Sports' Forgotten Heroes

On November 6, 2020, the National Hockey League lost a great one, Jim Neilson. A phenomenal defenseman for the New York Rangers for 12-years of his 16-year career, Neilson was the quintessential stay-at-home defenseman who made opponents pay. He’d stand them up at the blueline, hit hard, made opposing forwards think twice before planting themselves in front of the net. One fo Jim’s proudest accomplishments was when his teammates, Eddie Giacomin and Gilles Villemure won the Vezina Trophy in 1971. Neilson’s contributions to the their stellar goals-against-averages played an important role in their winning that trophy. But Jim was more than just a contributor. He was a leader. One of the team’s most important cogs as the Rangers went from pretender to contender and nearly pulled off the impossible when they took the Bobby Orr-led Boston Bruins to six games in the 1972 Stanley Cup Finals. Perhaps, had the Rangers found a way to win, Jim Neilson might be better remembered. But the fact is, he’s not, and that’s tru