Nicholls's wife had been bedridden since the sixth month of her
pregnancy when he was traded by the New York Rangers to the Edmonton
Oilers on 4 October 1991. He declared that he would not report to any
team in Canada while his wife was bedridden. The Rangers refused to
leave him out of the deal, and the Oilers suspended him for refusing to
join them. Heather Nicholls gave birth to a boy and a girl on 29
November, 15 days ahead of the due date. An elated Nicholls announced
he'd play for Edmonton, having forfeited over $200,000 in salary during
his holdout, and made his debut on 10 December. Nicholls was widely
praised for putting his career in jeopardy so that he could be with his
wife.