Hey, Let’s Remember: Nikolai Antropov
4 years ago
October 9, 2011. The NHL was back in Winnipeg, as the Atlanta Thrashers turned @Winnipeg Jets hosted the @Montreal Canadiens. Although the franchise was already 10 years old when it moved north in the Summer of 2011, there were a lot of exciting “First as a Jet…” moments that were highly anticipated and none more than the first goal from a Jet. It took a little while to get, as the Habs and All-Star goalie @Carey price made scoring a very difficult task, but finally at the 17:33 mark of the third period, Nikolai Antropov finally broke through.
Failed to load video.
And just like that, Winnipeg hockey history and a 6′ 6″ lanky forward from Kazakhstan were forever linked.
Nik Antropov was drafted 10th overall in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs. He ended up spending nine seasons with the Leafs, playing in over 500 games and scoring 125 goals and 291 points. He was traded to the New York Rangers for a 2nd round pick in 2009 in a trade deadline deal and in 18 games with the Rangers he scored seven goals and had 13 points for their playoff run.
He then signed with the Atlanta Thrashers that summer and arguably had his best season as an NHLer with 24 goals and 67 points – both career highs – in the 2009-10 season with Atlanta. He ended up with 40 goals and 108 points in his time with the Thrashers before they moved north.
31 years old and entering his 12th season as a pro, Antropov was used more as a middle-six forward who could provide a bit of a spark on the power play. When he laced up for the Jets in game one, he knew he wanted to be a part of history as he explained to Taylor Allen of the Winnipeg Free Press:
“I remember it was three or four days before (the game) and I was talking to my family and saying how badly I wanted to score that goal. When it actually happened, it was a surreal feeling. It was obviously too bad we lost that game, but it was unbelievable. The city came together as one. It was something that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
Antropov went on to have a respectable 15 goals and 35 points with the Jets in that inaugural season. The following year was the lockout shortened 2011-12 campaign and it was Nik’s last in the NHL. He spent two more years in the KHL before retiring in 2015 and returning to Canada to live and work with the Maple Leafs. His son Danil played this season for the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL and while eligible to be drafted in 2019, was not selected.
Failed to load video.
Failed to load video.
Failed to load video.
| Season | Tm | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | S | S% | TSA | ATOI | FOW | FOL | FO% | BLK | HIT | TK | GV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-10 | ATL | 76 | 24 | 43 | 67 | 13 | 44 | 126 | 19.0 | 205 | 18:14 | 481 | 627 | 43.4 | 35 | 82 | 30 | 40 |
| 2010-11 | ATL | 76 | 16 | 25 | 41 | -17 | 42 | 105 | 15.2 | 182 | 15:39 | 260 | 273 | 48.8 | 38 | 61 | 35 | 31 |
| 2011-12 | WPG | 69 | 15 | 20 | 35 | 0 | 42 | 95 | 15.8 | 177 | 16:31 | 283 | 369 | 43.4 | 41 | 94 | 25 | 23 |
| 2012-13 | WPG | 40 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 6 | 16 | 56 | 10.7 | 97 | 15:57 | 128 | 176 | 42.1 | 27 | 76 | 15 | 19 |
| 9 yrs | TOR | 509 | 125 | 166 | 291 | 54 | 477 | 937 | 13.3 | 1188 | 15:20 | 194 | 270 | 41.8 | 82 | 182 | 51 | 82 |
| 2 yrs | ATL | 152 | 40 | 68 | 108 | -4 | 86 | 231 | 17.3 | 387 | 16:56 | 741 | 900 | 45.2 | 73 | 143 | 65 | 71 |
| 2 yrs | WPG | 109 | 21 | 32 | 53 | 6 | 58 | 151 | 13.9 | 274 | 16:19 | 411 | 545 | 43.0 | 68 | 170 | 40 | 42 |
| 1 yr | NYR | 18 | 7 | 6 | 13 | -1 | 6 | 53 | 13.2 | 86 | 17:05 | 0 | 4 | 0.0 | 6 | 32 | 13 | 11 |
| Career | 13 yrs | 788 | 193 | 272 | 465 | 55 | 627 | 1372 | 14.1 | 1935 | 15:49 | 1346 | 1719 | 43.9 | 229 | 527 | 169 | 206 |
Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Original Table
Recent articles from Art Middleton
