Nik and the Nice Guys band stickman trademark Nik and the Nice Guys is a rock and roll party band formed in 1971 at St. Lawrence University . One of the founding members, Mike Keenan , went on to be a professional hockey coach. The group disbanded upon graduation but reformed in the 1980s in Rochester, NY while Keenan was coaching the Rochester Americans (AHL team.)[ 1] [ 2] [ 3] Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues .) [ 4] [ 5] [ 6] NHL coach Jacques Martin and former New York Giants and Jets punter Dave Jennings .[ 7] [ 8]
History
The original Nik was a classmate of the original band members (and college hockey player) at St. Lawrence University. "Nik was a real ladies man and was known as Nickie Nice Guy." explained publicist Mike Perry. "The band just started calling itself after him."[ 9]
Notable appearances
Starting with Super Bowl XX in New Orleans , Nik and the Nice Guys performed for the NFL and their corporate customers for nearly two decades.[ 10] [ 11] [ 12]
Nik and the Nice Guys were the house band for the Bob Uecker Sports Show[ 13] The Lighter Side of Sports from 1989-1990
On Saturday, June 15, 1991, Nik and the Nice Guys provided entertainment for the Wayne Gretzky Celebrity Sports Classic Softball Tournament in Brantford, Ontario , Canada (proceeds went to Canadian Association for Blindness.) Gretzky was the host, and sports stars who participated included Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly , Toronto Argos rookie Rocket Ismail , NHL Hall of Famer Gordie Howe , St. Louis Blues right wing and 1991 NHL MVP Brett Hull , Detroit Lions kicker Eddie Murray , and world class figure skater Kurt Browning . Hollywood stars who participated included Peter Weller , Alan Thicke , John Candy , James Woods , Terri Garr , Connie Selleca , and Catherine Mary Stewart .[ 14]
Nik and the Nice Guys had 12 performances for Olympic corporate clients in Barcelona, 1992.[ 15] [ 16] Prince Albert of Monaco , Connie Sellecca , George Foreman , and Sports Illustrated model Kathy Ireland who played air guitar on stage with the band.[ 17] [ 18]
On Saturday, February 20, 1993, Nik and the Nice Guys performed after the Amerks Alumni Celebrity All-Star Hockey Challenge in Rochester, NY. Clarence Clemons joined the band on stage, playing sax on his hit song You're A Friend Of Mine and Bruce Springsteen's Sherry Darling . Celebrities in attendance and on stage included Jason Hervey , Kelsey Grammer , Lochlyn Munro , Jerry Houser , and Matthew Perry .[ 19] [ 20]
The band performed at Buffalo, NY 's "Thursday at the Square " in 1994
On Saturday, December 4, 1999, Nik and the Nice Guys performed at the David E. Kelley Productions double-Emmy party in Hollywood, CA , celebrating the wins for Best Comedy (Ally McBeal ) and Best Drama (The Practice .)[ 21]
Nik and the Nice Guys performed for the NHL All-Star Game weekend in Raleigh, NC in January 2011.[ 22]
References
^ "Great Musical Moments in NHL History" .^ Ed Willes (2008). Gretzky to Lemieux: The Story of the 1987 Canada Cup ISBN 978-1-55199-177-1 ^ "A Realistic Glance At Hopes Of Playoff Berth For The Bills | Bob Matthews' Column | NewsRadio WHAM 1180" . NewsRadio WHAM 1180 . Retrieved 2017-01-02 .^ Allen, Kevin (January 30, 1991). "Blackhawks' Keenan sings different tune". USA Today Sports . ^ Brehm, Mike (November 9, 1995). "Blues coach once was rocker". USA Today Sports . ^ Lefebvre, Jean (February 24, 2008). "Frat House Rock". Calgary Herald . ^ "Why the Fans Should Vote Yasiel Puig into the All-Star Game - Bob Matthews' Column - NewsRadio WHAM 1180" .^ Osborne, Peter (October 21, 1985). "Nik & the Nice Guys". Rochester Business Journal . ^ Summers, Robert (December 21, 1989). "SPORTS WORLD HAS DISCOVERED 'JOCK AND ROLL' IN THE NIK OF TIME" . Retrieved January 23, 2017 – via http://buffalonews.com/ . ^ Quill, Greg; MacInnis, Craig (June 20, 1986). "Green On Red -- gone fishin' . The Toronto Star – via [1] [dead link ] ^ Spevak, Jeff (January 31, 1999). "Nik & the Nice Guys play it again - the Super Bowl festivities, that is". Gannett Newspapers . ^ "Sound bite - Super Bowl rock". Democrat & Chronicle . January 6, 1998. ^ Garner, Jack (June 14, 1989). "Nik and the Nice Guys get another cable TV gig". Democrat & Chronicle . ^ "Nice Guys will play for Gretzky". Times-Union . Rochester, NY. June 13, 1991. ^ Boeck, Greg (August 7, 1992). "Nik and the Nice Guys keep U.S. athletes rocking". USA Today . ^ "NICE GUYS LEAD THE WAY" . Rochester Democrat & Chronicle . August 16, 1992. Retrieved January 23, 2017 – via newspapers.com.^ Sherrill, Martha (August 6, 1992). "The Party That's Going for the Gold" . The Washington Post . Archived from the original on February 27, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2017 . ^ Forman, Craig; Thurow, Roger (August 6, 1992). "The Kings of Rhythm and Schmooze". The Wall Street Journal . ^ Morano, Mercedes (February 23, 1993). "Celebrities score with hockey fans". Times-Union . ^ Morano, Mercedes (January 12, 1993). "Stars on ice - for charity" . Democrat & Chronicle . Retrieved January 23, 2017 – via newspapers.com. ^ Githens, Lauri (December 4, 1999). "ROCHESTER 'JOCK AND ROLL' BAND WILL PLAY GLITTERING HOLIDAY BASH". The Buffalo News . ^ Matthews, Bob (January 26, 2011). "Big Ben gets the nod over Rodgers" . Democrat & Chronicle . Retrieved January 23, 2017 – via www.newspapers.com.
External links
