Mattias Ohlund: Super Steady Swede

Originally published in Rinkside in 2007

By Lucas Aykroyd

The North Shore Mountains provide an imposing backdrop for Mattias Ohlund’s adopted home of Vancouver, Canada. They could also serve as a symbol for the strength and consistency that the veteran Swedish defenseman has brought to the Canucks since his NHL rookie campaign of 1997-98. Whether doling out big hits or delivering tape-to-tape passes, Ohlund simply gets the job done.

“He’s so solid,” said teammate and fellow Swede Daniel Sedin. “He rarely makes a mistake. You know what you’re going to get from him every game. Among the top Swedish NHL defensemen, he’s right up there. Nicklas Lidstrom does a little bit more offensively, but otherwise, Mattias is as good as anyone.”

The Pitea native’s package of skill and toughness is particularly essential for Vancouver this season, because the Canucks went through major transitions in the off-season. Not only was head coach Marc Crawford fired after the team failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2000, but key players such as Todd Bertuzzi, Ed Jovanovski, Anson Carter, Dan Cloutier, and Alex Auld ended up leaving town via trades or as free agents.

“We have a lot of new faces, whether you’re talking about our coaching staff or the limited number of returning guys from last year,” said Ohlund. “It’s a totally different team. It’s exciting. This year, we are focused on trying to win hockey games by playing well defensively. That’s where we build from.”

The 30-year-old is impressed with new head coach Alain Vigneault and his assistants, Rick Bowness and Mike Kelly, whose tendency is to reward the players who work the hardest, regardless of the names on the back of their jerseys or the size of their contracts.

“They’re extremely prepared,” Ohlund said. “They put in a lot of time, and they’re very good as communicators. As a group, they all bring different strengths.”

Early in 2006-07, the toughest thing for Vigneault to squeeze out of this group was clearly goal-scoring. In the 26 games the Canucks played in October and November, for instance, the club tallied two goals or less in regulation time on 19 occasions. Even with elite defensive talents like goaltender Roberto Luongo and veteran blueliner Willie Mitchell available to limit opposition chances, the scoring shortage was a major concern.

“The guys who are here have all proved they can score in the past,” said Ohlund, pointing to the likes of captain Markus Naslund, Brendan Morrison, the Sedin twins, Matt Cooke, and Jan Bulis. “We just have to find a way to be better. We have created scoring chances, but there are different reasons we haven’t been putting the puck in the net. Hopefully we can change that.”

Ohlund, however, downplays the notion that this season he should start engaging in the wild end-to-end rushes and constant pinching in from the point that characterized Ed Jovanovski’s style in Vancouver before the latter signed a five-year, $32.5 million deal with Phoenix this summer.

“I’ve never been a big points producer like Eddie,” said Ohlund. “I don’t think I’m suddenly going to take a leap from my usual 30 points to 60 or 70. But I do feel that I can be better offensively than I have in previous years. As a defensive group, though, we have to realize we don’t have that one guy who’s going to get 60 points. We all have to step up individually and make sure we’re a big part of the offense.”

Sami Salo, who tied with Ohlund and Ed Jovanovski for the team scoring lead among defenseman last year (33 points), is an obvious candidate to provide supplementary offense with his good on-ice vision and 100-mph slapshot. That’s as long as the big Finn manages to stay healthy, which has been a problem for him recently.

But Ohlund may also get more freedom to create scoring chances thanks to Willie Mitchell, who excels at playing the shut-down role against top opposing forwards. The Port McNeill, British Columbia product, blessed with a great stick and solid checking skills, signed with Vancouver on July 1 for four seasons at $3.5 million a year.

“Willie’s one of those guys you might not notice a lot, but he’s very good defensively,” said Ohlund. “Ask our top forwards how much they liked playing against him when he was with Minnesota. It’s not a lot of fun. That’s the type of defenseman this team has been missing for a few years.”

Ohlund cites Calgary’s Jarome Iginla and Philadelphia’s Peter Forsberg as the toughest forwards in the league to contain when they’re on top of their game. What’s the biggest challenge in terms of going man-to-man against those guys on a nightly basis?

“First and foremost, you know that if you make mistakes and don’t play on top of your game, there’s a pretty good chance they’re going to end up scoring on you. Every top player is different, but I just try to make sure I’m ready and focused when the puck drops. The nights when you have off-nights or don’t feel good, that’s when you get in trouble against top players.”

He also recognizes that the way defensemen go about stopping elite attackers has changed due to the NHL’s crackdown on obstruction. It’s drastically enhanced the flow and beauty of hockey since the lockout ended, but has also made life more difficult for defensemen, who can’t just bear-hug or cross-check their foes.

“Training-wise these days, I think it’s good to lose a little bit of weight and muscle,” said the 6-2, 220-pounder. “It’s so much about skating these days. The physical part of the game is not as big as it used to be. You have to keep up with guys. As time goes by, I think you’re going to see the average size of defensemen and forwards going down.”

Rookie Canucks blueliner Alexander Edler plays a heads-up, relatively non-physical style that should be a good fit for the new NHL, and Ohlund has helped the 20-year-old Swede get accustomed to the big time.

“When I first got called up from the Manitoba Moose to Vancouver, I played with Mattias for my first couple of games, and it was great,” Edler said. “He made me feel really comfortable on the ice, and we could talk Swedish back and forth. Being on the same team as him, you learn just from watching him play. And you can ask Mattias about anything. He’s a great guy, and he’s helped me a lot on and off the ice.”

Undoubtedly Ohlund sees a little bit of himself in Edler. In the not-so-distant past, he was the fresh-faced kid breaking in, looking up to star Swedish rearguards like Lidstrom, Calle Johansson, Fredrik Olausson, and the pioneering Borje Salming.

Originally drafted 13th overall by Vancouver in 1994, Ohlund made an impact in the Swedish Elite League with Lulea HF. He represented his country at three consecutive IIHF World Junior Championships, capturing two silver medals (1994, 1996) and a bronze (1996) and earning Best Defenseman honours in his final go-round.

The Canucks salivated over their elite prospect, but were unable to come to terms on a contract for him, and it nearly cost them Ohlund’s services altogether. The Toronto Maple Leafs signed him to an offer sheet in the summer of 1997, and Vancouver was forced to match it. He’s never looked back.

“I’m happy the way it turned out,” Ohlund said. “It’s my ninth year now, and Vancouver is a fantastic place to play hockey, even when things aren’t going well. I’m very fortunate that I’ve been able to stay this long with one team.”

In August 2005, he avoided going to arbitration with the club, inking a four-year deal that coincidentally happens to be worth the same amount as Mitchell’s contract.

“I wanted to stay here and my family wanted to stay here. I think Dave Nonis and the management felt the same way. So I’ve never had a big issue over contracts. I’ve always been very pleased over the years.”

One issue that Ohlund has had to deal with over the years, though, is the question of protective visors. He admits today that he probably should have continued wearing the shield he used as a youngster in Europe when he entered the NHL.

On September 21, 1999, an opposition shot during an exhibition game versus Ottawa struck Ohlund’s right eye, causing a loss of vision that required multiple surgeries and put him out of the lineup for 38 games. With cautionary cases like that in mind, should the League make visors mandatory?

“I have no problems playing with a visor now,” Ohlund said. “Players who say they can’t get used to it, well, you put it on for a few weeks and it shouldn’t bother anybody, in my opinion. It’s one of those things where you just have to get over a mental hurdle. Whether it should be mandatory or not, well, we’re all big boys. If you want to make the decision to not put one on, I think that should probably be left up to the individual player.”

Ohlund has no regrets about suiting up for Team Sweden at numerous senior-level international competitions. He owns three IIHF World Championship medals (silver in 1997, gold in 1998, and bronze in 2001), and has worn the Tre Kronor colors at all three Olympics featuring full NHL participation (1998, 2002, and 2006), among other accomplishments.

After Sweden’s shocking quarter-final loss to Belarus at the 2002 Olympics, Ohlund was eager for vindication at the 2006 Games in Turin, Italy. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to participate in the semi-finals or finals due to a rib injury versus Switzerland, and Detroit’s Niklas Kronwall took his spot. When Sweden claimed the gold with a 3-2 win over Finland, Ohlund technically wasn’t eligible to receive a medal under IOC regulations. But he was sent one anyway this summer.

“It was hard to sit out in the end, but injuries are part of the game. I’ve had my share, and you can’t control it. I’m happy we won, and I have a gold medal at home. So I guess when you turn 80 years old, you still have that to look at. In the future, I don’t know if I’ll care whether or not I played in the last two games.”

If Ohlund remains with the Canucks in 2010, he might even get to defend Sweden’s title on home ice at GM Place, with Vancouver hosting the next Winter Olympics. He hopes that’s the case, because he’s come to love living on the West Coast with his family.

With the tough travel schedule in the Western Conference, Ohlund takes advantage of every chance he gets to spend time with his wife Linda and their children, Viktor and Hannah. Viktor was born with his right leg slightly shorter than his left, and Ohlund has felt both pained and grateful, as any father would, to see his six-year-old son undergoing multiple remedial surgeries at the BC Children’s Hospital. It’s made him more appreciative of the good times the family enjoys.

“My kids love pancakes, so we like to go out for breakfast together,” said Ohlund with a smile. “We’ll hit up Denny’s for pancakes with whipped cream and strawberries.”

All Ohlund really needs to make life in Vancouver complete is a run to the Stanley Cup finals. In his time with the Canucks, the team has advanced no deeper into the playoffs than the second round (2002-03). He aspires to keep playing for years to come and finally make his NHL dreams come true.

“When you get older, you realize what a big part of your life hockey is. On good or bad days, it’s still something I love to do. You realize how fortunate you are to be part of this league. It’s a great lifestyle, and it’s treated my family very well. I’m 30 and I’d certainly like to play for a few more years. If I’m healthy, I see no limitations.”

Yes, the sky is still the limit for Mattias Ohlund. Kind of like the North Shore Mountains.

Five Fun Ohlund Facts

Ohlund likes playing Metallica to get pumped up before games, but his favorite band is U2.
If he wasn’t in the NHL, he’d like to be an NBA player.
Ohlund’s roommate on the road is Trevor Linden.
He played for the first Lulea HF club to ever win the Swedish League title in 1996.
An Internet site honoring Ohlund appears at http://ohlund.atspace.com/.