Bowling Green State University Athletics
L-R: John Burke, Ty Eigner, Nelson Emerson, Joe Quinn and Rob Blake with the Stanley Cup
A Voice From The Past: Nelson Emerson
November 28, 2012 | Ice Hockey
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- The Bowling Green State University ice hockey program is loaded with history and tradition, including a National Championship and two Hobey Baker Award winners among other accolades. Dozens of players have gone on to play professionally, with many going on to front office positions throughout the National Hockey League. Among all the names that have echoed through the halls of the BGSU Ice Arena, one name sticks out above the majority. Nelson Emerson (1986-90), a 5'10, 180 lb forward from Hamilton, Ontario, is one of the top offensive players to ever play on the collegiate level. He ended his career sixth on the all-time NCAA career scoring list with 294 points, 24 more points than any player in school history and the most ever by a player in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.
One of three players in school history to earn All-America honors twice, Emerson is the BG career leader in points and assists (182), and ranks sixth in goals (112). After his time at Bowling Green, Emerson went on to a successful career in the NHL, spanning from 1990-2002. Emerson played in 771 games over his pro career, recording 195 goals and 293 assists in stints with the St. Louis Blues, Winnipeg Jets, Hartford Whalers, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Ottawa Senators, Atlanta Thrashers and Los Angeles Kings.
Emerson retired in 2002, eventually joining the LA Kings' coaching staff as an assistant under head coach Marc Crawford. After three years behind the bench, Emerson moved to a player development position, where he now works as a member of the Kings' player development group. Last season the Kings hoisted Lord Stanley's Cup, marking yet another Bowling Green alum to play a part in reaching hockey's Holy Grail. Emerson, who was elected to the BGSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995, spoke with BGSUFalcons.com to talk about winning the Cup, and his college memories.
Nelson Emerson's Interview
Talk about your current position with the Kings.
Nelson Emerson (NE): My job right now is in player development. Once we draft players to our organization, then my job comes into effect, which is to go out and keep in touch with them and watch them play. I start to develop a relationship with them. Really just get to know them a little bit, so that when they become Kings, the transition is easier.
How did you get into that role?
NE: After I retired I was actually fortunate enough to join the coaching staff with the LA Kings as an assistant for two years under Marc Crawford. That was a great learning experience. It was great to get my foot in the door that way. It was very interesting and I learned a ton. About two years after that, I got into the player development role and that has been excellent. It is a very rewarding job. I'm able to watch our players in juniors or college and then we sign them and they go to the minors for a year or two. Then all of a sudden they become LA Kings and they have success. It is a very rewarding job.
What was it like being part of a Stanley Cup winning organization?
NE: As an ex-player, watching our guys play in the playoffs, it was mind-boggling how good we were. The way I describe it to people, is that for two months, every foot on the ice was contested, and for two months we never lost a battle. It was incredible. As an ex-player, someone who knows what they are going through, it was remarkable to watch our guys and how they handled a two-month long battle. A lot of the guys on the Kings have gone through our development program. So I felt a part of it when we did win.
Did you feel the same as if you were a player winning the Cup?
NE: Well, it felt good to see guys like Trevor Lewis or Dwight King, who have been through our development program. Especially after working on the fundamentals with them for years. That's hockey, doing all the little things and doing all the fundamentals correctly. And to see them have success in playoffs as a team, it was pretty cool.
What did you do with the Stanley Cup on your day?
NE: It was great, I had it for an evening in my hometown. We had a parade, which was excellent for a small town. The whole town rallied around it. And then I took the Cup back to my house with family and friends. I had my roommates from Bowling Green all came down for the night. We got a picture of just the BG guys with the cup, which was awesome. It was really special.
When you think back, what memories do you have of BG?
NE: I look back and I was lucky. I was there four years and we had great teams every year. That was pretty special. because I got to experience what college was all about for four years. I graduated and got a degree. I enjoyed everything that college had to offer. I went to football and basketball games, and I met my wife there. My roommates, including Rob Blake and Ty (Eigner), and I lived the college life as it was supposed to be lived. And we got to play hockey for a tremendous program, and a great coach in Jerry York, so I was pretty fortunate. While we had fun, we were also very serious about our hockey and our training. When someone allows you to go to a great institution like Bowling Green to play hockey, you have to make sure you enjoy all the other things it has to offer.
Is there a certain teammate or roommate that you stay in touch with?
My roommate the whole four years was Joe Quinn, who I keep in contact with regularly. He was kind of a rock for all of us there, including Rob Blake and myself. Just that class, we were very close. Guys like John Burke, Kevin Dahl and Ty (Eigner) who was a little younger, but we had a great group.
How often do you get back to BG?
NE: I get back, but not as much as I would like because of my job with development. We haven't had any kids in the CCHA, so I haven't had a chance to get back and watch, I think it's been a couple years.
How often do you talk about BG?
NE: Rob Blake and I coach our kids' hockey team together, so I think BG is brought up every day around here, it really is. We talk about it all the time. It feels like every story Rob (Blake) and I try to explain to anybody else, always comes back to Bowling Green, it's amazing. Every life event that we talk about, it always starts with a memory of college when something happened. That's definitely one way that Bowling Green is remembered around here.
Any favorite stories about BG?
NE: We used to take a trip to Lake Superior, and every time we would go we would stop half way for lunch. We always ended up having a huge snowball fight. That happened four years in a row. I'll never forget that, because guys would get hit in the head, or a snowball to the nose. We were 11 or 12 years old again, kind of like you should be when you are heading to a hockey game.
Talk about playing with current assistant coach Ty Eigner
NE: It was really neat, especially later after I went back to make sure I graduated. You could tell that he was going to be a coach, and a good one. The qualities that he has are special for coaches. The thing that was so important for him, was that he was always about the team. It wasn't about who was going to play the most, or who was on the power play. It was about how we were going to get things done correctly, and how we could do the right thing, you could see it even in college. He always seemed to do the right thing when it came to the group.
What are your thoughts about the CCHA, and the changing landscape of college hockey?
NE: Its obviously disappointing because the conferences were aligned for a number of years, it seemed right and a good fit to have Bowling Green playing schools like Michigan and Michigan State. Money and TV are the things that come to the forefront now, these things are happening and people are scrambling (to adjust). I think you have to remember the memories, and be fortunate that people achieved good things from the CCHA, now you have to move on and hopefully great things happen in the new league. It's what happens with time, things change and move in different directions, so you have to jump on that next train and make the most of it.
Emerson retired in 2002, eventually joining the LA Kings' coaching staff as an assistant under head coach Marc Crawford. After three years behind the bench, Emerson moved to a player development position, where he now works as a member of the Kings' player development group. Last season the Kings hoisted Lord Stanley's Cup, marking yet another Bowling Green alum to play a part in reaching hockey's Holy Grail. Emerson, who was elected to the BGSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995, spoke with BGSUFalcons.com to talk about winning the Cup, and his college memories.
Nelson Emerson's Interview
Talk about your current position with the Kings.
Nelson Emerson (NE): My job right now is in player development. Once we draft players to our organization, then my job comes into effect, which is to go out and keep in touch with them and watch them play. I start to develop a relationship with them. Really just get to know them a little bit, so that when they become Kings, the transition is easier.
How did you get into that role?
NE: After I retired I was actually fortunate enough to join the coaching staff with the LA Kings as an assistant for two years under Marc Crawford. That was a great learning experience. It was great to get my foot in the door that way. It was very interesting and I learned a ton. About two years after that, I got into the player development role and that has been excellent. It is a very rewarding job. I'm able to watch our players in juniors or college and then we sign them and they go to the minors for a year or two. Then all of a sudden they become LA Kings and they have success. It is a very rewarding job.
What was it like being part of a Stanley Cup winning organization?
NE: As an ex-player, watching our guys play in the playoffs, it was mind-boggling how good we were. The way I describe it to people, is that for two months, every foot on the ice was contested, and for two months we never lost a battle. It was incredible. As an ex-player, someone who knows what they are going through, it was remarkable to watch our guys and how they handled a two-month long battle. A lot of the guys on the Kings have gone through our development program. So I felt a part of it when we did win.
What did you do with the Stanley Cup on your day?
NE: It was great, I had it for an evening in my hometown. We had a parade, which was excellent for a small town. The whole town rallied around it. And then I took the Cup back to my house with family and friends. I had my roommates from Bowling Green all came down for the night. We got a picture of just the BG guys with the cup, which was awesome. It was really special.
When you think back, what memories do you have of BG?
NE: I look back and I was lucky. I was there four years and we had great teams every year. That was pretty special. because I got to experience what college was all about for four years. I graduated and got a degree. I enjoyed everything that college had to offer. I went to football and basketball games, and I met my wife there. My roommates, including Rob Blake and Ty (Eigner), and I lived the college life as it was supposed to be lived. And we got to play hockey for a tremendous program, and a great coach in Jerry York, so I was pretty fortunate. While we had fun, we were also very serious about our hockey and our training. When someone allows you to go to a great institution like Bowling Green to play hockey, you have to make sure you enjoy all the other things it has to offer.
Is there a certain teammate or roommate that you stay in touch with?
My roommate the whole four years was Joe Quinn, who I keep in contact with regularly. He was kind of a rock for all of us there, including Rob Blake and myself. Just that class, we were very close. Guys like John Burke, Kevin Dahl and Ty (Eigner) who was a little younger, but we had a great group.
How often do you get back to BG?
How often do you talk about BG?
Any favorite stories about BG?
NE: We used to take a trip to Lake Superior, and every time we would go we would stop half way for lunch. We always ended up having a huge snowball fight. That happened four years in a row. I'll never forget that, because guys would get hit in the head, or a snowball to the nose. We were 11 or 12 years old again, kind of like you should be when you are heading to a hockey game.
Talk about playing with current assistant coach Ty Eigner
NE: It was really neat, especially later after I went back to make sure I graduated. You could tell that he was going to be a coach, and a good one. The qualities that he has are special for coaches. The thing that was so important for him, was that he was always about the team. It wasn't about who was going to play the most, or who was on the power play. It was about how we were going to get things done correctly, and how we could do the right thing, you could see it even in college. He always seemed to do the right thing when it came to the group.
What are your thoughts about the CCHA, and the changing landscape of college hockey?
NE: Its obviously disappointing because the conferences were aligned for a number of years, it seemed right and a good fit to have Bowling Green playing schools like Michigan and Michigan State. Money and TV are the things that come to the forefront now, these things are happening and people are scrambling (to adjust). I think you have to remember the memories, and be fortunate that people achieved good things from the CCHA, now you have to move on and hopefully great things happen in the new league. It's what happens with time, things change and move in different directions, so you have to jump on that next train and make the most of it.
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