Jim Neilson

James Anthony Neilson (November 28, 1941 – November 6, 2020) also known as "The Chief", to colleagues and friends, was an indigenous Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played over 1000 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers, California Golden Seals, and Cleveland Barons. He ended his career playing 35 games with the Edmonton Oilers which were in the World Hockey Association (WHA) at the time.

Early life
Neilson was born to Cree and Danish parents, in Big River, Saskatchewan on November 28, 1941. When he was only five years old, his mother abandoned the family, so Neilson and his two sisters grew up in St. Patrick’s Orphanage in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. During his time living at the orphanage, Jim Neilson began to take an interest in hockey, and played with older kids on the outdoor rinks during the cold Canadian winters, where he honed his skills to become one of the hockey greats of his time.

Career
From age 17 to 19, Neilson played three seasons of Junior A hockey for the Prince Albert Mintos in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, impressively scoring 21 goals and 33 assists in 57 games as a defenseman in his first year of junior. This was enough for professional scouts to determine that this six-foot-two, 205-pound defenceman, could add depth, grit, and talent to an NHL roster. In August of 1961, He was invited to try out for the New York Rangers but subsequently did not make the 1961-62 Rangers roster, instead, he continued to improve and play for an associated Ranger's minor league team, the Kitchener-Waterloo Beavers in the EPHL, where he put up a respectable 42 points in 70 games. The following year, Neilson made the opening night roster for the New York Rangers where he would play the next twelve seasons. In the 1967-68 season, he was nominated for the Norris Cup, the annual award for the best defenseman in the National Hockey League. He placed second in the voting and was runner-up to the winner for that season, Bobby Orr. He was traded by the Rangers before the 1974-75 NHL season to the fledgling California Golden Seals, which played out of the Bay Area in California.

At the time, Neilson brought an abundance of experience and leadership to what was one of the youngest NHL rosters in the league and was a welcome addition to the Seals' blue line. He was paired up on defense with George Pesut, a young and highly talented, but inexperienced defenseman playing in his first NHL season. Pesut was a high NHL and WHA draft pick in 1973 from the Saskatoon Blades, and like Neilson, had grown up in Saskatchewan. Neilson's experience and mentoring were a driving force for Pesut to grow his talent, which he outlines in his upcoming memoir, "The Fourth Period: Between The Ice Sheets".

Neilson was also named captain of the Seals and named the Seals' Most Valuable Player in the 1975-76 season.

Neilson played a total of 16 seasons in the NHL for a total of 1,023 games, scoring a total of 69 goals and logging 299 assists. He played from 1962–63 season to 1977–78 season in the NHL. After the Seals relocated to Cleveland in 1976, Neilson played two more seasons for the struggling Cleveland Barons which eventually folded into merging with the Minnesota North Stars. During his NHL career, he was named a four-time NHL all-star. In his last season, Neilson played 35 games for the Edmonton Oilers in 1978–79 in the World Hockey Association.

In the 2009 book 100 Ranger Greats, the authors ranked Neilson at #42 all-time of the 901 New York Rangers who had played during the team's first 82 seasons.

Neilson was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 2018. Neilson died in Winnipeg on November 6, 2020.

Personal Life
Jim Neilson was an avid sportsman, including being a talented baseball player during the Saskatchewan summers, he enjoyed fishing and was also an excellent golfer. Neilson has three children and numerous grandchildren. After his hockey career as a player ended, he briefly scouted for the Edmonton Oilers, before moving to California for a business opportunity. In 1983, he relocated back to Winnipeg, Manitoba, taking up such causes as advancing the interests of indigenous peoples, continuing to play oldtimer hockey, and spending time traveling to see his children and grandchildren. He lived in Winnipeg until his passing. Jim Neilson died of complications from a rare skin disorder at age 78.