Playing Career
Though a very effective goal scorer in juniors with the North Bay Centennials of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), with whom he once scored 62 goals, Kypreos struggled to score and immediately became known as an enforcer at the NHL level, a role he maintained throughout his pro career. He was never drafted by an NHL team, but was signed as a free agent by the Philadelphia Flyers on the eve of his second junior season. However, his NHL career began with the Washington Capitals. His best NHL season came in 1992–93 while a member of the Hartford Whalers, when he scored a career-best 17 goals while earning 325 penalty minutes, which was the fourth-highest penalty minute total in the league that season.
In 1994, Kypreos was a member of the Stanley Cup champion New York Rangers. He made his final NHL stop with his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs. As a Maple Leaf, his career ended as the result of a concussion sustained in a fight with the Rangers' Ryan VandenBussche in a pre-season game on September 15, 1997 when his face hit the ice after he was punched unconscious. After the injury, Kypreos suffered post-concussion syndrome and was forced to retire. He would finish his NHL career with 46 goals, 44 assists, 90 points, and 1,210 penalty minutes in 442 regular season games.
Read more about this topic: Nick Kypreos
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