Top 100 Oilers: No. 98 — Kent Nilsson

Notable

A dominant young talent in Sweden’s top league, Nilsson was selected in both the NHL and WHA drafts in 1976. The Toronto Toros took him 11th overall, but he never reported to the team, which was common for draft picks in the renegade WHA. The Atlanta Flames used a fourth-round pick to secure his rights for if and when he chose to come to play in the NHL.

Nilsson came to North America in 1977-78, joining a handful of fellow Swedes on the Winnipeg Jets of the WHA. Playing alongside countrymen Ulf Nilsson, Anders Hedberg, Willy Lindstrom, and Lars-Erik Sjoberg, Nilsson scored 42 goals and 107 points in 80 games, earning the league’s Rookie of the Year honours. He added ten points in nine games in the playoffs to help the Jets win their second Avco World Trophy in team history.

After another championship-winning season with Winnipeg in 1978-79, the NHL and WHA merger resulted in Nilsson finally joining the Flames. He scored 93 points in 80 games for Atlanta in 1979-80 and then broke out with 49 goals and 131 points in 1980-81, the team’s first season in Calgary.

Across 553 NHL games, Nilsson totaled 264 goals and 686 points, plus 81 goals and 214 points in 158 WHA games. He represented Sweden multiple times at the international level, scoring 39 goals and 87 points in 67 games between the European and World Juniors, Canada Cup, and World Championships.

Nilsson ranks 10th all-time in NHL points-per-game among players with at least 500 career points, the highest mark for anyone not in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2006, the WHA Hall of Fame in 2010, and the Swedish Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012.

The Story

Before joining the Oilers in 1986-87, the deepest playoff run of Nilsson’s NHL career came during his first season in Calgary. The Flames swept Chicago in the first round, edged out Philadelphia in seven games in the second, and then fell short against Minnesota in the semi-finals.

When the Flames made their first run to the Stanley Cup Final in 1985-86, Nilsson was a member of the North Stars. After four early exits from 1981-82 through 1984-85, the Flames moved on from their mercurial scorer, dealing him to Minnesota for picks that became Joe Nieuwendyk (1985 second round) and Stéphane Matteau (1987 second round).

With the North Stars headed for the Norris Division basement in 1986-87, they sent Nilsson to Edmonton ahead of the deadline for cash and a 1988 second-round pick (used on Link Gaetz). The Oilers wanted another high-skill winger to round out their top six, and the 30-year-old fit perfectly.

This was an exciting trade for Nilsson because he got to play alongside Wayne Gretzky, a rival whom he had long admired. Nilsson told the Edmonton Journal after being acquired by the Oilers that he would be playing against Gretzky and wanted to give his opponent a big hug after scoring a beautiful goal.

The Oilers cruised through the first three rounds of the playoffs in 1986-87, taking down the Kings, Jets, and Red Wings with just two combined losses. They matched up against the Flyers in the Stanley Cup Final and came through with a 3-1 victory in Game 7. Nilsson chipped in with 19 points over 21 games, good for fifth on the team in playoff scoring.

The win was very sweet for the whole team and city, considering Edmonton’s heartbreaking loss to Calgary the previous year. Gretzky said after Game 7 that he was especially happy for Nilsson to taste Stanley Cup glory, noting that the winger was “the last piece to the puzzle.”

The Quote

“Skills-wise, he might have been the most skilled hockey player I ever saw in my entire career.” – Wayne Gretzky

The Last 10

• No. 100 — Mark Lamb
• No. 99 — Bryan Marchment