Michael Gunnar Nylander (born 3 October 1972) is a Swedish former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...

centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

and current assistant coach with the Mississauga Steelheads in the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overa ...

. He competed for the Swedish national team in the

1998 Winter Olympics The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 ( ja, 長野1998), was a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Japan, with some events taking place in th ...

and the

2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 ( arp, Niico'ooowu' 2002; Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; nv, Sooléí 2002; Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), was an internationa ...

Playing career

Nylander was drafted by the Hartford Whalers in the third round (59th overall) in the

1991 NHL Entry Draft The 1991 NHL Entry Draft was the 29th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 22 at the Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York. A total of 264 players were drafted. The worst team in the previous 1990–91 season, the Quebec Nordiques, was g ...

. In the NHL, he has played for the Hartford Whalers (1992–1994),

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are the third major professional ice hockey te ...

(1994–98),

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play ...

(1999),

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Divisio ...

(1999–2002), Washington Capitals (2002–03), and

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making ...

(2004),

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its ho ...

(2005–07), and Washington Capitals (2007–09). Nylander scored his first career NHL goal on 27 November 1992 in his 16th game at the famed Boston Garden in a 5-4 Whalers loss. Rejean Lemelin was the Bruins goaltender. The following season, although he was third in scoring for the Whalers at that time, he was sent down to their AHL affiliate Springfield Indians due to repeated defensive lapses. He was recalled after four games in Springfield, but that stint makes Nylander one of the two final players who ever played for the storied Indians to be active in professional hockey. Nylander was signed by the

for the 2005–06 season and played well with All-Star right-winger

Jaromír Jágr Jaromír Jágr (; born 15 February 1972) is a Czech professional ice hockey right winger for and the owner of Rytíři Kladno of the Czech Extraliga (ELH). He previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Pengui ...

. He centred the first line and first power play unit. Statistically, Nylander had his best season as he helped the Rangers reach 100 points for the first time since 1994. Following their 4–3 overtime victory over the

on 8 April 2006, Nylander was interviewed by

NBC's The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ar ...

Pierre McGuire. He slipped the word " shit" on live television, when speaking about his relationship with Pierre McGuire back in Hartford. Bill Clement mentioned there was no 5-second delay, however Clement and the rest of the NBC crew did issue an immediate apology. Nylander scored the game-winning goal in overtime. The

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

and the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdicti ...

never made a decision on this situation. Prior to the 2007–08, as reported on the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

website, Nylander's agent had agreed to a contract with the Oilers. While expecting to receive a signed contract, the Oilers instead found out that he had signed with the Washington Capitals. Nylander tore his rotator cuff during a

faceoff A face-off is the method used to begin and restart play after goals in some sports using sticks, primarily ice hockey, bandy, floorball, broomball, rinkball, and lacrosse. During a face-off, two teams line up in opposition to each other, and ...

against the Florida Panthers on 1 December 2007 and missed the next four games before returning to play the next thirteen games. Eventually, Nylander was forced to have surgery to repair the tear on 16 January 2008, and missed the rest of the 2007–08 regular season and playoffs. In the 2008–09 season, still feeling the effects of his

torn rotator cuff A rotator cuff tear is an injury where one or more of the tendons or muscles of the rotator cuff of the shoulder get torn. Symptoms may include shoulder pain, which is often worse with movement, limited range of motion, or weakness. This may l ...

, Nylander managed to collect only 33 points in 72 games. Many fans and hockey pundits criticized Nylander's performance and felt he didn't live up to his contract. The following season the Washington Capitals faced salary cap restraints. Looking for move salary, they attempted to trade Michael Nylander, but found no suitors for his near $5,000,000 salary. The Washington Capitals first loaned Nylander to the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference, and are ...

organization (who then assigned him to the

Grand Rapids Griffins The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and play home games at Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey Leag ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the lea ...

) and then later loaned Nylander to Jokerit of

SM-liiga The SM-liiga (marketed as just Liiga from 2013 on), (Finnish for ''League'') colloquially called the Finnish Elite League in English or FM-ligan in Swedish, is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. It is one of the six founding leagu ...

where he finished the 2009-10 hockey season. For the 2010–11 season, Nylander played in the Florida Panthers organization's AHL affiliate in Rochester as they filled a hole at center. His NHL rights remained owned by the Capitals through the end of the season. On 23 October 2010, Nylander was seriously injured when he was hit from behind by Brendan Smith during the second period of a game between Rochester and the

. He underwent successful spinal fusion surgery on 26 October 2010 at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NY and doctors have said that he should be cleared to play again after six months of recovery. On 17 August 2011, Nylander signed a tryout contract with the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...

, joining the team's training camp. He was released on 25 September 2011. Nylander then went on to play for the ZSC Lions in the

National League A The National League (NL) is a professional ice hockey league in Switzerland and is the top tier of the Swiss league system. Prior to the 2017–18 season, the league was known as National League A. During the 2018–19 season, the league ...

where he was under contract from October 2011 to December 2011. His contract was not renewed and in January 2012 he signed with the

Kloten Flyers EHC Kloten is an ice hockey team based in the city of Kloten in Switzerland. The team plays in the National League (NL). It has one of the best youth systems in Swiss ice hockey as its youth teams have won 19 championships during the last 50 year ...

. He officially retired from professional hockey in 2015 and is currently an assistant coach with the Mississauga Steelheads of the

International play

Nylander has represented

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

a record 13 times, including the World Cup and the Winter Olympics. Having played for the national squad for nearly twenty years since the 1991 World Juniors until the 2010 World Championship, winning nine medals in the process.

Personal life

Nylander is married to wife Camilla (née Altelius). He has six children: Michelle (born 1994), William (born 1996), Alexander (born 1998), Jacqueline (born 2000), Stephanie (born 2003), and Daniella (born 2006). William was drafted in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...

by the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

as the 8th overall pick, while Alexander was also drafted 8th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. Alexander plays for the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

organization. Daughter Jacqueline is an aspiring professional tennis player, competing in the WTA circuit as well as collegiately at

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = " The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , p ...

. Michael has two brothers, Peter and Thommy.

Transactions

*10 March 1994 – Traded by the Hartford Whalers along with James Patrick and

Zarley Zalapski Zarley Bennett Zalapski (April 22, 1968 – December 10, 2017) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played from 1987 to 2010. Playing career Zalapski's career started with the Fort Saskatchewan Traders of the Alberta Junior Hock ...

to the

in exchange for Gary Suter, Paul Ranheim and Ted Drury. *19 January 1999 – Traded by the Calgary Flames to the

in exchange for

Andrei Nazarov Andrei Viktorovich Nazarov (russian: Андрей Викторович Назаров; born May 22, 1974) is a Russian former professional ice hockey player and head coach of HC Sochi of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He has formerly manag ...

. *12 November 1999 – Traded by the Tampa Bay Lightning to the

in exchange for

Bryan Muir Bryan D. Muir (born June 8, 1973) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 279 games in the National Hockey League, winning a Stanley Cup Championship with the Colorado Avalanche in 2001. He last played with the Frankfu ...

and

Reid Simpson Reid Philip Simpson (born May 21, 1969) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger who played twelve seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers, Minnesota North Stars, New Jersey Devils, Chicago Blac ...

. *1 November 2002 – Traded by the Chicago Blackhawks, along with Chicago's 2003 3rd-round draft pick and future considerations, to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Chris Simon and

Andrei Nikolishin Andrei Vasilievich Nikolishin (russian: Андрей Васильевич Николишин; born March 25, 1973) is a Russian former professional ice hockey player who last played for Sokil Kyiv of the Professional Hockey League of Ukraine. Ov ...

. *4 March 2004 – Traded by the Washington Capitals to the

in exchange for Boston's 2005 4th-round compensatory draft pick and Boston's 2006 2nd-round draft pick. *10 August 2004 – Signed as a free agent with the

. *2 July 2007 – Signed as a free agent with the Washington Capitals. *21 October 2009 – Agrees to a two-week conditioning reassignment with the

of the

*7 November 2009 – Placed on Waivers by the Washington Capitals. *13 December 2009 – Assigned to the

(AHL). The Washington Capitals will continue to pay his salary, but his $4.875 million salary will not count towards the Capitals' salary cap. *28 January 2010 – Reassigned from Grand Rapids (AHL) to Jokerit (

). *29 September 2010 – Loaned to the

Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League; the team is an owned and operated affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, a ...

of the

. *August 2011 – Signed professional tryout contract with the

of the

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards

* Silver medal World Junior Championship in 1992. * World Junior Championship's Best Forward in 1992. * Named to the World Junior Championship All-Star Team in 1992. *

Elitserien Elitserien (literally, "the Elite League") is the name of several Swedish nationwide sport leagues. In many sports, Elitserien is the highest league, with the second highest named Allsvenskan. Elitserien leagues at present: * Elitserien (badmin ...

Rookie of the Year in 1992. * Gold medal World Championship in 1992 and 2006. * Silver medal World Championship in 1993 and 1997. * Named to the World Championship All-Star Team in 1997. * World Championship's Best Forward in 1997. * Bronze medal World Championship in 1999, 2002 and 2010.

Records

* 1993 World Championship record of most assists

References

External links

*
Nylander a Swede Sensation in NY (nhlpa.com)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nylander, Michael 1972 births Living people AIK IF players Ak Bars Kazan players Bolzano HC players Boston Bruins players Calgary Flames players Chicago Blackhawks players Swedish expatriate ice hockey players in Canada Swedish expatriate ice hockey players in Finland Swedish expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Expatriate ice hockey players in Russia Expatriate ice hockey players in Switzerland Grand Rapids Griffins players Hartford Whalers draft picks Hartford Whalers players HC Lugano players HC Vita Hästen players Huddinge IK players Jokerit players JYP Jyväskylä players EHC Kloten players New York Rangers players Olympic ice hockey players of Sweden Ice hockey players at the 1998 Winter Olympics Ice hockey players at the 2002 Winter Olympics Oulun Kärpät players Rochester Americans players Rögle BK players SKA Saint Petersburg players Södertälje SK players Ice hockey people from Stockholm Springfield Indians players Swedish expatriate sportspeople in Russia Swedish expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland Swedish expatriate ice hockey people Swedish ice hockey centres Tampa Bay Lightning players Washington Capitals players ZSC Lions players Ontario Hockey League coaches