Kent Åke "Kenta" Nilsson (born 31 August 1956) is a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...

centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

. He played in the

World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association (french: Association mondiale de hockey) was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (NHL) ...

(WHA) for the

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, p ...

, and in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

(NHL) for the

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

and

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 in the Western Conference, and are the third major professional ice hockey te ...

Minnesota North Stars The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...

and

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 of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

, as well as teams across various European leagues. During his NHL career he was called "Mr. Magic" and "The Magic Man", referring to his exceptional puck skills.

Wayne Gretzky Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...

commented on Nilsson's skills saying "Skills-wise he might have been the most skilled hockey player I ever saw in my entire career". In 2006, he was featured on '' HCZ'', a Swedish reality show as coach for a hockey team of non-athletes. He is currently working as a European scout for the

Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference, and initially played their home g ...

Playing career

Nilsson began his career during the season of 1973–74, playing for

Djurgårdens IF Djurgårdens Idrottsförening, commonly known simply as Djurgårdens IF, Djurgården (), and (especially locally) Djurgår'n (), Dif or DIF – is a Swedish sports association with several sections, located in Stockholm. Name The club is nam ...

during his first of four seasons in Sweden. He then came to North America, and played for the

of the

(WHA) beginning in

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrat ...

. He scored two consecutive 100-point seasons in the WHA, and his offensive production continued when the league merged with the NHL. He was claimed by the

Atlanta Flames The Atlanta Flames were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta from 1972 until 1980. They played home games in the Omni Coliseum and were members of the West and later Patrick divisions of the National Hockey League (NHL). Along with t ...

, and in his first season with the team he scored 93 points. The next season, 1980–81, the Flames moved to

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, maki ...

; Nilsson scored 131 points, which is still the team record, and he came third in NHL scoring. Nilsson played with the Flames, wearing number 14, until 1984–85 when he was traded to the

for a draft pick that the Flames used to draft

Joe Nieuwendyk Joseph Nieuwendyk ( ; born September 10, 1966) is a Canadian former National Hockey League (NHL) player. He was a second round selection of the Calgary Flames, 27th overall, at the 1985 NHL Entry Draft and played 20 seasons for the Flames, Dall ...

. Nilsson won his first and only

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...

while playing with the

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

. He returned to Europe after that season, playing in Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, and Norway. In 1988–89 he was named Player of the Year in Sweden. He returned to Edmonton for six games in

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

, which made him the last former Atlanta Flames player to play in the NHL. He then played briefly again in Europe until 1998. Nilsson holds the NHL record for the quickest goal scored during a season-opening game, at ten seconds in, while playing for the North Stars versus the

Quebec Nordiques The Quebec Nordiques (french: Nordiques de Québec, pronounced in Quebec French, in Canadian English; translated "Quebec City Northmen" or "Northerners") were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City. The Nordiques played in the W ...

on October 11, 1986.

Awards

World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association (french: Association mondiale de hockey) was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (NHL) ...

*Won

Lou Kaplan Trophy The Lou Kaplan Trophy was presented annually to the World Hockey Association's (WHA) rookie of the year. History Lou Kaplan was one of the original owners of the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the WHA. On August 10, 1973, the WHA officially named i ...

(WHA Rookie of the Year) (

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd government). * January 6 ...

) *Won Paul Daneau Trophy (WHA Most Gentlemanly Player) (

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the '' Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the so ...

) * 1977-78 - WHA - Avco Cup (

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749 ...

) * 1978-79 - WHA - Avco Cup (

) *Inaugural member of the World Hockey Association Hall of Fame (2010)

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

*Played in

NHL All-Star Game The National Hockey League All-Star Game (french: Match des Étoiles de la Ligue Nationale de Hockey, links=no) is an exhibition ice hockey game that is traditionally held during the regular season of the National Hockey League (NHL), with many o ...

(

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 ...

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

) * 1986–87 – NHL –

(

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city an ...

)

Sweden and International ice hockey

*Member of the Swedish World All-Star Team (1985, 1989, 1990) *Named Swedish Player of the Year (1989) *Inducted into the

IIHF Hall of Fame The IIHF Hall of Fame is a hall of fame operated by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). It was founded in 1997, and has resided at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto since 1998. Prior to 1997, the IIHF housed exhibits at the Interna ...

(2006) *Inducted into the

Swedish Hockey Hall of Fame The Swedish Hockey Hall of Fame was created 2011 to honor those individuals who have contributed to Swedish ice hockey. The Hall of Fame includes notable players, coaches, referees and other personalities. The first inductees were honored in 2011 ...

(2012)

Records

*Most points scored by a Swedish player in a single NHL season (131 in 1980–81) *

team record for points in a single season (131 in 1980–81) *Calgary Flames team record for assists in a single season (82 in 1980–81) *Calgary Flames team record for shorthanded goals in a single season (9 in 1983–84)

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Family

Nilsson has been married since 2005 to Swedish golfer

Helen Alfredsson Helen Christine Alfredsson (born 9 April 1965) is a Swedish professional golfer who played primarily on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour and is also a life member of the Ladies European Tour. She won the LPGA major Nabisco Dinah Shore and twice finish ...

. He occasionally caddies for her in professional events. He is also the father of

Robert Nilsson Robert Åke Nilsson (born January 10, 1985) is a Canadian-born Swedish former professional ice hockey forward. He last played with the ZSC Lions of the National League (NL). Playing career Nilsson began his career in the Elitserien with Leksa ...

, a former

player, from an earlier marriage.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nilsson, Kent 1956 births Living people AIK IF players Atlanta Flames draft picks Atlanta Flames players Bolzano HC players Calgary Flames players Djurgårdens IF Hockey players EC Graz players Edmonton Oilers players Edmonton Oilers scouts Florida Panthers scouts HC Lugano players IIHF Hall of Fame inductees EHC Kloten players Minnesota North Stars players People from Nynäshamn Municipality Stanley Cup champions Swedish expatriate ice hockey people Swedish expatriate sportspeople in Canada Swedish expatriate sportspeople in the United States Swedish ice hockey centres Toronto Toros draft picks Vålerenga Ishockey players Winnipeg Jets (WHA) players Sportspeople from Stockholm County