Kraig nienhuis biography of michael
1981–82...
Kraig nienhuis biography of michael
Others want to be rock stars.
Kraig Nienhuis got to be both.
Mind you, he was a classic late bloomer who overcame unlikely long odds in both cases, too.
After attending Renessalaer Polytechnical Institute from 1982 through 1985 when they won the NCAA championship, the undrafted Nienhuis emerged as an intriguing NHL prospect, sought after from as many as eleven teams.
He could skate and relished the physical game. For what he may have lacked in creativity in his game he made up for in effort. He had pro checker written all over him.
"In five years I went from house-league hockey to the NHL," Nienhuis said.
"It's a pretty incredible story."
"I didn't start to take hockey seriously until I was 18," he told The Hockey News back in 1985. "I played mostly semi-pro soccer and football until I was 18."
"Neener," as known to his friends, had played a lot of pond hockey to that point but his organized hockey experience was mostly with a church recr