Eric Nesterenko

Eric Paul Nesterenko (October 31, 1933 – June 4, 2022) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1951 until 1956 and for the Chicago Black Hawks from 1956 until 1972.

Early life
Nesterenko was born in Flin Flon, Manitoba, to immigrants from Ukraine. He moved at 16 and attended high school at North Toronto Collegiate Institute. Nesterenko would play as a member of the Toronto Marlboros.

Playing career
Nesterenko played five years with the Toronto Maple Leafs before being traded to the Blackhawks for cash. He played 16 years with the Blackhawks from 1956 to 1972 for a total of 1,013 games which ranks seventh in team history. Nesterenko was known as a superb penalty killer and was given the nickname of “Elbows". In both 1965 and 1967, he led the league in shorthanded goals.

Nesterenko was an NHL All-Star in 1961 and 1965, and was a key part of 1961 Stanley Cup championship. He also made 12 other playoff appearances with the Blackhawks.

Nesterenko was better known for speed on the ice than for goal-scoring. Chicago Tribune columnist Bob Markus commented, "I've always thought that Nesterenko would have been the greatest player of all time if they played the game without a puck." Nesterenko had 495 points (207 goals along with 288 assists) and 1,014 penalty minutes while playing for the Blackhawks. He had a total of 250 goals and 324 assists during his NHL career.

Following his NHL career, Nesterenko played for the Chicago Cougars of the World Hockey Association in 1973-74 after a year of coaching in Switzerland.

Controversy
During one game in 1961, Nesterenko infamously attacked Willie O'Ree, the first Black player in the NHL, with racial slurs and butt-ended O'Ree with his hockey stick, breaking O'Ree's nose and knocking out his front teeth. O'Ree retaliated with his stick and Nesterenko required 15 stitches in his head. During the next game that Nesterenko and O'Ree played, Nesterenko slashed O'Ree's ankles. Nesterenko never apologized to O'Ree, despite having an opportunity 30 years later when they met at an all-star game. O'Ree later named Nesterenko and described the incidents in his autobiography.

Personal life
In 1986, Nesterenko played the father of character Dean Youngblood (Rob Lowe) in the movie Youngblood, and was also the film's hockey consultant. He has worked as a disk jockey, a stockbroker, a travel broker, a freelance writer, a university professor, and a ski instructor.

Near the end of Nesterenko's NHL career, he was interviewed for Studs Terkel's bestselling book, Working: What People do all Day and How They Feel About What They Do.

Eric Nesterenko spent his later life in Colorado and died on June 4, 2022, at the age of 88.

Awards and achievements

 * WHL championship (1956)
 * Edinburgh Trophy championship (1956)
 * Stanley Cup championship (1961)
 * Played in NHL All-Star Game (1961 and 1965)
 * Honoured Member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame