James Anthony Neilson (November 28, 1941 – November 6, 2020) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers, California Golden Seals, and Cleveland Barons and completed his career with the Edmonton Oilers in the World Hockey Association (WHA).

Jim Neilson
Neilson with the New York Rangers in 1965
Born (1941-11-28)November 28, 1941
Big River, Saskatchewan, Canada
Died November 6, 2020(2020-11-06) (aged 78)
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Left
Played for New York Rangers
California Golden Seals
Cleveland Barons
Edmonton Oilers
Playing career 1962–1979

Early life edit

Neilson was born in Big River, Saskatchewan in 1941.[1] As a child his mother abandoned the family, so Neilson and his two sisters grew up in St. Patrick’s Orphanage in Prince Albert.[2]

Career edit

Neilson played a total of 1,024 games in the NHL, with 69 goals and 299 assists. He played from 1962–63 season to 1977–78 season in the NHL and 1978–79 in the WHA. He was a four time all-star.

In the 2009 book 100 Ranger Greats, the authors ranked Neilson at #42 all-time of the 901 New York Rangers who had played during the team's first 82 seasons.[2]

Neilson was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.[3] Neilson died in Winnipeg on November 6, 2020.[4][5]

Career statistics edit

Regular season and playoffs edit

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1958–59 Prince Albert Mintos SJHL 10 1 2 3 6
1959–60 Prince Albert Mintos SJHL 57 21 28 49 61 7 2 2 4 6
1960–61 Prince Albert Mintos SJHL 59 20 26 46 59
1961–62 Kitchener Beavers EPHL 70 9 33 42 78 7 2 3 5 2
1962–63 New York Rangers NHL 69 5 11 16 38
1963–64 New York Rangers NHL 69 5 24 29 93
1964–65 New York Rangers NHL 62 0 13 13 58
1965–66 New York Rangers NHL 65 4 19 23 84
1966–67 New York Rangers NHL 62 4 11 15 65 4 1 0 1 0
1967–68 New York Rangers NHL 67 6 29 35 60 6 0 2 2 4
1968–69 New York Rangers NHL 76 10 34 44 95 4 0 3 3 5
1969–70 New York Rangers NHL 62 3 20 23 75 6 0 1 1 8
1970–71 New York Rangers NHL 77 8 24 32 69 13 0 3 3 30
1971–72 New York Rangers NHL 78 7 30 37 56 10 0 3 3 8
1972–73 New York Rangers NHL 52 4 16 20 35 10 0 4 4 2
1973–74 New York Rangers NHL 72 4 7 11 38 12 0 1 1 4
1974–75 California Golden Seals NHL 72 3 17 20 56
1975–76 California Golden Seals NHL 26 1 6 7 20
1976–77 Cleveland Barons NHL 72 3 17 20 42
1977–78 Cleveland Barons NHL 68 2 21 23 20
1978–79 Edmonton Oilers WHA 35 0 5 5 18
WHA totals 35 0 5 5 18
NHL totals 1,024 69 299 368 904 65 1 17 18 61

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Saying goodbye: Jim Neilson, who went from orphanage to NHL, left a big legacy".
  2. ^ a b Cohen, Russ; Halligan, John; Raider, Adam (2009). 100 Ranger Greats: Superstars, Unsung Heroes and Colorful Characters. John Wiley & Sons. p. 128. ISBN 978-0470736197. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  3. ^ "Indigenous athletes inducted into SK Sports Hall of Fame". www.eaglefeathernews.com. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  4. ^ Kreiser, John (November 6, 2020). "Neilson, longtime NHL defenseman, dies at 79". NHL.com. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  5. ^ Gustafson, Ian (November 7, 2020). "Remembering hockey legend Jim Neilson". paNOW. Retrieved November 9, 2020.

External links edit

Preceded by California Golden Seals/Cleveland Barons captain
19751978
with Bob Stewart
Succeeded by