Joe Nieuwendyk

At 57 years old, Joe Nieuwendyk has this physical status:

Nieuwendyk went undrafted by any Ontario Hockey League team, and so played a season of junior B for the Pickering Panthers in 1983–84. Eligible for the 1984 NHL Entry Draft but unselected, he chose to attend Cornell University where he played hockey and lacrosse for the Big Red. He was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) hockey rookie of the year in 1984–85 after scoring 39 points in 23 games. At the 1985 NHL Entry Draft, the Calgary Flames selected him in the second round, 27th overall, with a pick obtained that day in a trade with the Minnesota North Stars for Kent Nilsson. The disappointment in Calgary over the trade of Nilsson resulted in some criticism of Nieuwendyk's selection, famously leading to a local newspaper to question the moves with the headline "Joe Who?"

Returning to Cornell for the 1985–86 season, Nieuwendyk chose to give up lacrosse in order to focus on hockey. He was named an ECAC first team All-Star in 1985–86 and an NCAA All-American after scoring 42 points in 21 games. In his final season at Cornell, he was named the team's most valuable player and led the ECAC in scoring with 52 points. He was again named an ECAC All-Star and NCAA All-American, and a finalist for the 1987 Hobey Baker Award.

Nieuwendyk chose to forgo his senior year in favour of turning professional. In 81 games with Cornell, Nieuwendyk scored 73 goals and 151 points, both among the highest totals in the school's history. His number 25 jersey was retired by Cornell in 2010, shared with Ken Dryden's number 1 as the first such numbers retired by the hockey team, and believed the first in any sport in the school's varsity sports history. In 2011, he was named one of the 50 greatest players in ECAC history.

Once his junior season at Cornell ended, Nieuwendyk joined the national team for five games before turning professional with the Flames. He made his NHL debut on March 10, 1987, against the Washington Capitals and scored his first NHL goal against goaltender Pete Peeters. He appeared in nine regular season games in the 1986–87 NHL season, scoring five goals and one assist, and appeared in six playoff games. Playing his first full season in 1987–88, Nieuwendyk captured the attention of the sports media by scoring 32 goals in his first 42 games to put him on a pace to surpass Mike Bossy's rookie record of 53 goals. Nieuwendyk finished two goals short of Bossy's record, but led the team with 51 goals and was the second first-year player to score at least 50 goals in one season. He played in his first NHL All-Star Game, was named to the All-Rookie Team and was voted the winner of the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top rookie.

Nieuwendyk again scored 51 goals in 1988–89 and marked the 100th of his career in his 144th career game. At the time, he was the third fastest player to reach the milestone, behind Bossy (129 games) and Maurice Richard (134 games), and was the third player in league history to score 50 goals in each of his first two seasons (Bossy and Wayne Gretzky). He led the league with 11 game-winning goals and set a Flames franchise record on January 11, 1989, when he scored five goals in one game against the Winnipeg Jets. Nieuwendyk appeared in his second of three-consecutive All-Star Games. In the 1989 Stanley Cup playoffs, he scored 10 goals and four assists to help the Flames win their first- and only -Stanley Cup championship in franchise history. In the clinching game against the Montreal Canadiens, Nieuwendyk set up Lanny McDonald's final NHL goal with a quick pass after receiving the puck from Håkan Loob.

A 45-goal season in 1989–90 was enough for Nieuwendyk to lead the team in goal scoring for the third consecutive season. He missed he first 11 games of the 1991–92 NHL season after suffering a knee injury during a summer evaluation camp for the 1991 Canada Cup. Nieuwendyk began the season as the 12th captain in the Flames franchise history. He was limited to 22 goals and 56 points on the season, but scored his 200th career goal on December 3, 1991, against the Detroit Red Wings. His 230th career goal, scored against the Tampa Bay Lightning on November 13, 1992, established a Flames franchise record for career goals (since broken).

Nieuwendyk entered the 1995–96 season unhappy with his contract status. Unable to come to terms with the Flames, he had gone to arbitration, and was awarded a contract worth C$1.85 million, but insisted on renegotiating the deal into a long-term contract extension. He refused an offer of a three-year, $6 million contract from the Flames, and as the dispute dragged on, chose not to join the team when the season began. He remained a holdout until December 19, 1995, when the Flames traded him to the Dallas Stars in exchange for Jarome Iginla and Corey Millen.

The Stars immediately signed Nieuwendyk to a new deal worth US$11.3 million over five years. Bob Gainey, the team's general manager, hoped that the acquisition of Nieuwendyk would help the franchise, which had relocated from Minnesota three years previous, establish its place in Dallas. Nieuwendyk scored 14 goals and 32 points in 52 games with the Stars to finish the 1995–96 season.

Nieuwendyk improved to 30 goals in 1996–97 despite missing the first month of the season with fractured rib cartilage. A 39-goal season followed, but he was again sidelined by injury after appearing in only one game of the 1998 Stanley Cup playoffs. In the opening game of the Stars' first-round series against the San Jose Sharks, he suffered a torn ACL as a result of a check by Bryan Marchment. The injury required two knee surgeries to repair and six months to heal, which caused him to miss the beginning of the 1998–99 NHL season.

He finished the regular season with 28 goals and 55 points in 67 games, and added 11 goals and 10 assists in the 1999 Stanley Cup playoffs to help the Stars win the first Stanley Cup in their franchise history. Six of his playoff goals were game winners, and he was voted the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the playoffs. Injuries again limited Nieuwendyk in 1999–2000. He missed ten games due to a bruised chest then suffered a separated shoulder a week after his return that kept him out of the lineup for several weeks. He played only 47 regular season games, but added 23 more in the playoffs as the Stars reached the 2000 Stanley Cup Finals. They lost the series in six games to the New Jersey Devils, however.

Nieuwendyk played in his 1,000th career game on January 20, 2002, against the Chicago Blackhawks. Two months later, on March 19, 2002, he was traded to the Devils, along with Jamie Langenbrunner, in exchange for Jason Arnott, Randy McKay and a first round selection in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.

New Jersey, who had won the Stanley Cup in 2000 and reached the finals the following year, acquired Nieuwendyk for their playoff run in 2002. He scored 11 points in 14 regular season games for the Devils following the trade, but New Jersey was eliminated in the first round of the 2002 Stanley Cup playoffs by the Carolina Hurricanes. Nieuwendyk reached two offensive milestones in 2002–03. He scored his 500th career goal on January 17, 2003, against Carolina's Kevin Weekes. On February 23, he scored his 1,000th point in a win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. He and the Devils reached the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals, but Nieuwendyk suffered a hip injury in the sixth game of the Eastern Conference Final that prevented him from appearing in the championship series. The Devils defeated the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the final, capturing the franchise's third Stanley Cup. For Nieuwendyk, it was his third title with his third different team.

The Toronto Maple Leafs signed Nieuwendyk to a one-year contract for the 2003–04 season. He scored 22 goals for Toronto in a season marred by abdominal and back injuries that limited him to 64 games played. After scoring two goals in the decisive Game 7 opening round series victory against the Ottawa Senators, a groin injury that forced him out of the lineup for much of Toronto's second-round series loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. He signed another one-year deal for 2004–05, but the season was cancelled due to a labour dispute that was feared would mark the end of the 38-year-old Nieuwendyk's career.

When NHL play resumed in 2005–06, the Florida Panthers sought to bolster their lineup with veteran players. They signed both Nieuwendyk and Roberts, who had played together in Calgary and Toronto and wanted to finish their careers together, to two-year, $4.5 million contracts. Nieuwendyk appeared in 65 games during the season, scoring 26 goals and 56 points. He appeared in 15 games in 2006–07 before chronic back pain forced him onto injured reserve. After missing 14 games, Nieuwendyk announced his retirement on December 7, 2006.

Management career

Remaining in hockey following the end of his playing career, Nieuwendyk joined the Florida Panthers' front office as a consultant to general manager Jacques Martin in 2007. He left the Panthers after one year to join the Maple Leafs as special assistant to general manager Cliff Fletcher in 2008. He served as assistant general manager for the silver-medal winning Canadian national team at the 2009 World Championships, and on June 1, 2009, was named general manager of the Dallas Stars. His ability to make moves was at times limited by the financial difficulty of team owner Tom Hicks. Among Nieuwendyk's decisions in his first two seasons as general manager was to allow popular former captain Mike Modano to leave the organization after 22 years with the franchise in 2010. Nieuwendyk stated such moves were difficult, as he played with Modano and considered him a friend. Nieuwendyk was released as Stars' general manager at the conclusion of the 2012–13 NHL season as team owner Tom Gaglardi stated that the team wanted to "take this organization in a different direction". On September 3, 2014, the Carolina Hurricanes announced they had hired him as a pro scout and advisor. He resigned from his position with Carolina on April 30, 2018.

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