Former Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Black Hawks center Eric Nesterenko of Flin Flon, Manitoba passed away on Monday at the age of 88 according to Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports. Nestrenko played 21 seasons in the National Hockey League from 1951 to 1972. He was with the Maple Leafs from 1951 to 1956, and then with the Blackhawks from 1956 to 1972.
In 1219 games, Nesterenko had 250 goals and 324 assists for 574 points. He had 1275 penalty minutes, 85 power-play points, 39 shorthanded points, and 31 game-winning goals.
A strong defensive forward, Nesterenko led the NHL in shorthanded goals twice. He had a NHL-high six shorthanded goals during the 1964-65 season and three shorthanded goals during the 1966-67 season, while with Chicago.
Nesterenko won one Stanley Cup in his career. It came with the Black Hawks in 1961, as Chicago beat the Detroit Red Wings in six games. In 124 playoff games, Nesterenko had 13 goals and 24 assists for 37 points.
Nesterenko also played in two NHL All-Star Games in 1961 and 1965. A year-later in 1965-66, he set a career-high with 40 points.
Prior to playing in the NHL, Nesterenko played his junior hockey with the Toronto Marlboros of the Ontario Hockey Association. After his 21 seasons in the NHL, Nesterenko played one season with the Chicago Cougars of the World Hockey Association. He had two goals and five assists for seven points in 29 games.
