Bill Nyrop
Encyclopedia
William D. Nyrop was a professional ice hockey
player who won three Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens
in 1976, 1977, and 1978.
, his father, Donald Nyrop
, served as U.S. Administrator of Civil Aeronautics (now the Federal Aviation Administration
) and Chairman of the U.S. Civil Aeronautics Board (now National Transportation Safety Board
) under President Harry S. Truman
in the early 1950s. Donald Nyrop moved his family to Edina
, Minnesota
, where he served as president, CEO and chairman of the board of Northwest Airlines
from 1954–1976. As a boy, Bill attended Edina High School
, where he was an all-star athlete, playing quarterback
for an undefeated football
team and leading the hockey team to its first state title
in 1969.
After graduation from high school in 1970, Nyrop attended the University of Notre Dame
. He tried out for the Notre Dame football team in 1971 and won a spot on the roster as the backup quarterback. However, he was injured in practice and never played for the team, instead playing hockey during his four years in college. After his sophomore year with the Fighting Irish in 1971–1972, Nyrop was selected 66th overall by the Montreal Canadiens
at the Amateur Draft. He attended his first pro training camp in September 1972, and in 1973 he was voted on to the WCHA
first all-star team and the NCAA west first all-American team. The next year he represented the United States at the "B" Pool Ice Hockey World Championship where he was named to the tournament All-Star team as the best defenceman.
WWE Professional wrestler John Cena
has stated on his "5 questions" segment that Bill Nyrop is in his top 10 favourite professional hockey players from the 1970s.
's Nova Scotia Voyageurs
in 1974–1975, he played with the stability of a seasoned veteran. He made his National Hockey League
(NHL) debut the next year on February 22, 1976 with the Montreal Canadiens
, suiting up for 19 games and became a regular on the blueline in the playoffs as the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup
. Later that year he scored two points in five games and was a pillar on the blueline as team captain for the United States team at the inaugural 1976 Canada Cup
. Nyrop spent two years on the Montreal defence and helped the team win the Stanley Cup in 1977 and 1978. After the 1977–1978 season, Nyrop stepped away from the game to study law. His rights were traded by the Canadiens to the Minnesota North Stars
in September 1980 and he returned to the NHL a year later. He dressed for 42 games on the Stars blueline and two post-season contests when his team was upset by Chicago in the first round. He played briefly for Kölner Haie
of the German league in 1982–1983 before retiring for good.
(J.D.
) in 1986. He set up his law practice, but then returned to hockey as the coach of the Knoxville (TN)
Cherokees
(ECHL) in 1991-92. The following season he became owner and coach of the Sunshine Hockey League's
West Palm Beach Blaze
. After guiding the club to three straight league championships, he sold his interest in the club due to failing health. In September 1995 he was diagnosed with inoperable colon cancer (that spread to his liver and lungs) and died three months later in his father's home in Minneapolis at age 43.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player who won three Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
in 1976, 1977, and 1978.
Early life
Born in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, his father, Donald Nyrop
Donald Nyrop
Donald William Nyrop served as U.S. Administrator of Civil Aeronautics and Chairman of the U.S. Civil Aeronautics Board under President Harry S...
, served as U.S. Administrator of Civil Aeronautics (now the Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
) and Chairman of the U.S. Civil Aeronautics Board (now National Transportation Safety Board
National Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
) under President Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
in the early 1950s. Donald Nyrop moved his family to Edina
Edina, Minnesota
Edina is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and a first-ring suburb situated immediately southwest of Minneapolis. Edina began as a small farming and milling community in the 1860s. The population was 47,941 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, where he served as president, CEO and chairman of the board of Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines, Inc. was a major United States airline founded in 1926 and absorbed into Delta Air Lines by a merger approved on October 29, 2008, making Delta the largest airline in the world...
from 1954–1976. As a boy, Bill attended Edina High School
Edina High School
Edina High School is a three-year public high school located in Edina, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The school was founded in 1949 and is the main high school in the Edina School District....
, where he was an all-star athlete, playing quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
for an undefeated football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team and leading the hockey team to its first state title
Minnesota high school boys hockey
The Minnesota High School Boys Hockey program is a high school ice hockey program in the State of Minnesota. Based on tournament attendance, ice hockey is the most popular high school sport in the state...
in 1969.
After graduation from high school in 1970, Nyrop attended the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
. He tried out for the Notre Dame football team in 1971 and won a spot on the roster as the backup quarterback. However, he was injured in practice and never played for the team, instead playing hockey during his four years in college. After his sophomore year with the Fighting Irish in 1971–1972, Nyrop was selected 66th overall by the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
at the Amateur Draft. He attended his first pro training camp in September 1972, and in 1973 he was voted on to the WCHA
Western Collegiate Hockey Association
The Western Collegiate Hockey Association is a college athletic conference which operates over a wide area of the Midwestern and Western United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey-only conference....
first all-star team and the NCAA west first all-American team. The next year he represented the United States at the "B" Pool Ice Hockey World Championship where he was named to the tournament All-Star team as the best defenceman.
WWE Professional wrestler John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
has stated on his "5 questions" segment that Bill Nyrop is in his top 10 favourite professional hockey players from the 1970s.
Pro career
During his first pro season with the American Hockey LeagueAmerican Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
's Nova Scotia Voyageurs
Nova Scotia Voyageurs
The Nova Scotia Voyageurs were a professional ice hockey team, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. They played in the American Hockey League, from 1971 to 1984. The Voyageurs played their first two seasons , as the Montreal Voyageurs....
in 1974–1975, he played with the stability of a seasoned veteran. He made his National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL) debut the next year on February 22, 1976 with the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
, suiting up for 19 games and became a regular on the blueline in the playoffs as the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
. Later that year he scored two points in five games and was a pillar on the blueline as team captain for the United States team at the inaugural 1976 Canada Cup
1976 Canada Cup
The 1976 Canada Cup was an international ice hockey tournament held September 2–15, 1976, in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg and Quebec, Canada as well as in Philadelphia, United States. It was the first of five Canada Cup tournaments held between 1976 and 1991...
. Nyrop spent two years on the Montreal defence and helped the team win the Stanley Cup in 1977 and 1978. After the 1977–1978 season, Nyrop stepped away from the game to study law. His rights were traded by the Canadiens to the Minnesota North Stars
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, and the team's colors for most of its history were green, yellow, gold and white...
in September 1980 and he returned to the NHL a year later. He dressed for 42 games on the Stars blueline and two post-season contests when his team was upset by Chicago in the first round. He played briefly for Kölner Haie
Kölner Haie
The Kölner Haie are an ice hockey club based in Cologne, Germany that plays in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The team was one of the founding members of the DEL.The team colours are red and white....
of the German league in 1982–1983 before retiring for good.
Post career
After retirement, he attended Gonzaga University School of Law in Spokane, Washington, earning his Juris DoctorJuris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
(J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
) in 1986. He set up his law practice, but then returned to hockey as the coach of the Knoxville (TN)
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
Cherokees
Knoxville Cherokees
The Knoxville Cherokees were an East Coast Hockey League team based in Knoxville, Tennessee.-History:The franchise was formed in 1988 along with the ECHL...
(ECHL) in 1991-92. The following season he became owner and coach of the Sunshine Hockey League's
Sunshine Hockey League
The Sunshine Hockey League was a low-minors professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 to 1995. The league was based in Florida and consisted of five teams in its inaugural 1992-93 season....
West Palm Beach Blaze
West Palm Beach Blaze
The West Palm Beach Blaze were a professional minor league ice hockey team based in West Palm Beach, Florida. They played in the Sunshine Hockey League, later renamed the Southern Hockey League, from 1992–1996. They played their games at the West Palm Beach Auditorium, which is now known as the...
. After guiding the club to three straight league championships, he sold his interest in the club due to failing health. In September 1995 he was diagnosed with inoperable colon cancer (that spread to his liver and lungs) and died three months later in his father's home in Minneapolis at age 43.
Career statistics
| Season | Club | League | REGULAR SEASON | SEASON PLAYOFFS | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | G | A | TP | PIM | +/- | GP | G | A | TP | PIM | |||
| 1967–1970 | Edina Hornets (Edina High School Edina High School Edina High School is a three-year public high school located in Edina, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The school was founded in 1949 and is the main high school in the Edina School District.... ) |
Minnesota High School League Minnesota high school boys hockey The Minnesota High School Boys Hockey program is a high school ice hockey program in the State of Minnesota. Based on tournament attendance, ice hockey is the most popular high school sport in the state... |
|||||||||||
| 1970–1971 | University of Notre Dame University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States... |
WCHA Western Collegiate Hockey Association The Western Collegiate Hockey Association is a college athletic conference which operates over a wide area of the Midwestern and Western United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey-only conference.... |
30 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 40 | ||||||
| 1971–1972 | University of Notre Dame | WCHA | 31 | 3 | 18 | 21 | 44 | ||||||
| 1972–1973 | University of Notre Dame | WCHA | 38 | 3 | 21 | 24 | 46 | ||||||
| 1973–1974 | University of Notre Dame | WCHA | 33 | 9 | 29 | 38 | 44 | ||||||
| 1974–1975 | Nova Scotia Voyageurs Nova Scotia Voyageurs The Nova Scotia Voyageurs were a professional ice hockey team, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. They played in the American Hockey League, from 1971 to 1984. The Voyageurs played their first two seasons , as the Montreal Voyageurs.... |
AHL American Hockey League The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League... |
75 | 2 | 22 | 24 | 76 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1975–1976 | Montreal Canadiens Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ... |
NHL National Hockey League The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States... |
19 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | +21 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
| 1975–1976 | Nova Scotia Voyageurs | AHL | 52 | 3 | 25 | 28 | 30 | ||||||
| 1976–1977 | United States | Canada Cup | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||||||
| 1976–1977 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 74 | 3 | 19 | 22 | 21 | +42 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 1977–1978 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 72 | 5 | 21 | 26 | 37 | +56 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
| 1978–1979 | |||||||||||||
| 1979–1980 | |||||||||||||
| 1980–1981 | Minnesota North Stars Minnesota North Stars The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, and the team's colors for most of its history were green, yellow, gold and white... |
DN-Cup | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | ||||||
| 1981–1982 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 42 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 35 | +14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982–1983 | Kölner Haie Kölner Haie The Kölner Haie are an ice hockey club based in Cologne, Germany that plays in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The team was one of the founding members of the DEL.The team colours are red and white.... |
German league | 19 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 8 | ||||||
| NHL Totals | 207 | 12 | 51 | 63 | 101 | 35 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 22 | |||