[8] While Eric was regarded as an NHL prospect himself, his father encouraged him to seek an education first, which the younger Nystrom did upon earning a scholarship to play for the University of Michigan Wolverines in 2000.

[7] Nystrom established a hard-working style similar to his father's, which helped earn him an invite to play with the US National Development Program (USDP).

[11] He moved onto the University of Michigan, earning a place on the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) All-Rookie team in 2002 after scoring 18 goals and 31 points.

[13] Before turning professional, Nystrom completed his final three seasons of college eligibility, finishing with 111 points in 160 career games, and serving as the Wolverines' captain in his senior year of 2004–05.

[18] Nystrom chose to leave Calgary as a free agent, signing a three-year, $4.2 million contract with the Minnesota Wild on July 1, 2010.

Fedun suffered a broken leg and the play renewed calls for the NHL to move to no-touch icing to avoid similar incidents in the future.

[22] Dallas general manager Joe Nieuwendyk praised Nystrom as being an effective penalty killer who would add depth to his team.

[23] Though he was anticipated to play in a defensive checking role, Nystrom added an offensive touch for Dallas, scoring 10 goals in his first 21 games with the team.

[25] Due to the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Nystrom signed with Stavanger Oilers late November and made his debut in the Norwegian GET-ligaen in a match against Vålerenga on December 20.

[27] Nystrom left the Stars as a free agent following the 2012–13 NHL season and signed a four-year deal with the Nashville Predators worth $10 million.

[29][30] On June 29, 2016, Nystrom's three-year tenure with the Predators was brought to an end, as he was placed on waivers for the intent to buy out the remaining year of his contract.

[31] As a free agent, Nystrom was unable to attain an NHL contract opting to attend the St. Louis Blues training camp on a professional try-out offer on September 8, 2016.