Michael Andrew Nykoluk (December 11, 1934 – January 31, 2022) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. He played 32 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1956–57. The rest of his playing career, which lasted from 1955 to 1972, was spent in the minor leagues. He became the first assistant coach in the NHL and won the Stanley Cup in that capacity with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1974 and 1975, before serving as the Maple Leafs head coach from 1981 to 1984. He was the younger brother of longtime Canadian Football League player Danny Nykoluk.
Early life
Nykoluk was born in Toronto on December 11, 1934. He began his junior career in 1953–54 with the Toronto Marlboros of the Ontario Hockey Association. scoring 13 points in 10 games in the playoffs that year.
Playing career
thumb|right|upright|100px|The Hershey Bears retired Nykoluk's No. 8 in recognition of his 14 years of service to the team.
Nykoluk began his professional career with the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League (AHL) during their inaugural season in 1956–57. In the middle of that season, he was called up to play in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 32 games he played for Toronto, in which he scored four points, would be his only stint in the NHL. He was sent back down to the Americans and was subsequently traded with Ron Hurst to the Hershey Bears in exchange for Willie Marshall.
Nykoluk's number 8 was later retired by the Bears. At the time of his death, he was the Bears' all-time leader in games played (972), assists (636), and points (808). During his tenure, the Flyers won the Stanley Cup in 1974 and 1975. They met at his sister's wedding, where she was a bridesmaid. Together, they had four children.
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Coaching record
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:center;"
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! rowspan="2"|Team !! rowspan="2"|Year !! colspan="7"|Regular season !! colspan="4"|Postseason
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! G !! W !! L !! T !! OTL !! Pts !! Finish !! W !! L !! Win% !! Result
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! TOR !! 1980–81
| 40 || 15 || 15 || 10 || — || 40 || 5th in Adams || 0 || 3 || || Lost in preliminary round (NYI)
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! TOR !! 1981–82
| 80 || 20 || 44 || 16 || — || 56 || 5th in Norris || — || — || — || Missed playoffs
|-
! TOR !! 1982–83
| 80 || 28 || 40 || 12 || — || 68 || 3rd in Norris || 1 || 3 || || Lost in Division Semifinals (MNS)
|-
! TOR !! 1983–84
| 80 || 26 || 45 || 9 || — || 61 || 5th in Norris || — || — || — || Missed playoffs
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! colspan="2"|Total !! 280 !! 89 !! 144 !! 47 !! — !! 225 !! !! 1 !! 6 !! || 2 playoff appearances
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| colspan="13" style="text-align: center;" | Source:
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Awards and achievements
- Memorial Cup champion (1955)