Chicago Tribune columnist Bob Markus commented, "I've always thought that Nesterenko would have been the greatest player of all time if they played the game without a puck.

[citation needed] Following his NHL career, Nesterenko played for the Chicago Cougars of the World Hockey Association in 1973-74 after a year of coaching in Switzerland.

[10] He has worked as a disk jockey, a stockbroker, a travel broker, a freelance writer, a university professor, and a ski instructor.

[11][10] Near the end of Nesterenko's NHL career, he was interviewed for Studs Terkel's bestselling book, Working: What People do all Day and How They Feel About What They Do.

[citation needed] Eric Nesterenko spent his later life in Colorado[3] and died on June 4, 2022, at the age of 88.