Remembering hockey legend Jim Neilson

Reflecting on impressive career

At five-years-old Neilson was living at the St. Patricks Orphange in Prince Albert. He grew up there and eventually played his Junior hockey as a teenager with the Prince Albert Mintos, who at the time were part of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

“He made a great impact I think on young people because of my dad’s upbringing growing up in an orphanage and getting to a place in his life where he had great success in hockey,” Neilson-Wade explained. “He knew a lot of people looked up to him and he realized that he had a role to play to be a positive role model for people.”

From the left in the light blue shirt is Darcy Neilson-Wade, middle in Oilers Jersey is her sister Dana and on the right in the black shirt is their brother David. The children in the photo are Jim Neilson’s grandchildren. (Submitted photo/ Darcy Neilson-Wade)

Darcy explained her father won rookie of the year in his first season with the Mintos. At 19, Neilson moved from Prince Albert to play in the Eastern Professional Hockey League for Kitchener, where he was also rookie of the year.

A year later he began his career in the NHL with the New York Rangers where Darcy said her father started as a rookie. He played there for 12 seasons. According to a report from the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, as part of the Rangers in the 1967/68 season he was the runner-up to the Norris Trophy given to the NHL’s top defenceman, losing to none other than Bobby Orr. A few years later he helped the Rangers make it to the Stanley Cup Final losing to the Boston Bruins.

“He was very well known as a pure defenceman, a real defensive defenceman, but he always thought about others,” she said. “He would say one of his greatest achievements was the year where the Ranger goalies shared the Vezina trophy. As a defensive defenceman for them to win the Vezina, to him that was a real sign of success.”

James Neilson playing in the NHL. (Submitted photo/ Darcy Neilson -Wade)

Darcy explained in 1974, Neilson was traded to the California Golden Seals and spent some time in Cleveland after the team was moved becoming the Cleveland Barons.

After his time there, Neilson finished his career with the Edmonton Oilers and played with the great Wayne Gretzky. After his playing career he scouted for the Oilers for one year.

“He’d come home and he would talk about hockey, it wouldn’t necessarily be about the games or what was going on. He would always tell us funny stories about like practical jokes, the things that were going on, you know camaraderie and joking around the players have with each other,” she said.

Family friends

Fred Matheson, owner of Ted Matheson Men’s Wear in Prince Albert told paNOW Neilson was very close friends with his parents. Growing up he said they spent a lot of time together.

“My folks used to visit Jim when he played in New York and they used to travel with the team to different games and have lots of good stories,” Matheson explained.

In the offseason, Matheson explained when Neilson came home their families would spend a lot of the summer together.

“I remember when I was young, and he was younger he used to sign autographs at my dad’s store and I used to help pass out the photographs,” he said. “Jim was very personable and loved people and loved to golf, he had many friends here in Prince Albert and he was just a local boy who made well.”

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ian.gustafson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @iangustafson12

by Ian Gustafson

Remembering hockey legend Jim Neilson

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