| Nelson Emerson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | August 17, 1967 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight | 175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb) |
| Position | Right Wing |
| Shoots | Right |
| Played for | St. Louis Blues Winnipeg Jets Hartford Whalers Carolina Hurricanes Chicago Blackhawks Ottawa Senators Atlanta Thrashers Los Angeles Kings |
| National team |  Canada
|
| NHL Draft | 44th overall, 1985 St. Louis Blues |
| Playing career | 1990–2002 |
Nelson Emerson (born Nelson Donald Emerson on August 17, 1967) is a Canadian former ice hockey right winger.
He appeared in 771 NHL games in his career, scoring 195 goals and adding 293 assists.
Nelson also appeared in 40 Stanley Cup playoff games, scoring seven goals and recording 15 assists.
Playing Career[]
Nelson grew up playing minor hockey in his hometown of Waterford, Ontario with the Waterford Wildcats of the OMHA.
He was selected in the 7th round (92nd overall) of the 1985 OHL Priority Selection by the Guelph Platers after spending the 1984-85 season with the Stratford Cullitons Jr.B. (OHA) club.
However, he elected to pursue an NCAA scholarship and spent a second year playing with the Cullitons before attending Bowling Green State University (CCHA) in Ohio in 1986-87.
Nelson was drafted in the third round (44th overall) by the St. Louis Blues in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft.
After playing four seasons at the Bowling Green State University (where he was a 3-time finalist for the Hobey Baker Award), Nelson made his professional debut with the Blues' IHL affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen at the end of the 1989–90 season.
In his first and only full season with the Rivermen (in 1990–91), he scored 36 goals and added 79 assists.
Nelson joined the Blues in the 1991–92 season, and scored 132 points in his two full seasons with them.
On September 24, 1993, he was traded to the Winnipeg Jets along with Stephane Quintal for Phil Housley.
Nelson had the most productive campaign of his NHL career that year (33 goals, 41 assists).
On October 6, 1995, he was traded by the Jets to the Hartford Whalers for Darren Turcotte.
Nelson played two seasons in Hartford. On June 25, 1997, he transfered to the Carolina Hurricanes after the Hartford Whalers franchise relocated.
On December 29, 1998, Nelson was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for Paul Coffey. On March 23, 1999, he was traded to the Ottawa Senators for Chris Murray.
On August 3, 1999, he signed to the Atlanta Thrashers as a free agent and played in 58 games with them.
On March 13, 2000, Nelson was traded to the Los Angeles Kings with Kelly Buchberger for Donald Audette and Frantisek Kaberle.
He continued to play with the Kings until he officially announced his retirement on July 28, 2002.
Nelson was hired by the Los Angeles Kings as a video and player development consultant. On August 4, 2008, he was promoted to assistant coach\development coordinator after two seasons.
Career Statistics[]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1986–87 | Bowling Green State University | NCAA | 45 | 26 | 35 | 61 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | Bowling Green State University | NCAA | 45 | 34 | 49 | 83 | 54 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | Bowling Green State University | NCAA | 44 | 22 | 46 | 68 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Bowling Green State University | NCAA | 44 | 30 | 52 | 82 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Peoria Rivermen | IHL | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Peoria Rivermen | IHL | 73 | 36 | 79 | 115 | 91 | 17 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 16 | ||
| 1990–91 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 79 | 23 | 36 | 59 | 66 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 21 | ||
| 1992–93 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 82 | 22 | 51 | 73 | 62 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 6 | ||
| 1993–94 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 83 | 33 | 41 | 74 | 80 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 48 | 14 | 23 | 37 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 81 | 29 | 29 | 58 | 78 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 66 | 9 | 29 | 38 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 81 | 21 | 24 | 45 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 35 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 27 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 1999–00 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 58 | 14 | 19 | 33 | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2000–01 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 78 | 11 | 11 | 22 | 54 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 2001–02 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 41 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 25 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| NHL totals | 771 | 195 | 293 | 488 | 575 | 40 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 33 | ||||
| NCAA totals | 177 | 108 | 185 | 293 | 158 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| IHL totals | 75 | 37 | 80 | 117 | 91 | 17 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 16 | ||||
Awards & Achievements[]
- All-CCHA First Team (1987-88)
- All-CCHA Second Team (1988-89)
- All-CCHA First Team (1989-90)
- IHL Gary F. Longman Memorial Trophy (Most Outstanding Rookie) (1990-91)