Eric Nesterenko
Eric Paul Nesterenko ( born October 31, 1933, Flin Flon, Manitoba ) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach, who as well as in his playing days from 1949 to 1974 among others for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League the Chicago Cougars played in the World Hockey Association.
Career
Nesterenko was born as the son of Ukrainian -born parents who had emigrated to Canada. His parents placed value on his education, and in his spare time, he liked to play on the lakes of Manitoba Hockey. At the age of eleven he zor with his parents to Toronto, where he first played organized hockey. There was also Conn Smythe, the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, attentive to him. With his talent, he stood out in his age group and was considered Toronto's counterpart to Montreal's Jean Beliveau.
After good results at the Toronto Marlboros in the Ontario Hockey League, he was already in the season 1951/52, his first appearance in the National Hockey League. The following year, he still commuted between the Marlboros and Maple Leafs, before he finally made the breakthrough. However, the great expectations that were set on him, he could not fulfill. He in turn accused the Maple Leafs before that he would forced too much in the system and allowed him no room to unfold its potential and creativity. In this dispute the charge sent him to the Winnipeg Warriors in the Western Hockey League, with whom he won the title of the league.
After the end of the season sold him the Maple Leafs with Harry Lumley for U.S. $ 40,000 to the Chicago Blackhawks. Nesterenko believed that this had ended his career and enrolled at the University of Toronto. In addition, he participated in the training camp of the Toronto Argonauts in part a Canadian American football team, which also offered him a contract as a professional. After the Blackhawks but wanted to have him in their team necessarily, it came in January 1957 an extraordinary agreement. Nesterenko played only on weekends for the Blackhawks and went during the week after his studies. This was made difficult its integration in the team and the coaches were not thrilled about the circumstances. From the following season he was the Blackhawks then fully available. In the team, he got a new role and was retrained for defensive attacker. Here he was a valuable player for the Chicago and was one of the best players of his time outnumbered. In a series of death Sloan and Ron Murphy, he helped in the 1960/61 season to win the Stanley Cup after 20 years back to Chicago. Beyond the ice he was an unusual hockey player, theaters, opera houses and museums visited. In 1968 he was also very very active in the peace movement. After the 1971/72 season, he finished his career in the NHL and moved to Switzerland. There he was active as a player-coach of the Lausanne Hockey Club and was also his hobby, skiing pursue increased.
Once again he turned to professional hockey. In the World Hockey Association, he played for the newly formed Chicago Cougars, where one for players that were popular in Chicago, was looking for. 29 games he played for the Cougars.
Not least, his passion for skiing took him to end his playing days in the American Ski Resort Vail, where he now lives.