Chris Nilan #30
One of the greatest players ever to put on a Montreal Canadiens jersey, Chris Nilan was
selected out of Northeastern University by the Canadiens in round 19
#231st overall in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft. He spent 13 years in the NHL with the
highlight of winning the Stanley Cup in the 1985-86 season with the Canadiens.
He set two team records as a member of the Montreal Canadiens:
| Most PIM, Season |
358 (1984-85) |
| Most PIM, Career |
2246 |
He also holds an NHL record for the most penalties in one regular season game.
On March 31st, 1991, while playing for the Boston Bruins against the Hartford Whalers,
Nilan received 10 penalties. Six minors, two fighting majors, one misconduct and one
game misconduct for a total of 42 minutes in penalties.
With the Montreal Canadiens, Nilan led the team in penalty minutes for 8 straight years from
1980-81 to 1987-88. He set career highs with 21 goals and 37 points in 1984-85. From 1983-84
to 1987-88 he had a prolific 20 points or more for 5 straight seasons. In 1986, Nilan was a
integral part of the Canadiens Stanley Cup team. By this point he was a penalty killing
specialist playing on lines with Bob Gainey and Guy Carbonneau. He also played on the
powerplay. In 1988, Nilan was sent to the New York Rangers with a 1st Round Draft Pick
(1989) for their 1st Round Draft Pick (1989). The Canadiens used that pick to draft
Lindsay Vallis. After the trade, the Canadiens did not win another Stanley Cup until
1992-93.
After a couple of years with the Rangers, Nilan was traded to his hometown Boston Bruins
in 1990-91 for Greg Johnston. He led the Bruins in penalty minutes in 1990-91 and 1991-92
before being claimed off waivers by the Montreal Canadiens.
In 1991 Chris Nilan made the NHL All-Star team. He retired after the 1991-92 season. His
career spanned over 3 decades and he will be remembered as a tough competitor that could
score goals when needed.
Chris Nilan has gone on to be the Assistant Coach of the New Jersey Devils and the Head
Coach of the ECHL Chesapeake Icebreakers. He won the ECHL Coach of the Year Award 1997-98.
--- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ----
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1976-77 Northeastern University NCAA 20 3 2 5
1977-78 Northeastern University NCAA 20 8 9 17
1978-79 Northeastern University NCAA 26 9 17 26 92
1979-80 Nova-Scotia Voyageurs AHL 49 15 10 25 304 -- -- -- -- --
1979-80 Montreal Canadiens NHL 15 0 2 2 50 5 0 0 0 2
1980-81 Montreal Canadiens NHL 57 7 8 15 262 2 0 0 0 0
1981-82 Montreal Canadiens NHL 49 7 4 11 204 5 1 1 2 22
1982-83 Montreal Canadiens NHL 66 6 8 14 213 3 0 0 0 5
1983-84 Montreal Canadiens NHL 76 16 10 26 338 15 1 0 1 81
1984-85 Montreal Canadiens NHL 77 21 16 37 358 12 2 1 3 81
1985-86 Montreal Canadiens NHL 72 19 15 34 274 18 1 2 3 141
1986-87 Montreal Canadiens NHL 44 4 16 20 266 17 3 0 3 75
1987-88 Montreal Canadiens NHL 50 7 5 12 209 -- -- -- -- --
1987-88 New-York Rangers NHL 22 3 5 8 96 -- -- -- -- --
1988-89 New-York Rangers NHL 38 7 7 14 177 4 0 1 1 28
1989-90 New-York Rangers NHL 25 1 2 3 59 4 0 1 1 19
1990-91 Boston Bruins NHL 41 6 9 15 277 19 0 2 2 62
1991-92 Boston Bruins NHL 39 5 5 10 186 -- -- -- -- --
1991-92 Montreal Canadiens NHL 17 1 3 4 74 7 0 1 1 15
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NHL Totals 688 110 115 225 3043 111 8 9 17 531
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