Eric Paul Nesterenko (October 31, 1933 – June 4, 2022) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1951 until 1956 and for the Chicago Black Hawks from 1956 until 1972.

Early life

Nesterenko was born in Flin Flon, Manitoba to immigrants from Ukraine. He moved at 16 and attended high school at North Toronto Collegiate Institute. Nesterenko would play as a member of the Toronto Marlboros.

Playing career

Following his long NHL career - in 1973–74 he played for the Chicago Cougars of the World Hockey Association, after a year of coaching in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. He had 250 goals and 324 assists during his NHL career, and won a

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...

championship with Chicago in

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...

. The rangy right winger was a superb penalty killer, who also was known for using his elbows in the corners. Nesterenko was better known for speed on the ice than for goal-scoring. Chicago sportswriter Bob Markus commented, "I've always thought that Nesterenko would have been the greatest player of all time if they played the game without a puck." During one game in 1961, Nesterenko infamously attacked Willie O'Ree, the first black player in the NHL, with racial slurs and butt-ended O'Ree with his hockey stick, breaking O'Ree's nose and knocking out his front teeth. O'Ree retaliated with his stick and Nesterenko required 15 stitches in his head.

Personal life

In 1986, he played the father of character Dean Youngblood ( Rob Lowe) in the movie ''

Youngblood Youngblood, Youngbloods or Young Blood may refer to: Film and television * ''Young Blood'' (1926 film), a German silent drama film * ''Young Blood'' (1932 film), an American western film * ''Young Blood'' (1943 film), a Swedish drama film * ...

'', and was also the film's hockey consultant. He has worked as a

disk jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile D ...

, a

stockbroker A stockbroker is a regulated broker, broker-dealer, or registered investment adviser (in the United States) who may provide financial advisory and investment management services and execute transactions such as the purchase or sale of stocks an ...

, a travel broker, a freelance writer, a university professor, and a ski instructor. Near the end of his NHL career, he was interviewed for

Studs Terkel Louis "Studs" Terkel (May 16, 1912 – October 31, 2008) was an American writer, historian, actor, and broadcaster. He received the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1985 for '' The Good War'' and is best remembered for his oral his ...

's bestselling book, '' Working: What People do all Day and How They Feel About What They Do''. Eric Nesterenko spent his later life in Colorado and died on June 4, 2022 at the age of 88.

Awards and achievements

* WHL championship (1956) * Edinburgh Trophy championship (1956) *

championship (

) *Played in NHL All-Star Game (

and

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...

) *Honoured Member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nesterenko, Eric 1933 births 2022 deaths Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Switzerland Canadian ice hockey centres Canadian people of Ukrainian descent Canadian stockbrokers Chicago Blackhawks players Chicago Cougars players Ice hockey people from Manitoba Sportspeople from Flin Flon Stanley Cup champions Toronto Maple Leafs players Toronto Marlboros players Western International Hockey League players Winnipeg Warriors (minor pro) players