Michael Andrew Nykoluk (December 11, 1934 – January 31, 2022) was a Canadian 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 ...

player and coach. He played 32 games in 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 ...

(NHL) for 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 ...

in 1956–57. The rest of his playing career, which lasted from 1955 to 1972, was spent in the minor leagues. He became the first assistant coach in the NHL and won the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () 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, and the International Ic ...

in that capacity 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 ...

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

and

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, before serving as the Maple Leafs head coach from 1981 to 1984. He was the younger brother of longtime

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

player Danny Nykoluk.

Early life

Nykoluk was born in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

on December 11, 1934. He played

and

Canadian football Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete on a field long and wide, attempting to advance a Ball (gridiron football), pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposi ...

when he was in high school. He began his junior career in 1953–54 with the

Toronto Marlboros The Toronto Marlborough Athletic Club, commonly known as the Toronto Marlboros, was an ice hockey franchise in Toronto, Canada. Founded in 1903, it operated junior ice hockey and senior ice hockey teams in the Ontario Hockey Association and la ...

of the

Ontario Hockey Association The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) is the governing body for the majority of junior and senior level ice hockey teams in the province of Ontario. Founded in 1890, the OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern ...

. He was part of the team that won the

1955 Memorial Cup The 1955 Memorial Cup final was the 37th junior ice hockey championship of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association. The George Richardson Memorial Trophy champions Toronto Marlboros of the Ontario Hockey Association in Eastern Canada competed ...

, scoring 13

points A point is a small dot or the sharp tip of something. Point or points may refer to: Mathematics * Point (geometry), an entity that has a location in space or on a plane, but has no extent; more generally, an element of some abstract topologica ...

in 10 games in the playoffs that year.

Playing career

Nykoluk began his professional career with 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

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 ...

(AHL) during their inaugural season in 1956–57. In the middle of that season, he was called up to play in the

(NHL) for the

. The 32 games he played for Toronto, in which he scored four points, would be his only stint in the NHL. He was sent back down to the Americans and was subsequently traded with Ron Hurst to the

Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The Bears have played in the American Hockey League (AHL) since the 1938–39 season, making it the longest continuously operating member club of the league still ...

in exchange for Willie Marshall. Nykoluk went on to have a 14-season career with the Bears. The team won two

Calder Cup The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League (AHL). It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars. The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In it ...

during his career (1959 and 1969). He led the league twice in assists and amassed 50 or more assists in seven consecutive seasons (1963 to 1970). He was named to the AHL All-Star Second Team in 1967 and was conferred the

Les Cunningham Award The Les Cunningham Award is given annually to American Hockey League's "Most Valuable Player" of the regular season, as voted on by AHL media and players. The award was first presented in the 1947–48 season, is named after Les Cunningham, a five ...

at the end of the year as the league's most valuable player. Nykoluk proceeded to hit a career-high 19

goal A goal or objective is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan, and commit to achieve. People endeavour to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines. A goal is roughly similar to ...

s and 85 points the following season and was consequently selected for the AHL All-Star First Team. He eventually retired from playing in 1972. Nykoluk's number 8 was later

retired Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload. Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...

by the Bears. He was part of the second class inducted into the

AHL Hall of Fame The AHL Hall of Fame is an online ice hockey museum dedicated to honoring members of the American Hockey League. Each year, a new class of inductees is enshrined during the AHL's All-Star Classic. On January 5, 2006, the league announced that Joh ...

in 2007. At the time of his death, he was the Bears' all-time leader in

games played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Associat ...

(972), assists (636), and points (808). He was also third in the AHL all-time in assists (686), sixth in points (881), and fifth in games played (1,069).

Coaching career

After his playing career ended, Nykoluk was offered a job with the

as an assistant to head coach

Fred Shero Frederick Alexander Shero (October 23, 1925November 24, 1990) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach, and general manager. Nicknamed The Fog, he played for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL), but spent most ...

. He became the first full-time assistant coach in the NHL. During his tenure, the Flyers won the Stanley Cup in

and

. He subsequently became an assistant to head coach Shero with the

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 ...

, and later served as head coach of the

for three seasons ending in 1984.

Personal life

Nykoluk was married to Dolly until his death. They met at his sister's wedding, where she was a bridesmaid. Together, they had four children. After retiring from coaching hockey, Nykoluk and his wife relocated to

Naples, Florida Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 19,115, down from 19,539 at the 2010 census. Naples is a principal city of the Collier County, Florida, Naples–Marc ...

, around 1990. He underwent a quadruple bypass surgery in April 2010. Nykoluk died on January 31, 2022, at the age of 87.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Coaching record

Awards and achievements

Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), a consortium of three Junior ice hockey, major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tou ...

champion (1955) *

( AHL) champion (1959 and 1969) * AHL Second All-Star Team (1967) *

(AHL) MVP (1967) * AHL First All-Star Team (1968) *

champion (1974, 1975; as an assistant coach)

References

External links

*
AHL Hockey Hall of Fame bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nykoluk, Mike 1934 births 2022 deaths Canadian ice hockey centres Canadian ice hockey coaches Canadian people of Ukrainian descent Hershey Bears players Ice hockey people from Toronto National Hockey League broadcasters New York Rangers coaches Philadelphia Flyers coaches Rochester Americans players Stanley Cup champions Toronto Maple Leafs announcers Toronto Maple Leafs coaches Toronto Maple Leafs players Toronto Marlboros players Winnipeg Warriors (minor pro) players 20th-century Canadian sportsmen