Eric Nesterenko
Eric Paul Nesterenko (October 31, 1933 – June 4, 2022)[1] was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1951 until 1956 and for the Chicago Black Hawks from 1956 until 1972.
| Eric Nesterenko | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Nesterenko with the Chicago Black Hawks | |||
| Born |
October 31, 1933 Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada | ||
| Died |
June 4, 2022 (aged 88) Grand Junction, Colorado, U.S. | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 186 lb (84 kg; 13 st 4 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for |
Toronto Maple Leafs Chicago Black Hawks Chicago Cougars | ||
| Playing career | 1951–1974 | ||
Early life
Nesterenko was born in Flin Flon, Manitoba, to immigrants from Ukraine. He moved at 16 and attended high school at North Toronto Collegiate Institute.[2] Nesterenko would play as a member of the Toronto Marlboros.[3]
Playing career
Following his long NHL career, Nesterenko played for the Chicago Cougars of the World Hockey Association in 1973-74 after a year of coaching in Switzerland.[4] He had 250 goals and 324 assists during his NHL career, and won a Stanley Cup championship with Chicago in 1961. The rangy right winger was a superb penalty killer, who also was known for using his elbows in the corners.
Nesterenko was better known for speed on the ice than for goal-scoring. Chicago sportswriter Bob Markus commented, "I've always thought that Nesterenko would have been the greatest player of all time if they played the game without a puck."[5]
During one game in 1961, Nesterenko infamously attacked Willie O'Ree, the first black player in the NHL, with racial slurs and butt-ended O'Ree with his hockey stick, breaking O'Ree's nose and knocking out his front teeth. O'Ree retaliated with his stick and Nesterenko required 15 stitches in his head.[6]
Personal life
In 1986, Nesterenko played the father of character Dean Youngblood (Rob Lowe) in the movie Youngblood, and was also the film's hockey consultant.[7] He has worked as a disk jockey, a stockbroker, a travel broker, a freelance writer, a university professor, and a ski instructor.[8][7]
Near the end of Nesterenko's NHL career, he was interviewed for Studs Terkel's bestselling book, Working: What People do all Day and How They Feel About What They Do.
Eric Nesterenko spent his later life in Colorado[3] and died on June 4, 2022, at the age of 88.[9][10]
Awards and achievements
- WHL championship (1956)
- Edinburgh Trophy championship (1956)
- Stanley Cup championship (1961)
- Played in NHL All-Star Game (1961 and 1965)
- Honoured Member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1949–50 | Toronto Marlboros | OHA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1950–51 | Toronto Marlboros | OHA | 46 | 28 | 22 | 50 | 90 | 13 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 27 | ||
| 1951–52 | Toronto Marlboros | OHA | 52 | 53 | 42 | 95 | 133 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 12 | ||
| 1951–52 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1952–53 | Toronto Marlboros | OHA | 34 | 27 | 21 | 48 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1952–53 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 35 | 10 | 6 | 16 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1953–54 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 68 | 14 | 9 | 23 | 70 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | ||
| 1954–55 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 62 | 15 | 15 | 30 | 99 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 1955–56 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 40 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 65 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1955–56 | Winnipeg Warriors | WHL | 20 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 27 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 22 | ||
| 1956–57 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 24 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1957–58 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 70 | 20 | 18 | 38 | 104 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1958–59 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 70 | 16 | 18 | 34 | 81 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 1959–60 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 61 | 13 | 23 | 36 | 71 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1960–61 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 68 | 19 | 19 | 38 | 125 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | ||
| 1961–62 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 68 | 15 | 14 | 29 | 97 | 12 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 22 | ||
| 1962–63 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 67 | 12 | 15 | 27 | 103 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | ||
| 1963–64 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 70 | 7 | 19 | 26 | 93 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | ||
| 1964–65 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 56 | 14 | 16 | 30 | 63 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 16 | ||
| 1965–66 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 67 | 15 | 25 | 40 | 58 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1966–67 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 68 | 14 | 23 | 37 | 38 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 1967–68 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 71 | 11 | 25 | 36 | 37 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1968–69 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 72 | 15 | 17 | 32 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 67 | 16 | 18 | 34 | 26 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 1970–71 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 76 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 28 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19 | ||
| 1971–72 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 38 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 27 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | ||
| 1973–74 | Chicago Cougars | WHA | 29 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | Trail Smoke Eaters | WIHL | 40 | 10 | 25 | 35 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| WHA totals | 29 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| NHL totals | 1,219 | 250 | 324 | 574 | 1,273 | 124 | 13 | 24 | 37 | 127 | ||||
References
- "Eric Nesterenko Obituary 2022". Brown's Cremation & Funeral Service. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
- "Last call for the 90th!" (PDF). ntci.on.ca. Spring 2002. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
- "The career after the hype".
- Frayne, Trent (10 March 1980). "Out of hockey and listening still for that distant drum". Maclean's - The Complete Archive. Maclean's. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
- Chicago Tribune, Feb. 11, 1972, sec.3, p.3
- "Willie O'Ree's little-known journey to break the NHL's color barrier". theconversation.com. January 17, 2018. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
- Barry, Sal (August 7, 2016). "The Making of 'Youngblood: An Oral History". The Hockey News. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- "Eric Nesterenko". Retrieved 11 June 2023.
- Verdi, Bob (6 June 2022). "Former Blackhawk Eric Nesterenko Dies at 88". Chicago Blackhawks. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- Thompson, Phil (7 June 2022). "Eric Nesterenko, member of the 1961 Chicago Blackhawks, dies at 88 — and leaves behind a complicated hockey legacy". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database