Bernie Nicholls' 88/89 season

[daver]

The 2nd highest point non-Wayne/Mario point total of the '80s belongs to Nicholls. A player who wasn't a consistent Top 10 threat in his career, let alone a player who could have won a Ross in non-Wayne/Mario times.

He had 61 point shares with Wayne that year. That is probably not as high as one would think. Is that enough to propel him skywards in scoring or can some of that be attributed to him having a unexpected spike season coinciding with Wayne showing up?

Click to read more...

 

[Professor What]

Had to have a lot to do with Wayne getting there, such as protection from the top units of the other teams, but also had to be a career year. Interestingly enough, he was on pace for a 125 point season the next year before he was traded to the Rangers. He was just over a ppg player after that. Could have had something to do with keeping up a pace over an entire season, but could also be that he had the perfect setup in LA.

 

[Staniowski]

Nicholls' scoring those 1 1/2 seasons was mostly due to the combination of playing with Robitaille at ES and playing with Gretzky on the PP.

To start, though, Nicholls was a very talented player. He was a skilled goal-scorer and playmaker.

But during '88-'89 and '89-'90 before the trade...Nicholls played with the best ES scoring linemate he played with his entire career (Robitaille)...(and some with Gretzky at ES also); and he played with the best PP scoring mate of his entire career (Gretzky).

It was the combination of these two things happening at the same time that was the biggest factor.

Top ES scorers:
3. Gretzky
4. Nicholls
5. Robitaille

Top PP scorers:
3. Gretzky
4. Nicholls

 

[Michael Farkas]

I always forget that Bernie was traded halfway through the season after he scored 70/150. That's pretty crazy.

 

[MadLuke]

A 150 pts scorer traded for Granato-Sandstrom is really wild to imagine today and the kings did not regret it, those 2 were good piece on their 93 run to the cup, back in the days when people traded Oates-Gilmour-Lafontaine-Turgeon.....

We have yet to adjust to just how much more star players stay with their franchises in the 2000s despite some narrative.

 

[Michael Farkas]

I checked on the letters to the editor section after the January 1990 trade that sent Nicholls to the Rangers for Tony Granato and Tomas Sandstrom.

Has there ever been a more lame excuse for a trade than the one supplied by Los Angeles general manager Rogie Vachon? The Los Angeles Kings needed a “shakeup” so they get rid of their 70-goal scorer Bernie Nicholls?

ROBBED BLIND​

Bruce McNall is a good businessman, but he isn’t a hockey man and he should stop pretending to be one.

Rangers’ GM Neil Smith robbed the Kings blind on the Bernie Nicholls trade. Tomas Sandstrom had a career year last season, and even beside Wayne Gretzky for the remainder of the year, he won’t match last season’s totals. Tony Granato is small and overachieved as a rookie.

Nicholls is on pace for more than 120 points and 50 goals. He will show all doubters he can score even without Gretzky.

Here is a prediction for Stan Fischler: As long as McNall is calling the hockey shots, Quebec will win the Stanley Cup before the Kings.

 

[GlitchMarner]

Well, 1996 is well before 2012...

But Granato wasn't a bad player. Maybe that guy figured he would be a Prucha type.

 

[Crosby2010]

I think it was a bad trade when they got rid of him. Gretzky had his management make some bad moves when he was a King. You've got the best 1-2 centre punch in the NHL and you trade it away? They traded Bobby Carpenter for Jay Miller at one point. I mean.............what? You've got McSorley on your team already, why do you need more muscle for a guy that still scored 30 goals in a season after that?

I know their wingers weren't all young at that point. Tonelli had 68 points in 1990 but went down fast after that. Dave Taylor was still a 50+ point guy up until 1991. Krusher is still quite serviceable well into the early 1990s. And these are just your older wingers. You've got Robitaille for crying out loud! A guy who gets 100 points. How does having Gretzky, Nicholls and Robitaille not translate into a great forward core? You build around those three. Granato and Sandstrom were good wingers and would be good for a while yet, but they didn't have the staying power of Nicholls. He was still good for a while after 1990. Anyway, I don't get it. They needed defense, or a goalie, not more forwards.

 

[Michael Farkas]

The Kings traded away Bernie Nicholls on Saturday, leaving then without the National Hockey League's No. 3 scorer and leaving him upset and disappointed.

...

"I just don't understand why they would make a deal like that, Nicholls said. "It just doesn't make any sense. Considering the players involved, I don't think the Kings got fair value for me."

It goes to talk about how Nicholls was disappointed in how it was handled. How he would still play for the Campbell Conference All Stars in (tomorrow's) All-Star Game. How he liked the weather and golf in LA and wasn't sure about being able to golf in NY. How Gretzky "who is usually consulted on player deals" was not consulted about this one.

 

[blogofmike]

The story was always that they needed wingers for Gretzky, who was often playing with musical chair linemates, and complained that this often included whatever random New Haven callup showed up that day. The most common linemates for Gretzky eventually became Krushelnyski and Allison.

Getting Sandstrom and Granato got them a better pair of stable linemates, but the Kings lacked centre depth going forward.

That's what eventually led to sending Paul Coffey to Detroit for Jimmy Carson.

Considering they eventually got Jari Kurri to fill in the Gretzky linemate spot, (Kurri also filled in just as well as anyone else did as a Kings centre in 1992-93,) LA probably would have been better off keeping Bernie instead of trading a dime for two nickels.

 

[tabness]

Nicholls' scoring those 1 1/2 seasons was mostly due to the combination of playing with Robitaille at ES and playing with Gretzky on the PP.

To start, though, Nicholls was a very talented player. He was a skilled goal-scorer and playmaker.

But during '88-'89 and '89-'90 before the trade...Nicholls played with the best ES scoring linemate he played with his entire career (Robitaille)...(and some with Gretzky at ES also); and he played with the best PP scoring mate of his entire career (Gretzky).

It was the combination of these two things happening at the same time that was the biggest factor.

Top ES scorers:
3. Gretzky
4. Nicholls
5. Robitaille

Top PP scorers:
3. Gretzky
4. Nicholls

Yes this is pretty much it, Bernie mainly played with Jim Fox before Gretzky showed up.

Spoiler: points together

player name:
bernie nicholls

start season:
1982

end season:
1999

1982 32 total
dave taylor  8  25%  0ev  8pp  0sh
jim fox  6 18.75%  5ev  1pp  0sh
marcel dionne  6 18.75%  0ev  6pp  0sh
mark hardy  6 18.75%  2ev  4pp  0sh
doug smith  5 15.62%  5ev  0pp  0sh
charlie simmer  4  12.5%  0ev  4pp  0sh
john paul kelly  4  12.5%  3ev  1pp  0sh
daryl evans  3  9.38%  3ev  0pp  0sh
larry murphy  3  9.38%  3ev  0pp  0sh
mike murphy  3  9.38%  2ev  1pp  0sh
unassisted  3  9.38%  2ev  0pp  1sh
jerry korab  2  6.25%  1ev  1pp  0sh
rick chartraw  2  6.25%  2ev  0pp  0sh
steve bozek  2  6.25%  2ev  0pp  0sh
ian turnbull  1  3.12%  1ev  0pp  0sh

1983 49 total
jim fox  21 42.86%  8ev  13pp  0sh
charlie simmer  14 28.57%  6ev  8pp  0sh
doug smith  10 20.41%  9ev  1pp  0sh
mike murphy  8 16.33%  8ev  0pp  0sh
larry murphy  6 12.24%  2ev  4pp  0sh
dean kennedy  5  10.2%  5ev  0pp  0sh
jerry korab  4  8.16%  2ev  2pp  0sh
mark hardy  4  8.16%  2ev  2pp  0sh
dave lewis  3  6.12%  3ev  0pp  0sh
daryl evans  2  4.08%  0ev  2pp  0sh
kenneth gruhl  2  4.08%  2ev  0pp  0sh
ulf isaksson  2  4.08%  2ev  0pp  0sh
brian maclellan  1  2.04%  1ev  0pp  0sh
jay wells  1  2.04%  1ev  0pp  0sh
marcel dionne  1  2.04%  0ev  1pp  0sh
rick chartraw  1  2.04%  1ev  0pp  0sh
steve bozek  1  2.04%  1ev  0pp  0sh
unassisted  1  2.04%  1ev  0pp  0sh
warren holmes  1  2.04%  0ev  1pp  0sh

1984 90 total
jim fox  40 44.44%  31ev  9pp  0sh
brian maclellan  34 37.78%  24ev  7pp  3sh
mark hardy  15 16.67%  2ev  12pp  1sh
marcel dionne  9  10%  0ev  9pp  0sh
mike mcewen  9  10%  5ev  4pp  0sh
jay wells  8  8.89%  7ev  1pp  0sh
charlie simmer  7  7.78%  2ev  5pp  0sh
dave taylor  7  7.78%  5ev  2pp  0sh
russ anderson  6  6.67%  6ev  0pp  0sh
brian engblom  5  5.56%  2ev  2pp  1sh
unassisted  5  5.56%  4ev  0pp  1sh
marc chorney  3  3.33%  3ev  0pp  0sh
anders hakansson  2  2.22%  1ev  0pp  1sh
john paul kelly  2  2.22%  2ev  0pp  0sh
larry murphy  2  2.22%  1ev  1pp  0sh
terry ruskowski  2  2.22%  1ev  1pp  0sh
billy harris  1  1.11%  1ev  0pp  0sh
doug smith  1  1.11%  0ev  1pp  0sh
ken houston  1  1.11%  1ev  0pp  0sh
kevin lavallee  1  1.11%  1ev  0pp  0sh
steve christoff  1  1.11%  1ev  0pp  0sh

1985 97 total
jim fox  54 55.67%  48ev  6pp  0sh
terry ruskowski  27 27.84%  25ev  2pp  0sh
marcel dionne  23 23.71%  3ev  20pp  0sh
brian maclellan  19 19.59%  6ev  13pp  0sh
mark hardy  16 16.49%  7ev  9pp  0sh
garry galley  9  9.28%  8ev  1pp  0sh
brian engblom  8  8.25%  7ev  1pp  0sh
dave taylor  8  8.25%  1ev  7pp  0sh
craig redmond  4  4.12%  2ev  2pp  0sh
carl mokosak  3  3.09%  3ev  0pp  0sh
steve shutt  3  3.09%  1ev  2pp  0sh
anders hakansson  2  2.06%  2ev  0pp  0sh
jay wells  2  2.06%  2ev  0pp  0sh
phil sykes  2  2.06%  2ev  0pp  0sh
rick lapointe  2  2.06%  2ev  0pp  0sh
john paul kelly  1  1.03%  1ev  0pp  0sh
unassisted  1  1.03%  1ev  0pp  0sh

1986 94 total
dave williams  26 27.66%  23ev  3pp  0sh
jim fox  21 22.34%  17ev  4pp  0sh
bryan erickson  20 21.28%  14ev  4pp  2sh
dave taylor  10 10.64%  6ev  4pp  0sh
jay wells  10 10.64%  8ev  2pp  0sh
marcel dionne  10 10.64%  1ev  9pp  0sh
grant ledyard  8  8.51%  5ev  3pp  0sh
mark hardy  7  7.45%  3ev  3pp  1sh
phil sykes  7  7.45%  5ev  2pp  0sh
brian maclellan  6  6.38%  1ev  5pp  0sh
morris lukowich  6  6.38%  5ev  1pp  0sh
craig redmond  5  5.32%  2ev  2pp  1sh
garry galley  5  5.32%  4ev  0pp  1sh
john paul kelly  5  5.32%  4ev  1pp  0sh
brian engblom  3  3.19%  3ev  0pp  0sh
doug smith  3  3.19%  1ev  2pp  0sh
dean kennedy  2  2.13%  2ev  0pp  0sh
allan tuer  1  1.06%  1ev  0pp  0sh
anders hakansson  1  1.06%  1ev  0pp  0sh
bob janecyk  1  1.06%  0ev  1pp  0sh
brian wilks  1  1.06%  1ev  0pp  0sh
dan brennan  1  1.06%  1ev  0pp  0sh
ken hammond  1  1.06%  0ev  1pp  0sh
larry playfair  1  1.06%  1ev  0pp  0sh
paul guay  1  1.06%  1ev  0pp  0sh
roland melanson  1  1.06%  0ev  0pp  1sh
sean mckenna  1  1.06%  1ev  0pp  0sh
unassisted  1  1.06%  1ev  0pp  0sh

1987 80 total
jim fox  40  50%  29ev  10pp  1sh
dave williams  20  25%  17ev  3pp  0sh
mark hardy  10  12.5%  8ev  2pp  0sh
steve duchesne  10  12.5%  5ev  5pp  0sh
jay wells  8  10%  5ev  3pp  0sh
jimmy carson  6  7.5%  0ev  6pp  0sh
marcel dionne  6  7.5%  1ev  5pp  0sh
dave taylor  5  6.25%  1ev  4pp  0sh
larry playfair  5  6.25%  5ev  0pp  0sh
grant ledyard  4  5%  2ev  2pp  0sh
morris lukowich  4  5%  0ev  4pp  0sh
sean mckenna  4  5%  4ev  0pp  0sh
bob bourne  3  3.75%  3ev  0pp  0sh
bryan erickson  3  3.75%  0ev  3pp  0sh
dean kennedy  2  2.5%  2ev  0pp  0sh
luc robitaille  2  2.5%  0ev  2pp  0sh
unassisted  2  2.5%  2ev  0pp  0sh
craig redmond  1  1.25%  1ev  0pp  0sh
dave langevin  1  1.25%  1ev  0pp  0sh
garry galley  1  1.25%  0ev  1pp  0sh
lyle phair  1  1.25%  1ev  0pp  0sh
peter dineen  1  1.25%  1ev  0pp  0sh
phil sykes  1  1.25%  1ev  0pp  0sh
roland melanson  1  1.25%  1ev  0pp  0sh
tom laidlaw  1  1.25%  1ev  0pp  0sh

1988 77 total
jim fox  24 31.17%  19ev  5pp  0sh
bobby carpenter  20 25.97%  11ev  8pp  1sh
luc robitaille  14 18.18%  5ev  9pp  0sh
steve duchesne  12 15.58%  6ev  6pp  0sh
jimmy carson  11 14.29%  1ev  10pp  0sh
dave taylor  8 10.39%  5ev  3pp  0sh
paul fenton  7  9.09%  1ev  5pp  1sh
phil sykes  7  9.09%  6ev  1pp  0sh
ken hammond  5  6.49%  4ev  1pp  0sh
jay wells  4  5.19%  2ev  1pp  1sh
mark hardy  4  5.19%  0ev  3pp  1sh
unassisted  4  5.19%  1ev  0pp  3sh
ron duguay  3  3.9%  1ev  2pp  0sh
bob bourne  2  2.6%  0ev  1pp  1sh
tom laidlaw  2  2.6%  2ev  0pp  0sh
dean kennedy  1  1.3%  1ev  0pp  0sh
glenn healy  1  1.3%  1ev  0pp  0sh
grant ledyard  1  1.3%  0ev  1pp  0sh
ken baumgartner  1  1.3%  1ev  0pp  0sh
lyle phair  1  1.3%  1ev  0pp  0sh
paul guay  1  1.3%  1ev  0pp  0sh
wayne mcbean  1  1.3%  1ev  0pp  0sh

1989 146 total
wayne gretzky  61 41.78%  23ev  27pp  11sh
luc robitaille  45 30.82%  32ev  13pp  0sh
dave taylor  34 23.29%  23ev  11pp  0sh
steve duchesne  31 21.23%  13ev  14pp  4sh
john tonelli  13  8.9%  9ev  4pp  0sh
mike krushelnyski  9  6.16%  6ev  3pp  0sh
bobby carpenter  6  4.11%  5ev  1pp  0sh
tim watters  6  4.11%  5ev  0pp  1sh
dale degray  5  3.42%  3ev  2pp  0sh
doug crossman  5  3.42%  4ev  1pp  0sh
steve kasper  5  3.42%  1ev  3pp  1sh
tom laidlaw  5  3.42%  5ev  0pp  0sh
unassisted  5  3.42%  3ev  2pp  0sh
dean kennedy  4  2.74%  3ev  0pp  1sh
ken baumgartner  4  2.74%  3ev  0pp  1sh
marty mcsorley  4  2.74%  3ev  1pp  0sh
ron duguay  4  2.74%  4ev  0pp  0sh
igor liba  3  2.05%  0ev  3pp  0sh
jay miller  3  2.05%  3ev  0pp  0sh
jim wiemer  3  2.05%  0ev  0pp  3sh
mike allison  2  1.37%  0ev  2pp  0sh
chris kontos  1  0.68%  1ev  0pp  0sh
kelly hrudey  1  0.68%  1ev  0pp  0sh
larry playfair  1  0.68%  0ev  0pp  1sh
paul fenton  1  0.68%  1ev  0pp  0sh
petr prajzler  1  0.68%  0ev  1pp  0sh

1990 102 total
luc robitaille  38 37.25%  23ev  15pp  0sh
wayne gretzky  25 24.51%  9ev  15pp  1sh
steve duchesne  14 13.73%  7ev  7pp  0sh
troy mallette  10  9.8%  6ev  4pp  0sh
dave taylor  9  8.82%  8ev  1pp  0sh
larry robinson  9  8.82%  4ev  5pp  0sh
john tonelli  8  7.84%  5ev  3pp  0sh
darren turcotte  7  6.86%  2ev  5pp  0sh
ulf dahlen  7  6.86%  2ev  5pp  0sh
brian leetch  6  5.88%  1ev  5pp  0sh
mike gartner  6  5.88%  3ev  3pp  0sh
brian benning  5  4.9%  2ev  3pp  0sh
marty mcsorley  5  4.9%  4ev  1pp  0sh
bob kudelski  4  3.92%  2ev  2pp  0sh
brian mullen  4  3.92%  1ev  3pp  0sh
carey wilson  4  3.92%  1ev  3pp  0sh
james patrick  4  3.92%  3ev  1pp  0sh
john ogrodnick  3  2.94%  0ev  3pp  0sh
kelly kisio  3  2.94%  0ev  3pp  0sh
tom laidlaw  3  2.94%  3ev  0pp  0sh
jeff bloemberg  2  1.96%  1ev  1pp  0sh
randy moller  2  1.96%  2ev  0pp  0sh
craig duncanson  1  0.98%  1ev  0pp  0sh
hubie mcdonough  1  0.98%  1ev  0pp  0sh
jay miller  1  0.98%  1ev  0pp  0sh
jim fox  1  0.98%  1ev  0pp  0sh
keith crowder  1  0.98%  1ev  0pp  0sh
mike allison  1  0.98%  1ev  0pp  0sh
mike krushelnyski  1  0.98%  0ev  1pp  0sh
miloslav horava  1  0.98%  1ev  0pp  0sh
petr prajzler  1  0.98%  0ev  1pp  0sh
scott bjugstad  1  0.98%  1ev  0pp  0sh
steve kasper  1  0.98%  1ev  0pp  0sh
tim watters  1  0.98%  1ev  0pp  0sh
todd elik  1  0.98%  1ev  0pp  0sh
unassisted  1  0.98%  1ev  0pp  0sh

1991 70 total
brian leetch  23 32.86%  7ev  16pp  0sh
mike gartner  23 32.86%  11ev  12pp  0sh
ray sheppard  20 28.57%  16ev  4pp  0sh
darren turcotte  17 24.29%  3ev  14pp  0sh
james patrick  12 17.14%  2ev  10pp  0sh
brian mullen  6  8.57%  4ev  2pp  0sh
troy mallette  6  8.57%  6ev  0pp  0sh
randy moller  4  5.71%  3ev  1pp  0sh
david shaw  3  4.29%  3ev  0pp  0sh
jan erixon  3  4.29%  3ev  0pp  0sh
john ogrodnick  3  4.29%  3ev  0pp  0sh
normand rochefort  3  4.29%  3ev  0pp  0sh
kevin miller  2  2.86%  2ev  0pp  0sh
mark hardy  2  2.86%  2ev  0pp  0sh
jody hull  1  1.43%  1ev  0pp  0sh
miloslav horava  1  1.43%  1ev  0pp  0sh
tie domi  1  1.43%  1ev  0pp  0sh
unassisted  1  1.43%  1ev  0pp  0sh

1992 48 total
vincent damphousse  26 54.17%  15ev  11pp  0sh
joe murphy  21 43.75%  13ev  8pp  0sh
norm maciver  8 16.67%  6ev  2pp  0sh
petr klima  4  8.33%  3ev  1pp  0sh
scott mellanby  4  8.33%  3ev  1pp  0sh
brian glynn  3  6.25%  1ev  2pp  0sh
craig simpson  3  6.25%  3ev  0pp  0sh
dave manson  3  6.25%  0ev  3pp  0sh
greg hawgood  3  6.25%  1ev  2pp  0sh
martin gelinas  3  6.25%  3ev  0pp  0sh
anatoli semenov  2  4.17%  1ev  1pp  0sh
geoff smith  2  4.17%  1ev  1pp  0sh
kelly buchberger  2  4.17%  2ev  0pp  0sh
esa tikkanen  1  2.08%  0ev  1pp  0sh
unassisted  1  2.08%  0ev  1pp  0sh

1993 56 total
petr klima  15 26.79%  8ev  7pp  0sh
craig simpson  12 21.43%  4ev  8pp  0sh
stephane richer  12 21.43%  8ev  4pp  0sh
dave manson  10 17.86%  1ev  9pp  0sh
john maclean  8 14.29%  6ev  2pp  0sh
greg hawgood  6 10.71%  3ev  3pp  0sh
scott niedermayer  5  8.93%  3ev  2pp  0sh
brent gilchrist  3  5.36%  3ev  0pp  0sh
bruce driver  3  5.36%  1ev  2pp  0sh
craig muni  3  5.36%  3ev  0pp  0sh
esa tikkanen  3  5.36%  2ev  1pp  0sh
peter stastny  2  3.57%  0ev  2pp  0sh
scott mellanby  2  3.57%  0ev  2pp  0sh
scott stevens  2  3.57%  2ev  0pp  0sh
shayne corson  2  3.57%  0ev  2pp  0sh
unassisted  2  3.57%  2ev  0pp  0sh
brad werenka  1  1.79%  1ev  0pp  0sh
claude lemieux  1  1.79%  0ev  1pp  0sh
geoff smith  1  1.79%  0ev  1pp  0sh
josef beranek  1  1.79%  1ev  0pp  0sh
kelly buchberger  1  1.79%  1ev  0pp  0sh
ken daneyko  1  1.79%  1ev  0pp  0sh
luke richardson  1  1.79%  0ev  1pp  0sh
tommy albelin  1  1.79%  0ev  1pp  0sh
valeri zelepukin  1  1.79%  1ev  0pp  0sh
viacheslav fetisov  1  1.79%  1ev  0pp  0sh

1994 46 total
john maclean  16 34.78%  10ev  6pp  0sh
claude lemieux  12 26.09%  8ev  4pp  0sh
scott stevens  11 23.91%  5ev  4pp  2sh
scott niedermayer  9 19.57%  8ev  1pp  0sh
stephane richer  8 17.39%  6ev  2pp  0sh
valeri zelepukin  6 13.04%  5ev  1pp  0sh
tom chorske  5 10.87%  4ev  0pp  1sh
bruce driver  4  8.7%  1ev  3pp  0sh
bobby carpenter  2  4.35%  2ev  0pp  0sh
bobby holik  2  4.35%  2ev  0pp  0sh
ken daneyko  2  4.35%  2ev  0pp  0sh
mike peluso  2  4.35%  2ev  0pp  0sh
randy mckay  2  4.35%  2ev  0pp  0sh
tommy albelin  2  4.35%  1ev  1pp  0sh
jaroslav modry  1  2.17%  1ev  0pp  0sh
jason smith  1  2.17%  1ev  0pp  0sh

1995 47 total
joe murphy  22 46.81%  11ev  10pp  1sh
chris chelios  14 29.79%  3ev  10pp  1sh
gary suter  13 27.66%  5ev  8pp  0sh
patrick poulin  7 14.89%  7ev  0pp  0sh
jeremy roenick  6 12.77%  0ev  6pp  0sh
paul ysebaert  4  8.51%  4ev  0pp  0sh
steve smith  4  8.51%  2ev  2pp  0sh
unassisted  4  8.51%  2ev  1pp  1sh
tony amonte  3  6.38%  0ev  3pp  0sh
christian ruuttu  2  4.26%  2ev  0pp  0sh
dirk graham  2  4.26%  0ev  2pp  0sh
denis savard  1  2.13%  0ev  1pp  0sh
eric weinrich  1  2.13%  0ev  1pp  0sh
jeff shantz  1  2.13%  0ev  1pp  0sh
sergei krivokrasov  1  2.13%  0ev  1pp  0sh

1996 58 total
gary suter  23 39.66%  4ev  18pp  1sh
tony amonte  18 31.03%  13ev  5pp  0sh
chris chelios  12 20.69%  2ev  10pp  0sh
jeremy roenick  11 18.97%  6ev  5pp  0sh
joe murphy  11 18.97%  7ev  4pp  0sh
eric daze  9 15.52%  9ev  0pp  0sh
murray craven  9 15.52%  7ev  1pp  1sh
sergei krivokrasov  5  8.62%  5ev  0pp  0sh
patrick poulin  4  6.9%  4ev  0pp  0sh
igor ulanov  3  5.17%  3ev  0pp  0sh
bob probert  1  1.72%  1ev  0pp  0sh
cam russell  1  1.72%  1ev  0pp  0sh
eric weinrich  1  1.72%  1ev  0pp  0sh
steve smith  1  1.72%  1ev  0pp  0sh
unassisted  1  1.72%  1ev  0pp  0sh

1997 43 total
tony granato  18 41.86%  13ev  4pp  1sh
owen nolan  14 32.56%  8ev  6pp  0sh
jeff friesen  12 27.91%  8ev  2pp  2sh
viktor kozlov  9 20.93%  6ev  3pp  0sh
al iafrate  5 11.63%  3ev  2pp  0sh
andrei nazarov  2  4.65%  2ev  0pp  0sh
marcus ragnarsson  2  4.65%  1ev  1pp  0sh
todd gill  2  4.65%  1ev  1pp  0sh
unassisted  2  4.65%  1ev  0pp  1sh
chris tancill  1  2.33%  1ev  0pp  0sh
darren turcotte  1  2.33%  0ev  1pp  0sh
doug bodger  1  2.33%  1ev  0pp  0sh
greg hawgood  1  2.33%  0ev  1pp  0sh
marty mcsorley  1  2.33%  1ev  0pp  0sh
michal sykora  1  2.33%  1ev  0pp  0sh
ron sutter  1  2.33%  0ev  1pp  0sh
stephen guolla  1  2.33%  1ev  0pp  0sh
ulf dahlen  1  2.33%  1ev  0pp  0sh

1998 28 total
murray craven  7  25%  6ev  1pp  0sh
bill houlder  6 21.43%  3ev  3pp  0sh
tony granato  5 17.86%  4ev  1pp  0sh
andrei zyuzin  4 14.29%  4ev  0pp  0sh
joe murphy  4 14.29%  2ev  2pp  0sh
jeff friesen  3 10.71%  2ev  1pp  0sh
mike rathje  3 10.71%  2ev  1pp  0sh
owen nolan  3 10.71%  3ev  0pp  0sh
todd gill  3 10.71%  1ev  2pp  0sh
al iafrate  2  7.14%  1ev  1pp  0sh
john maclean  2  7.14%  2ev  0pp  0sh
marco sturm  2  7.14%  1ev  1pp  0sh
marcus ragnarsson  2  7.14%  1ev  1pp  0sh
stephane matteau  2  7.14%  2ev  0pp  0sh
viktor kozlov  2  7.14%  1ev  1pp  0sh
doug bodger  1  3.57%  0ev  1pp  0sh
marty mcsorley  1  3.57%  1ev  0pp  0sh
patrick marleau  1  3.57%  0ev  1pp  0sh
rich brennan  1  3.57%  0ev  1pp  0sh
ron sutter  1  3.57%  1ev  0pp  0sh

1999 2 total
owen nolan  2  100%  0ev  2pp  0sh
bill houlder  1  50%  0ev  1pp  0sh
jeff friesen  1  50%  0ev  1pp  0sh

At the culmination of the 1987-1988 season, before the Gretzky trade, the Hockey Scouting Report called Nicholls the best player on the Kings. This even with the youngsters Jimmy Carson and Luc Robitaille on the team.

He was both very talented in terms of finesse skills except skating (and even his skating looked worse than it actually was because he looked gumpy) and incredibly smart. He was also a top notch athlete even back then, before it was super vogue, and in contradistinction to his 'lacking motivation' reputation.

Not too surprising he'd score 150 on the Kings with Gretzky in 1988-1989, in the prime of his career, playing with Robitaille instead of Fox, playing with Gretzky especially on special teams situations, and playing on one of the most offense focused teams in the league.

His big drop in the early nineties has to do for a few reasons.

• Bernie seemed really hurt and pissed that he was traded.
• The Rangers were also one of the most defensive focused teams in the league at the time, a complete reversal of the Kings.
• With the Oilers and Devils, there would be health issues with his infant son sadly ending in his passing which crushed Bernie.

It is a testament to Bernie's mental fortitude as well as general conditioning that he was able to carve out a nice resurgence in Chicago in his mid thirties (the slowdown of the league also probably helped Bernie more than many players and he was strong and tough enough to deal with the clutching and grabbing). Chicago being defensive minded seemed to pose no issue for Nicholls who had nicely developed into a great defensive player earlier in the nineties, not a hard adjustment for such a smart player.

Nice features on later career Nicholls:

HOCKEY; When a Crisis Sets In, Nicholls Puts Family First (Published 1993)

www.nytimes.com

ON TOP AGAIN BERNIE NICHOLLS OF THE CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS HAS ENDURED TRAGEDY ON HIS WAY BACK TO NHL EMINENCE

You can take the boy out of Los Angeles, but you can't take theLos Angeles out of the boy. This was apparent during a recenthair-mussing, hair-raising drive

vault.si.com

 

[Doctor Coffin]

It is a testament to Bernie's mental fortitude as well as general conditioning that he was able to carve out a nice resurgence in Chicago in his mid thirties (the slowdown of the league also probably helped Bernie more than many players and he was strong and tough enough to deal with the clutching and grabbing). Chicago being defensive minded seemed to pose no issue for Nicholls who had nicely developed into a great defensive player earlier in the nineties, not a hard adjustment for such a smart player.

Nice summary. A bit more on his Chicago sojourn. After two embarrassing first-round exits in 1993 and 1994 and preparing to move into a brand-new, larger building, the Blackhawks finally began to get serious about upgrading their one-line offense. Nicholls was signed and (surprisingly to some) given the freedom by coach Darryl Sutter, who came to recognize that he could trust the veteran defensively, to play to his strengths. His play was characterized by more savvy and guile than by toughness, he was neither wimpy nor dirty, just a crafty old pro who still had great hands.

 

[Crosby2010]

Why wouldn't they just have had Robitaille and Gretzky on the same line? I know that I am sure they tried this over and over and there just wasn't quite the chemistry you would think there would be, but to me it seems like the perfect fit. Robitaille wasn't called Lucky Luc for nothing. He would have the puck follow him around. No one would be better at capitalizing on that than Gretzky. I just wonder why they weren't regular linemates in L.A. I remember them playing on separate lines most of the time.

 

[BraveCanadian]

Why wouldn't they just have had Robitaille and Gretzky on the same line? I know that I am sure they tried this over and over and there just wasn't quite the chemistry you would think there would be, but to me it seems like the perfect fit. Robitaille wasn't called Lucky Luc for nothing. He would have the puck follow him around. No one would be better at capitalizing on that than Gretzky. I just wonder why they weren't regular linemates in L.A. I remember them playing on separate lines most of the time.

They didn't get along well for some reason if I recall

 

[blogofmike]

Why wouldn't they just have had Robitaille and Gretzky on the same line? I know that I am sure they tried this over and over and there just wasn't quite the chemistry you would think there would be, but to me it seems like the perfect fit. Robitaille wasn't called Lucky Luc for nothing. He would have the puck follow him around. No one would be better at capitalizing on that than Gretzky. I just wonder why they weren't regular linemates in L.A. I remember them playing on separate lines most of the time.

Then who would be on line #2?

Robitaille was nervous playing with Gretzky early on, and that's probably why he spends less time on the PP in 88-89.

They would play together every once in a while, but probably not for more than a week or two.

They tried Gretzky-Nicholls-Robitaille for a few games in January, but there wasn't much pop in the rest of the lineup, and they weren't scoring twice as much.

There was a brief run with Kurri in early 1991-92, and with Sandstrom going into the 1993 playoffs, but Melrose juggled the lines a lot towards the end of that playoff run.

They were regular linemates in New York in 1996-97 with Nik Sundstrom, but injuries really did a number on the Ranger forward lines by round 3. In their one ECF win Gretzky played wing on Messier's line.

 

[Crosby2010]

They didn't get along well for some reason if I recall

I have heard that, but never personally by Robitaille or Gretzky. I have heard Luc do nothing but praise Gretzky. Sounds like he likes him every time I can recall.

Then who would be on line #2?

Robitaille was nervous playing with Gretzky early on, and that's probably why he spends less time on the PP in 88-89.

They would play together every once in a while, but probably not for more than a week or two.

They tried Gretzky-Nicholls-Robitaille for a few games in January, but there wasn't much pop in the rest of the lineup, and they weren't scoring twice as much.

There was a brief run with Kurri in early 1991-92, and with Sandstrom going into the 1993 playoffs, but Melrose juggled the lines a lot towards the end of that playoff run.

They were regular linemates in New York in 1996-97 with Nik Sundstrom, but injuries really did a number on the Ranger forward lines by round 3. In their one ECF win Gretzky played wing on Messier's line.

You have Luc on the top line with Gretzky. Then Nicholls centres the 2nd line. Not sure what wingers you have but Tonelli and Taylor and Krusher were still on that team and that could be worse. Either way, you've got a couple of strong lines and Nicholls is going to get a lot more room with everyone keying on Gretzky, hence what happened in 1989.

 

[Michael Farkas]

Lines 1/24/89:
Tonelli-Kushelnyski-Gretzky
Robitaille-Nicholls-Jay Miller
Gord Walker-Kasper-Duguay

Watched the first half of the 1st period and the only other forward that I saw was Phil Sykes rotating in for a shift.

(Taylor and Mike Allison were out)

##

Lines - Game 7 Smythe Division Final:
Jay Miller-Gretzky-McSorley
Robitaille-Nicholls-Taylor
Tonelli-Kasper-Duguay

Third shift of the game, Gretzky came out with Tonelli and Duguay for a NZ faceoff. When the faceoff was lost, he hopped off for Kasper. A shift or two later, Tonelli took an offensive zone draw with Gretzky and McSorley flanking him.

For a defensive zone faceoff, they had Kasper with Nicholls and Krush.

Then after the first Edmonton goal, they come out with Kontos-Gretzky-M.Allison.

That gives way to J.Miller-Tonelli-Duguay.

So, I don't know what to make of that. Even Bob Miller said with a chuckle, "Gretzky's played with everyone already"...kind of tough to figure out lines when before much special teams work happens, the lines are already in a blender...

 

[Doctor Coffin]

Lines 1/24/89:
Tonelli-Kushelnyski-Gretzky
Robitaille-Nicholls-Jay Miller
Gord Walker-Kasper-Duguay

Watched the first half of the 1st period and the only other forward that I saw was Phil Sykes rotating in for a shift.

(Taylor and Mike Allison were out)

##

Lines - Game 7 Smythe Division Final:
Jay Miller-Gretzky-McSorley
Robitaille-Nicholls-Taylor
Tonelli-Kasper-Duguay

Third shift of the game, Gretzky came out with Tonelli and Duguay for a NZ faceoff. When the faceoff was lost, he hopped off for Kasper. A shift or two later, Tonelli took an offensive zone draw with Gretzky and McSorley flanking him.

For a defensive zone faceoff, they had Kasper with Nicholls and Krush.

Then after the first Edmonton goal, they come out with Kontos-Gretzky-M.Allison.

That gives way to J.Miller-Tonelli-Duguay.

So, I don't know what to make of that. Even Bob Miller said with a chuckle, "Gretzky's played with everyone already"...kind of tough to figure out lines when before much special teams work happens, the lines are already in a blender...

Interesting, I guess that would have been when Robbie Ftorek was coaching the team? Early the next season, in an October 1989 game which I witnessed (before the Nicholls trade was made, obviously), coach Tom Webster had Gretzky centering Bob Kudelski and short-timer Mikael Lindholm.

 

[Michael Farkas]

Yeah, Ftorek was certainly interviewed at one of the intermissions at least...

 

[mrhockey193195]

They didn't get along well for some reason if I recall

I believe Robitaille held a grudge, thinking that Wayne played a part in his trade away from LA for Tocchet. If I remember correctly, he said something to the effect of needing to "be crazy" to join the 99 All Stars in Europe during the 94-95 lockout. By the time Robitaille and Wayne were in NY, I think it was all put in the past.

So long story short, my understanding is that they were always on good terms while teammates, but Robitaille was a bit pissed at Gretzky while he was in Pittsburgh.

 

[blogofmike]

Interesting, I guess that would have been when Robbie Ftorek was coaching the team? Early the next season, in an October 1989 game which I witnessed (before the Nicholls trade was made, obviously), coach Tom Webster had Gretzky centering Bob Kudelski and short-timer Mikael Lindholm.

Under Webster Kudelski was the 7th forward who was often played as a top 6 fill-in.e Because the other thing about Sandstrom and Granato is that they missed a bunch of games here and there too.

 

[blogofmike]

Lines 1/24/89:
Tonelli-Kushelnyski-Gretzky
Robitaille-Nicholls-Jay Miller
Gord Walker-Kasper-Duguay

This was the game after they gave up on the stacked top line.
McNall Worried as Kings Fall Again : Hartford Wins, 5-4; Gretzky Now No. 2 on NHL Point List

So, I don't know what to make of that. Even Bob Miller said with a chuckle, "Gretzky's played with everyone already"...kind of tough to figure out lines when before much special teams work happens, the lines are already in a blender...

Sounds like the Ftorek-era to me...

You have Luc on the top line with Gretzky. Then Nicholls centres the 2nd line. Not sure what wingers you have but Tonelli and Taylor and Krusher were still on that team and that could be worse. Either way, you've got a couple of strong lines and Nicholls is going to get a lot more room with everyone keying on Gretzky, hence what happened in 1989.

Supposedly Luc kept forcing the puck to Gretzky because he was nervous about playing with Wayne Gretzky. That wasn't a viable option for the first half of 88-89.

And while what you describe could be an option in future years, the thread is about the Kings giving away Nicholls and losing the chance to have a legit #2 centre.

Without Nicholls, Gretzky can carry a line with or without Robitaille. Todd Elik probably needed Luc Robitaille.

 

[ozzie]

Gretzky elevates another good player to another level, one of his lesser appreciated traits. In Wrestling I guess they call it the 'rub'. 2 headed monsters are difficult to defend against. Sakic/Forseberg, Yzerman/Fedorov, Crosby/Malkin. You'd put yout best against Gretzky on most nights.

Bernie, seemed like a class act, good player, extremely SMART player. Speed was never the main part of his game, but he managed to out smarty people into his old age.

 

[decma]

I think some people are understimating how good Nicholls was prior to Gretzky coming to LA.

In the five previous seasons (83/84 through 87/88) he was the 8th highest scoring C in the NHL, behind only Gretzky, Hawerchuck, Savard, Stastny, Mario, Federko, and Dionne.

Notably, the others were all #1Cs and had better linemates, while Nicholls went from #2 to maybe co-#1 in LA, and was playing with Jim Fox, Brian MacLellan, Tiger Williams, Bryan Erickson, and Terry Ruskowski as his most common wingers.

He also never had a very strong offesnive D-man on those teams.

And he was less reliant on the PP than the Cs ahead of him (other than Gretzky).

Him putting up 94 points per 80 games (including 60 at ES) with those linemates was impressive.