Bernie Nicholls
A scoring machine who shattered records with the Kings, becoming one of the most explosive offensive talents in hockey history.
Born 1961 (age 65)·Canadian ice hockey player·Birthday: June 24·Baby Boomers
Biography
Bernie Nicholls emerged from the small town of Haliburton, Ontario, to become one of the NHL's most electrifying scorers. Drafted in the fourth round by the Los Angeles Kings in 1980, he spent a decade as the team's offensive engine, forming a potent partnership with Wayne Gretzky after his arrival. The 1988-89 season was his masterpiece: playing on a line with Gretzky and Luc Robitaille, Nicholls racked up 70 goals and 150 points, entering a rarefied statistical air few have ever touched. His career, which spanned over 1,000 games with six franchises, was defined by a slick playmaking touch and a sharpshooter's accuracy. Despite his monumental numbers, his legacy is often framed by his absence from the Hockey Hall of Fame, a point of contention for fans who remember his peak as truly dominant.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Bernie was born in 1961, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bernie Was Born
The biggest hits of 1961
#1 Movie
101 Dalmatians
Best Picture
West Side Story
#1 TV Show
Wagon Train
Bernie's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1961Born
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1966Started school
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1974Became a teenager
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Could drive
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1979Could vote
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Turned 21
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1991Turned 30
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 40
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 50
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 60
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 65 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Scored 70 goals and 150 points in a single season (1988-89) with the Los Angeles Kings.
- Played in over 1,000 NHL games across six different teams.
- Recorded 1,209 career points (475 goals, 734 assists) in the NHL.
- Represented Canada in the 1984 Canada Cup tournament.
Did You Know?
He scored his 70th goal of the 1988-89 season into an empty net.
He once had a four-goal game in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the New York Rangers in 1992.
His nephew, Matt Nicholls, was also drafted by the Los Angeles Kings.
“I just wanted to put the puck in the net, and I found a way to do it.”
