Nicholas Evlampios Fotiu (born May 25, 1952) is an American 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 ...

forward. He played in the

World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association () was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972–73 WHA season, 1972 to 1978–79 WHA season, 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (N ...

and

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 ...

between 1974 and 1988.

Playing career

Fotiu's father was of Greek descent, while his mother was of Italian descent. A left winger, Fotiu began his career in the

(WHA) with the

New England Whalers New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

in the 1974–75 season. Two years later, he signed with his hometown

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 ...

of the

(NHL), where his role as an enforcer endeared him to Ranger fans. He was loved for his fighting style, which he picked up as a golden-gloves boxer, and he was the first New York City-born Ranger. Fotiu's popularity as a Ranger was enhanced by his willingness to throw pucks up into the

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

"blue seats" after pre-game warmups, where previously he sat as a young fan. These seats were the least expensive and farthest seats from the action, far beyond where pucks would normally land during game play. Fotiu played with the Rangers until 1979, when he was claimed by the renamed Hartford Whalers in the

1979 NHL Expansion Draft The 1979 NHL expansion draft was held on June 13, 1979. The draft took place to fill the rosters of the National Hockey League's new teams for the 1979–80 season: the Edmonton Oilers, Hartford Whalers, Quebec Nordiques and Winnipeg Jets. These ...

. Fotiu's second tour with the Whalers ended when he was traded back to the Rangers during the middle of the

1980–81 NHL season The 1980–81 NHL season was the 64th season of the National Hockey League. The Flames relocated from Atlanta to Calgary. The New York Islanders were the top regular season team and the top playoff team, winning their second consecutive Stanley ...

, where he remained for five seasons. He was traded to the

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 ...

in 1986 and helped them get to their first Stanley Cup finals appearance. Fotiu also played for 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 ...

and briefly with 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 (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

before retiring from professional play in 1990.

Post-playing career

After retiring, Fotiu moved into coaching, and was most recently an assistant coach of the

Hartford Wolf Pack The Hartford Wolf Pack are a professional ice hockey team based in Hartford, Connecticut. A member of the American Hockey League (AHL), they play their home games at the PeoplesBank Arena. The team was established in 1926 as the Providence Reds. ...

. Fotiu runs a construction business and a charitable foundation, in addition to doing public relations for the Rangers. Nick Fotiu has been inducted into the Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame. He is the first native of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to play for the New York Rangers.

Legacy

In the 2009 book ''100 Ranger Greats'', the authors ranked Fotiu at No. 100 all-time of the 901 New York Rangers who had played during the team's first 82 seasons.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links

* 1952 births Living people American men's ice hockey left wingers American people of Greek descent Sportspeople of Greek descent American people of Italian descent Calgary Flames players Cape Codders players ECHL coaches Edmonton Oilers players Hartford Whalers players Ice hockey players from New York (state) Johnstown Chiefs coaches New England Whalers players New Haven Nighthawks players New Jersey Rockin' Rollers players New York Rangers players New York Rangers scouts Philadelphia Flyers players Sportspeople from Staten Island Ice hockey people from New York City Undrafted National Hockey League players American inline hockey players {{US-icehockey-winger-stub