Nick Fotiu

Nicholas Evlampios Fotiu (born May 25, 1952 in Staten Island, New York) is a retired American ice hockey forward, and is the first professional hockey player from Staten Island to play for the NHL's New York Rangers.

A left winger, Fotiu began his career in the World Hockey Association with the New England Whalers in the 1974–75 season. Two years later, he signed with his hometown Rangers, where his role as an enforcer endeared him to Ranger fans. He was loved for his fighting style, which he picked up as a golden-gloves boxer, and that he was the first NYC-born Ranger. Fotiu played with the Rangers until 1979, when he was claimed by the Hartford Whalers in the 1979 NHL Expansion Draft. Fotiu's popularity as a Ranger was enhanced by his willingness to throw pucks up into the Madison Square Garden "blue seats" after pre-game warmups, where previously he sat as a young fan. The "blue seats" were the least expensive and farthest seats from the action, far beyond where pucks would normally land during game play.

Fotiu's second tour with the Whalers ended when he was traded back to the Rangers during the middle of the 1980–81 NHL season, where he remained for five seasons. He was traded to the Calgary Flames in 1986 and helped them get to their first Stanley Cup finals appearance. Fotiu also played for the Philadelphia Flyers and briefly with the Edmonton Oilers before retiring from professional play in 1990.

After retiring, Fotiu moved into coaching, and was most recently an assistant coach of the Hartford Wolf Pack. Currently, Fotiu runs a successful construction business and a charitable foundation, in addition to doing public relations for the Rangers.

Legacy

• Ranked No. 100 on the all-time list of New York Rangers in the book 100 Ranger Greats (John Wiley & Sons, 2009).

External links

• Career statistics and player information from NHL.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or Legends of Hockey, or The Internet Hockey Database