Hail to “The Chief,” remembering Jim Neilson

The New York Rangers family lost a member with the passing of defenseman Jim Neilson

Former New York Rangers defenseman Jim Neilson died at age 79.   He was a stalwart on defense for the Rangers for 12 years, playing in  811 games.  His Rangers stat line was  60 goals, 238 assists and 298 points.  He finished with 763 penalty minutes and served as a Rangers alternate captain.

Neilson also played four years with the Cleveland Barons and California Golden Seals and finished his career in 1978-79 in the World Hockey Association with the Edmonton Oilers where he was the teammate of an 18-year old Wayne Gretzky.

Neilson broke into the NHL in the 1962-63 season, finishing fifth in Calder Trophy voting.  While he never won any league-wide awards, he was named to the Second NHL All-Star team in 1967-68.  He was the first Ranger defenseman to get All-Star recognition since Doug Harvey in 1961-62.

His career statistics were 1,024 NHL games, 69 goals, 299 assists and 901 penalty minutes. He played in two All-Star games and was in the top five in voting for the Norris Trophy twice, all with the Rangers.   He also played in 65 playoff games for the Blueshirts, with one goal and 17 assists.

His rise to the NHL was a fairy tale.  Born in Big River, Saskatchewan (population less than 1,000),  his mother, of the Cree Big River First Nation,  left her three children in the hands of his father, a Danish mink rancher.  Unable to raise the children, Olaf Neilson sent Jim and his two younger sisters to the St. Patrick’s Orphanage in Prince Albert.  Jim Neilson was five years old.

With the support of the nuns, that’s where Neilson learned to play hockey, listening to NHL games on the radio.  He played junior hockey in Saskatchewan and was signed to a pro contract to play for the Kitchener-Waterloo Beavers of the Eastern Professional Hockey League.  That’s where he was discovered by the Rangers and he soon found himself playing in the Big Apple at 22 years old.

Because of his indigenous background, he was anointed with the most stereotypical of Native American nicknames, “Chief.”   Neilson was one of the first indigenous players in the NHL and certainly had one of the longest NHL careers.

After retiring he worked with the indigenous community and served as an inspiration to many.

Neilson partnered with Rod Seiling on the great Rangers teams of the late 1960s and early 1970s.   They were the second pairing behind Brad Park and Dale Rolfe on the team that lost the Stanley Cup Finals to the Boston Bruins in1972.

Recently, Neilson’s three children have made an effort to get their father into the Hockey Hall of Fame, enlisting support from former teammates like Brad Park and Rod Gilbert.  There has been little progress so far, but their work continues.

He has been named to the Saskatchewan Hockey Hall Of Fame and the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame.

On a personal note, I remember watching Neilson patrol the blue line for those great Ranger teams.  He was a tough, stay-at-home defenseman who didn’t back down from anyone.

He will be missed.