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

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

centre and coach. He played for fifteen seasons in the NHL, and represented the Swedish national team in multiple Olympics and World Championships.

Playing career

Nylander was drafted by the Hartford Whalers in the third round (59th overall) in the 1991 NHL entry draft. 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 (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The ...

(1994–98), Tampa Bay Lightning (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 Division (N ...

(1999–2002),

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...

(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 (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...

(2004),

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

(2005–07), and Washington Capitals (2007–09). Nylander scored his first career NHL goal against Réjean Lemelin on 27 November 1992 in his 16th game at Boston Garden in a 5–4 Whalers loss. 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 The Springfield Indians were two separate minor professional ice hockey franchises, originally based in West Springfield, Massachusetts and later Springfield, Massachusetts. The original Indians were founding members of the American Hockey Leagu ...

due to repeated defensive lapses. Nylander was signed by the

for the 2005–06 season, playing frequently with right-winger Jaromír Jágr. He centered the first line and first power play unit and 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 Pierre McGuire. He dropped 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; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

and the

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never made a decision on this situation. Prior to the 2007–08 season 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

. Nylander tore his rotator cuff during a faceoff 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 season and playoffs. In the 2008–09 season, still feeling the effects of his torn rotator cuff, Nylander scored only 33 points in 72 games. The following season the

faced salary cap restraints. Looking to move salary, they attempted to trade Michael Nylander, but found no suitors for his 5 million dollar salary. The 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 (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

organization (who then assigned him to the Grand Rapids Griffins of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

) and then later to

Jokerit Helsingin Jokerit (, English: Joker (playing card), Jokers or Jesters of Helsinki) is a professional ice hockey team based in Helsinki, Finland, which competes in Mestis. Jokerit plays its home games at the Helsinki Ice Hall and Helsinki Halli in ...

of SM-liiga 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. 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 Grand Rapids Griffins. He underwent successful spinal fusion surgery on 26 October 2010 at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester. Doctors cleared him 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 played for the ZSC Lions in the National League A from October 2011 to December 2011. His contract was not renewed and in January 2012 he signed with the Kloten Flyers. He officially retired from professional hockey in 2015. In 2016, he was an assistant coach with the Mississauga Steelheads of the Ontario Hockey League.

International play

Nylander represented

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

a record 13 times, including the World Cup and the

Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (), also known as the Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held i ...

. He played for the national squad for nearly twenty years from the 1991 World Juniors to the 2010 World Championship, winning nine medals in the process.

Personal life

Nylander and his wife, Camilla Altelius have six children together: Michelle (born 1994),

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

(born 1996),

Alexander Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here ar ...

(born 1998), Jacqueline (born 2000), Stephanie (born 2003), and Daniella (born 2006). William was drafted in

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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. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

as the 8th overall pick, while Alexander was also drafted 8th overall by the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...

in the 2016 NHL entry draft. As of 2025, Alexander plays for the

organization. Jacqueline is an aspiring professional tennis player, competing in the WTA circuit as well as collegiately at Southern Methodist University. Nylander has two brothers, Peter and Thommy.

Transactions

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

in exchange for Gary Suter, Paul Ranheim and Ted Drury. *19 January 1999 – Traded by the Calgary Flames to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Andrei Nazarov. *12 November 1999 – Traded by the Tampa Bay Lightning to the

in exchange for Bryan Muir and Reid Simpson. *1 November 2002 – Traded by the Chicago Blackhawks, along with Chicago's 2003 3rd-round draft pick and future considerations, to the

in exchange for Chris Simon and Andrei Nikolishin. *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

. *21 October 2009 – Agrees to a two-week conditioning reassignment with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the

*7 November 2009 – Placed on Waivers by the

. *13 December 2009 – Assigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL). The

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

( SM-liiga). *29 September 2010 – Loaned to the

Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Rochester, New York. They are the American Hockey League affiliate of the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home g ...

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 Rookie of the Year in 1992. * Gold medal World Championship in 1992 and 2006. * Silver medal World Championship in 1993, 1997 and 2004. * 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 EHC Kloten players 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 Ice hockey people from Stockholm Ice hockey players at the 1998 Winter Olympics Ice hockey players at the 2002 Winter Olympics New York Rangers players Olympic ice hockey players for Sweden Ontario Hockey League coaches Oulun Kärpät players Rochester Americans players Rögle BK players SKA Saint Petersburg players Södertälje SK players Springfield Indians players Swedish expatriate ice hockey players in Canada Swedish expatriate ice hockey players in Finland Swedish expatriate ice hockey players in Italy Swedish expatriate ice hockey players in Russia Swedish expatriate ice hockey players in Switzerland Swedish expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Swedish ice hockey centres Tampa Bay Lightning players Washington Capitals players ZSC Lions players