Bob Nystrom

Bob Nystrom
Date of birth	October 10, 1952
place of birth	Stockholm , Sweden
size	185 cm
Weight	95 kg
position	Right wing
Shot hand	Right
Draft
NHL Amateur Draft	1972 , 3rd round, 33rd position New York Islanders
Career stations
1969-1970	Kamloops Rockets
1970-1972	Calgary Centennials
1972-1986	New York Islanders

Thore Robert "Bob" Nystrom (born October 10, 1952 in Stockholm , Sweden ) is a former Canadian ice hockey player (right winger) who played from 1972 to 1986 for the New York Islanders in the National Hockey League .

His son Eric Nystrom is also a professional ice hockey player.

Career

Bob Nystrom was born in Stockholm , but came to Canada with his parents at the age of four . Having during his junior time for the Calgary Centinentals in the Western Canada Hockey League had played and there by his robust style of play the scouts had noticed that elected him New York Islanders at the NHL Amateur Draft in 1972 in the second round as the 33rd players.

The Islanders as a new team in the NHL did not yet have a grown roster and so he came to his first eleven appearances in the NHL in the 1972/73 season . However, most of this season he spent in de American Hockey League with the New Haven Nighthawks . In his second year he managed to fight for a regular place with the Islanders. He quickly reached a level where he got about 20 goals and 100 penalty minutes in a season. He stayed in this area for the next ten years. In a series of attacks with Bob Bourne he achieved a personal best with 30 hits in the 1977/78 season . He had his greatest success from 1980 to 1983, when he won the Stanley Cup four times in a row with the Islanders . In addition to Bourne, Wayne Merrick was the third man on the ice next to him in those years . In the year of his first cup win, he scored nine goals in the playoffs. Especially in overtime , he was always in danger and he was able to decide a few games for the Islanders.

In the mid-1980s, his performance deteriorated and he was plagued by injuries. An eye injury bothered him towards the end of his career.

After he had ended his active career at the end of the 1985/86 season , he became Terry Simpson's assistant coach with the Islanders . Dealing with players who didn't always play with full commitment was difficult for him. He expected full commitment from every player at every moment on the ice, just as he had always done. When analyzing some old games, however, he noticed that he, too, had previously taken time to relax.

The Islanders honored him for his services by not awarding his jersey number 23 since 1995. Since 1991, the player who has excelled with commitment and leadership qualities at the Islanders in the past season has been honored with the Bob Nystrom Award .

NHL statistics

	Seasons	Games	Gates	Assists	Points	Penalty minutes
Regular season	14th	900	235	278	513	1,248
Playoffs	11	157	39	44	83	236

Sporting successes

• Stanley Cup : 1980 , 1981 , 1982 and 1983

Personal awards

• Participation in the NHL All-Star Game : 1977

Web links

• Bob Nystrom at hockeydb.com (English)
• Bob Nystrom at legendsofhockey.net (English)