Attachments to athletes have been known to inspire people to name their pets and, in many cases, babies, after them.

But Paul Reddam went a different route in his homage to Nyquist. Reddam, a native of Windsor, Ontario, who owns thoroughbred horses, is a Detroit Red Wings fan, and with Windsor being so close to Detroit, he named his prodigious colt Nyquist after the Sweden-born forward, who then played for the Red Wings. On May 8, 2016, the 3-year-old colt, a 2-1 favorite, won the 142nd running of the Kentucky Derby.

During Nyquist's outstanding three-year career at the University of Maine he led the Black Bears in scoring and was No. 1 in the nation during his second season with 61 points (19 goals, 42 assists). He was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, given to college hockey's top player.

After his third season at Maine, Nyquist signed an entry-level contract with the Red Wings, who selected him in the fourth round (No. 121) of the 2008 NHL Draft following his second season with Malmö in Sweden.

Nyquist spent most of the next two seasons with Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League and helped the team win the Calder Cup in 2013. He began the 2013-14 season at Grand Rapids before being called up by the Red Wings and scored two goals in his first game of the season, against the Carolina Hurricanes on Nov. 21, 2013.

During a 10-game stretch from March 16-April 2, 2014, Nyquist scored 12 goals and had 14 points. He finished with 28 goals and 48 points in 57 games.

In Nyquist's first full NHL season in 2014-15, he finished with 27 goals and 27 assists in 82 games.

On July 10, 2015, Nyquist avoided salary arbitration by signing a four-year contract with Detroit. In 2017-18 he scored 21 goals.

Nyquist had an NHL career-high 60 points (22 goals, 38 assists) while splitting the 2018-19 season between the Red Wings and San Jose Sharks, who acquired him in a trade on Feb. 25, 2019. Ironically, the trade came just hours after he scored his last goal for the Red Wings in a game against the Sharks in Detroit.

NOTES & TRANSACTIONS

• Hockey East All-Rookie Team (2009)
• Hockey East First All-Star Team (2010, 2011)
• NCAA East First All-American Team (2010)
• NCAA East Second All-American Team (2011)
• AHL All-Rookie Team (2012)
• AHL First All-Star Team (2013)
• Traded to San Jose by Detroit for a 2nd-round pick in 2019 NHL Draft and a conditional pick in 2020 NHL Draft, February 25, 2019.
• Signed as a free agent by Columbus, July 1, 2019.