gold star for USAHOF

11. Bernie Nicholls

11. Bernie Nicholls

Bernie Nicholls might be one of the most potent scorers you forgot entirely about.

There is ample reason for it.  First off, Nicholls was overshadowed by Marcel Dionne and later Wayne Gretzky.  As many Points as the Center scored for L.A. (758), he did most of this on the second line, an impressive feat.  Nicholls was with the Kings throughout the 1990s, scoring over 75 Points seven years in a row (1983-84 to 1989-90), with three of those years seeing Nicholls exceed 100 Points.  

Nicholls had a special year for Los Angeles in 1988/89, where he joined the rare 70 Goal, 150 Point club, which again was incredible for a second line player.  He was fifth in Assists and fourth in Points this year, and his 70 Goals remain the highest amount ever by a King in a season.

Nicholls, who was named to his third All-Star Game appearance in 1990, was traded the day before the contest to the New York Rangers, as Kings ownership felt Nicholls might have been a little soft, and they thought it best to change the makeup of the team.  Nicholls scored 658 Points for Los Angeles with a 1.25 PPG.

The Bullet Points

  • Position: Center
  • Acquired: Selected in the 4th Round, 73rd Overall in the Amateur Draft 6/11/80.
  • Departed: Traded to the New York Rangers for Tony Granato and Tomas Sandstrom 1/21/90.
  • Games Played: 602
  • Notable Statistics:

    327 Goals
    431 Assists 
    758 Points 
    758 PIM 
    1.25 PPG 
    -42 Plus/Minus 
    59.9 Point Shares 

    34 Playoff Games
    16 Goals
    21 Assists 
    37 Points 
    61 PIM 
    1.09 PPG 
    -15 Plus/Minus 

  • Non-NHL Teams:

    All-Star (1984, 1989 & 1990*)

    *Traded to the Rangers during the season.

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