		27	5	6	11	91		2	0	0	0	4
1981–82	New York Rangers	NHL		70	8	10	18	151		10	0	2	2	6
1982–83	New York Rangers	NHL		72	8	13	21	90		5	0	1	1	6
1983–84	New York Rangers	NHL		40	7	6	13	115		—	—	—	—	—
1984–85	New York Rangers	NHL		46	4	7	11	54		—	—	—	—	—
1985–86	New Haven Nighthawks	AHL		9	4	2	6	21		—	—	—	—	—
1985–86	Calgary Flames	NHL		9	0	1	1	21		11	0	1	1	34
1986–87	Calgary Flames	NHL		42	5	3	8	145		—	—	—	—	—
1987–88	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		23	0	0	0	40		—	—	—	—	—
1988–89	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1989–90	New Haven Nighthawks	AHL		31	0	3	3	40		—	—	—	—	—
WHA totals				110	5	4	9	238		20	5	2	7	84
NHL totals				646	60	77	137	1362		38	0	4	4	67

References

1. Cohen, Russ; Halligan, John; Raider, Adam (2009). 100 Ranger Greats: Superstars, Unsung Heroes and Colorful Characters. John Wiley & Sons. p. 12. ISBN   978-0470736197 . Retrieved February 3, 2020.
2. "Fotiu, Mullen honored at Golf Outing". NHL.com. 11 September 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2020.

External links

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

Preceded by Ed Johnstone	Head coaches of the Johnstown Chiefs 1995-1997	Succeeded by Scott Allen