Gustav Nyquist looked like any other hockey player as he walked past members of the media during Preds training camp at Ford Ice Center Bellevue.
… Except for the hot pink polish on his toenails.
“My girls got to me last night,” he said. “Just so everyone knows.”
Nyquist and his wife, Danielle, have two daughters, Charlotte (4) and Sophie (2), and another baby girl due in November. For him, a pink pedicure is nothing out of the ordinary.
“There's a lot of dress up going on,” Nyquist said. “A lot of glam. They’re rarely in regular clothes at home.”
A free-agent signing with the Nashville Predators this summer, Nyquist sheepishly admitted that he partakes in the aforementioned dress-up activities when his daughters tell him that “he has to” – but don’t expect the Nyquist girls to be lacing up their skates anytime soon.
“I've tried it out, but not yet,” Nyquist chuckled when asked if his daughters had shown any interest in playing hockey. “It’s one quick pass or shot if they can hit the ball or puck with the stick, and then they kind of move on to something else.”
Although Nyquist’s daughters may not share his love of hockey, they certainly influenced his decision on where he should continue his hockey career when he became a free agent this offseason. The Halmstad, Sweden native was one of a handful of splashy signings made by Preds General Manager Barry Trotz on his first official day on the job. Nyquist's versatility at even strength and experience playing up and down the lineup made him an appealing option for the Predators, and he didn't last long on the free-agent market.
“A lot of things come into play for me at this stage of my career,” Nyquist said. “It’s an exciting organization to come to. It's in the stage of trying to build a team that's going to be good for a long time here. There are a lot of key pieces in place, I thought, after what they showed last year, fighting for the playoffs with a lot of guys hurt. There are a lot of exciting young players coming up. Obviously, the city offers a lot, too, and I've heard nothing but great things about this place. With two kids and one on the way, raising a family here is going to be fun, too.”
A veteran of 703 NHL games with Detroit, San Jose, Columbus and Minnesota, Nyquist has amassed 428 points (175g-253a) in his career. He recorded 27 points (11g-16a) in 51 games split between Columbus and Minnesota in 2022-23, then added five assists in six postseason games for the Wild. At age 33, Nyquist brings valuable experience to a young Predators roster in the middle of an organizational reset led by a new general manager and a new head coach, and he embraces the opportunity to be a leader and a resource for his younger teammates.
“I think it's a fun role to be in,” Nyquist said. “I was kind of that guy in Columbus for a little while, because we had a really young team for most of my time there and I’m kind of used to that. But it's also nice to see [Nashville] bringing in a couple of older players like [Ryan O’Reilly] and [Luke Schenn]. It feels like we have a great mix with what was already here and then us coming in. I’m excited about that.”
Nyquist has also enjoyed an illustrious international career, earning a silver medal with Team Sweden at the 2014 Winter Olympics, a bronze at the 2014 World Championship, and helping the Tre Kronor to gold at the 2018 World Championship alongside new Preds teammate Filip Forsberg.
“You just think all Swedish guys know each other, right?” Nyquist joked before admitting that he and Forsberg did, in fact, know each other.
Despite his experience playing with Forsberg, it’s likely that we will see Nyquist play more minutes alongside some of his younger teammates. During the first week of training camp – and in Monday’s preseason game against Florida – he spent the majority of his time on a line with center Cody Glass and fellow free-agent signing Denis Gurianov.
“I'll play wherever Bruno puts me,” Nyquist said. “There’s tons of exciting players to play with on this team, Cody being one of them, obviously. I think [at training camp] we’ll kind of sort that out and see who fits where, and I'm sure, like everywhere else, it changes throughout the season. But there’s tons of exciting players to play with here.”
When he’s not on the ice – or at his daughters’ imaginary nail salon – expect to find Nyquist on the golf course. He’s in good company, as many of his new teammates in Nashville are avid golfers, though he may not get to hit the links as often as he’d like.
“I’m a big golfer,” Nyquist said. “I've been golfing since I could walk, basically. So golf has been a big part of my life growing up and still is. With young kids, you don't get that much time off, but it's good… Traveling, golf, family – that's about what I have time for.”
Nyquist, now settled in Nashville with his family, and with one preseason contest under his belt, is counting down the days until he takes the ice at Bridgestone Arena for the first time in Preds gold.
“It's always a good crowd when you get here,” Nyquist said. “Obviously, it helps to be next to Broadway. You get some rowdy fans in there, which is great. It makes it loud, and that's what you want as a player – a loud building to help with your energy and momentum for the home team. I can’t wait for the first game. It’s going to be awesome.”
