Chris Nilan

Christopher John "Chris" Nilan (born February 9, 1958 in Boston, Massachusetts) is a former professional player. Nilan played 688 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. 
==Amateur career==
Nilan grew up in Massachusetts. He played his youth hockey with the Greater Boston Youth Hockey League (GBYHL). 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.
==Pro career==
Chris 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 1980's. One of only nine players in NHL history to have recorded more than 3,000 career penalty minutes, he holds the dubious 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. It was March 31, 1991, when Hartford played at Boston. Before the evening was over, Chris Nilan was penalized 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 - he missed over two hundred games his final five seasons - Nilan retired after the 1992 season. Highlights of his career include winning the Stanley Cup in 1986 while with the Canadiens, being named to play for Team USA in the 1987 Canada Cup and his controversial all-star 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.
== Career statistics ==
  	  	 	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	 	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs
Season 	Team 	 	GP 	G 	A 	Pts 	PIM 	 	GP 	G 	A 	Pts 	PIM
1979–80 	Montreal Canadiens	 	15 	0 	2 	2 	50 	 	5 	0 	0 	0 	2
1980–81 	Montreal Canadiens	 	57 	7 	8 	15 	262 	 	2 	0 	0 	0 	0
1981–82 	Montreal Canadiens	 	49 	7 	4 	11 	204 	 	5 	1 	1 	2 	22
1982–83 	Montreal Canadiens	 	66 	6 	8 	14 	213 	 	3 	0 	0 	0 	5
1983–84 	Montreal Canadiens	 	76 	16 	10 	26 	338 	 	15 	1 	0 	1 	81
1984–85 	Montreal Canadiens	 	77 	21 	16 	37 	358 	 	12 	2 	1 	3 	81
1985–86 	Montreal Canadiens	 	72 	19 	15 	34 	274 	 	18 	1 	2 	3 	141
1986–87 	Montreal Canadiens	 	44 	4 	16 	20 	266 	 	17 	3 	0 	3 	75
1987–88 	Montreal Canadiens	 	50 	7 	5 	12 	209 	 	 	 	 	 	
1987–88 	New York Rangers 	 	22 	3 	5 	8 	96 	 	 	 	 	 	
1988–89 	New York Rangers 	 	38 	7 	7 	14 	177 	 	4 	0 	1 	1 	28
1989–90 	New York Rangers 	 	25 	1 	2 	3 	59 	 	4 	0 	1 	1 	19
1990–91 	Boston Bruins 	 	41 	6 	9 	15 	277 	 	19 	0 	2 	2 	62
1991–92 	Boston Bruins 	 	39 	5 	5 	10 	186 	 	 	 	 	 	
1991–92 	Montreal Canadiens	 	17 	1 	3 	4 	74 	 	7 	0 	1 	1 	15
NHL totals	NHL totals 	 	688 	110 	115 	225 	3043 	 	111 	8 	9 	17 	531
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
==Post career==
He initially served as assistant coach of the New Jersey Devils on August 3, 1995, and remained in that position until May 1996 before becoming a head coach of the Chesapeake Icebreakers in the ECHL.
==Awards and Achievements==
*1991 NHL All-Star game (injured, did not play)
*Played for Team USA in 1987 Canada Cup tournament
== External links ==
*Chris Nilan's Hockeydraftcentral.com profile
*
Category:Born in 1958
Category:American ice hockey players
Category:Boston Bruins players
Category:Montreal Canadiens players
Category:New York Rangers players
Category:Stanley Cup champions
Category:Northeastern University Huskies players
Category:Nova Scotia Voyageurs players
Category:Retired in 1992
Category:American ice hockey coaches
Category:New Jersey Devils coaches
Category:Chesapeake Ice Breakers coaches
Category:Born in 1958