Mike Nykoluk

Michael Andrew Nykoluk (December 11, 1934 – January 31, 2022) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. He played 32 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1956–57. The rest of his playing career, which lasted from 1955 to 1972, was spent in the minor leagues. He became the first assistant coach in the NHL and won the Stanley Cup in that capacity with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1974 and 1975, before serving as the Maple Leafs head coach from 1981 to 1984. He was the younger brother of longtime Canadian Football League player Danny Nykoluk.
==Early life==
Nykoluk was born in Toronto on December 11, 1934. He played ice hockey and Canadian football when he was in high school. He began his junior career in 1953–54 with the Toronto Marlboros of the Ontario Hockey Association. He was part of the team that won the 1955 Memorial Cup, scoring 13 points in 10 games in the playoffs that year.
==Playing career==
Nykoluk began his professional career with the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League (AHL) during their inaugural season in 1956–57. In the middle of that season, he was called up to play in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 32 games he played for Toronto, in which he scored four points, would be his only stint in the NHL. He was sent back down to the Americans, and was subsequently traded with Ron Hurst to the Hershey Bears in exchange for Willie Marshall.
Nykoluk went on to have a 14-season career with the Bears. The team won two Calder Cup during his career (1959 and 1969). He led the league twice in assists, and amassed 50 or more assists in seven consecutive seasons (1963 to 1970). He was named to AHL All-Star Second Team in 1967 and was conferred the Les Cunningham Award at the end of the year as the league's most valuable player. Nykoluk proceeded to hit a career-high 19 goals and 85 points the following season and was consequently selected the AHL All-Star First Team. He eventually retired from playing in 1972.
Nykoluk's number 8 was later retired by the Bears. He was part of the second class inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame in 2007. At the time of his death, he was the Bears' all-time leader in games played (972), assists (636), and points (808). He was also third in the AHL all-time in assists (686), sixth in points (881), and fifth in games played (1,069).
==Coaching career==
After his playing career ended, Nykoluk was offered a job with the Philadelphia Flyers as an assistant to head coach Fred Shero. He became the first full-time assistant coach in the NHL. During his tenure, the Flyers won the Stanley Cup in 1974 and 1975. He subsequently became an assistant to head coach Shero with the New York Rangers, and later served as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs for three seasons ending in 1984.
==Personal life==
Nykoluk was married to Dolly until his death. They met at his sister's wedding, where she was a bridesmaid. Together, they had four children.
After retiring from coaching hockey, Nykoluk and his wife relocated to Naples, Florida, around 1990. He underwent a quadruple bypass surgery in April 2010. Nykoluk died on January 31, 2022, at the age of 87.
==Career statistics==
===Regular season and playoffs===
 	 	 	 	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	 	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs
Season 	Team 	League 	 	GP 	G 	A 	Pts 	PIM 	 	GP 	G 	A 	Pts 	PIM
1952–53 	Weston Dukes 	MetJBHL 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1953–54 	Toronto Marlboros 	OHA 	 	59 	19 	28 	47 	12 	 	15 	2 	4 	6 	4
1954–55 	Toronto Marlboros 	OHA 	 	47 	14 	25 	39 	23 	 	13 	3 	7 	10 	17
1954–55 	Toronto Marlboros 	M-Cup 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	 	10 	4 	9 	13 	4
1955–56 	Winnipeg Warriors 	WHL 	 	70 	10 	25 	35 	18 	 	14 	10 	12 	22 	7
1956–57 	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL 	 	32 	3 	1 	4 	20 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1956–57 	Rochester Americans	AHL 	 	28 	9 	13 	22 	30 	 	9 	3 	2 	5 	4
1957–58 	Rochester Americans	AHL 	 	69 	14 	37 	51 	45 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1958–59 	Hershey Bears 	AHL 	 	66 	15 	38 	53 	60 	 	13 	5 	4 	9 	15
1959–60 	Hershey Bears 	AHL 	 	71 	13 	32 	45 	55 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1960–61 	Hershey Bears 	AHL 	 	71 	10 	24 	34 	14 	 	8 	1 	5 	6 	0
1961–62 	Hershey Bears 	AHL 	 	59 	4 	20 	24 	13 	 	7 	1 	2 	3 	12
1962–63 	Hershey Bears 	AHL 	 	72 	7 	36 	43 	21 	 	15 	1 	9 	10 	2
1963–64 	Hershey Bears 	AHL 	 	72 	9 	63 	72 	39 	 	6 	1 	3 	4 	0
1964–65 	Hershey Bears 	AHL 	 	71 	11 	55 	66 	29 	 	15 	2 	11 	13 	6
1965–66 	Hershey Bears 	AHL 	 	67 	10 	53 	63 	14 	 	3 	0 	1 	1 	0
1966–67 	Hershey Bears 	AHL 	 	72 	16 	68 	84 	26 	 	5 	0 	4 	4 	4
1967–68 	Hershey Bears 	AHL 	 	72 	19 	66 	85 	30 	 	5 	2 	6 	8 	0
1968–69 	Hershey Bears 	AHL 	 	74 	15 	55 	70 	14 	 	11 	0 	8 	8 	0
1969–70 	Hershey Bears 	AHL 	 	72 	16 	57 	73 	12 	 	7 	0 	2 	2 	2
1970–71 	Hershey Bears 	AHL 	 	71 	14 	39 	53 	33 	 	4 	0 	3 	3 	0
1971–72 	Hershey Bears 	AHL 	 	62 	13 	30 	43 	20 	 	4 	0 	2 	2 	4
AHL totals	AHL totals 	AHL totals	 	1069 	195 	686 	881 	455 	 	112 	16 	62 	78 	49
NHL totals	NHL totals 	NHL totals	 	32 	3 	1 	4 	20 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
Sources: 	Sources: 	Sources: 	Sources:	Sources: 	Sources: 	Sources: 	Sources: 	Sources: 	Sources:	Sources:	Sources:	Sources:	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
==Coaching record==
Team 	Year 	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Postseason	Postseason	Postseason	Postseason
Team 	Year 	G 	W 	L 	T 	OTL 	Pts 	Finish 	W 	L 	Win% 	Result
TOR 	1980–81	40 	15 	15 	10 	— 	40 	5th in Adams 	0 	3 	 	Lost in Preliminary Round (NYI)
TOR 	1981–82	80 	20 	44 	16 	— 	56 	5th in Norris 	— 	— 	— 	Missed playoffs
TOR 	1982–83	80 	28 	40 	12 	— 	68 	3rd in Norris 	1 	3 	 	Lost in Division Semifinals (MNS)
TOR 	1983–84	80 	26 	45 	9 	— 	61 	5th in Norris 	— 	— 	— 	Missed playoffs
Total 	Total 	280 	89 	144 	47 	— 	225 	  	1 	6 	 	2 playoff appearances
Source:	Source:	Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source:
==Awards and achievements==
* Memorial Cup champion (1955)
* Calder Cup (AHL) champion (1959 and 1969)
* AHL Second All-Star Team (1967)
* Les Cunningham Award (AHL) MVP (1967)
* AHL First All-Star Team (1968)
* Stanley Cup champion (1974, 1975; as an assistant coach)
==References==
==External links==
* 
* AHL Hockey Hall of Fame bio
Category:1934 births
Category:2022 deaths
Category:Canadian ice hockey centres
Category:Canadian ice hockey coaches
Category:Hershey Bears players
Category:Ice hockey people from Ontario
Category:National Hockey League broadcasters
Category:New York Rangers coaches
Category:Philadelphia Flyers coaches
Category:Rochester Americans players
Category:Stanley Cup champions
Category:Toronto Maple Leafs announcers
Category:Toronto Maple Leafs coaches
Category:Toronto Maple Leafs players
Category:Toronto Marlboros players
Category:Winnipeg Warriors (minor pro) players