Welcome to Stockholm West: Vancouver’s Loaded With Swedes

Originally published in Rinkside in 2003

By Lucas Aykroyd

All year long, they’re going to hear the ABBA jokes. Questions about whether coach Marc Crawford is fluent in Swedish yet. Suggestions that General Motors Place should be renamed the Volvodrome.

So the Swedish members of the 2003-04 Vancouver Canucks may as well get used to it. Playing inspired hockey is always the best response.

But it will be hard to overlook that on any given night, this team can dress seven players from Scandinavia’s largest country: forwards Markus Naslund, Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, Magnus Arvedson, and Mats Lindgren, defenseman Mattias Ohlund, and goaltender Johan Hedberg.

It’s virtually unprecedented for a North American club to have so many Swedish regulars. While the NHL now features about 30 percent European content, Swedes are quite evenly distributed around the League, with some recent exceptions.

In 1998-99, the Ottawa Senators employed Arvedson, Daniel Alfredsson, Andreas Dackell and Andreas Johansson. The 2001-02 Toronto Maple Leafs countered with Mats Sundin, Mikael Renberg, Jonas Hoglund and Anders Eriksson, and the Detroit Red Wings won the Stanley Cup that year with Nicklas Lidstrom, Tomas Holmstrom and Fredrik Olausson.

With Vancouver hunting for its first Cup in its 34-season history, the entire team has something to prove, and that includes the Tre Kronor contingent.

Naslund faces two challenges. With the support of fellow First Team All-Star Todd Bertuzzi, he must maintain the form that earned him last year’s Lester Pearson Trophy as NHL MVP voted by the players. And the 30-year-old ace must provide the leadership that will make Vancouver a true championship contender.

“If you look at the whole group, from the goalies to our thirteenth forward, I think it’s a very strong team,” said the Canuck captain. “We’ll see what happens, but I’m optimistic.”

The Sedin twins believe now is their time to fulfill the promise general manager Brian Burke saw when he drafted them second and third overall in 1999. Criticized for weak physical play and skating in their first three NHL seasons, Daniel and Henrik have pumped up their off-ice training, and it could pay off on the scoreboard.

“I want to put up more offensive numbers,” said Daniel, who had a career-low 31 points in 2002-03. “I’ve learned the main difference between scoring in the NHL and in Sweden. Here, you’ve got to go to the net and work hard. When you get the chance to shoot, you’ve got to shoot. In Sweden you could get three or four good scoring chances per game, but here you’re lucky if you get two.”

With 39 points last year, Henrik has progressed a bit more quickly than his brother. His passing ability has earned him time on the top power play unit, and his defensive awareness is praiseworthy.

The Sedins used to feed off the energetic presence of linemate Trent Klatt. But now that Klatt has moved on to L.A., the twins must find a way to jumpstart themselves night after night. It’s essential for the 23-year-olds to play consistent hockey, rather than settling for a late-season surge as they often have.

“Over 82 games, it’s tough to be up for every game both mentally and physically,” said Henrik. “We can’t put too much pressure on ourselves. We said last year after the All-Star Break that we were just going to have fun and play the way we could, and that worked.”

Expectations for Mats Lindgren may not be as high, but the veteran center from Skelleftea is eager to get a certain monkey off his back. That’s the recurring back injury that caused him to miss most of training camp in 2002 and kept him out of Vancouver’s 2003 playoff run.

How did Lindgren feel about being unavailable to kill penalties and take big draws in those seven-game thrillers versus St. Louis and Minnesota?

“It was a nightmare. I was pretty happy with the year I’d had and the way the team was using me. For me to get injured in the end and not be able to be part of it was really tough.”

For the 6-2, 205-pound checker, staying healthy and improving on last season’s totals of five goals and nine assists would be a big step. Passing the milestone of 400 career NHL games should also be a nice milestone.

Lindgren and Magnus Arvedson both played for Farjestad of the Swedish Elite League in the mid-1990’s, and a Lindgren phone call helped Arvedson decide to sign with Vancouver as a free agent in September. The Canucks were excited to acquire this 1999 Selke Trophy finalist.

“I see depth and character,” said Bertuzzi. “Whenever you can add someone who’s been with a team like Ottawa that’s been winning for the last five or six years, it only helps. I think he’s capable of scoring 20 or 25 goals.”

“I’ve always been impressed with the way Arvedson plays,” added Trevor Linden. “He’s a good two-way player and he’s a big, strong guy who skates well.”

The Karlstad native may also set the tone off the ice. In Ottawa, Arvedson was nicknamed “The Machine” due to his intense workout routine, which regularly ranked him first in team fitness testing. He’ll get more playing time with the Canucks, who project him as a top-six forward.

Mattias Ohlund is generally rated Vancouver’s second-best defenseman after Ed Jovanovski. But those who follow the team closely might argue that point, considering the total package Pitea’s favorite son brings: physical play, positioning, poise, plus a team-best average ice time of 25:43 last year.

If there’s a downside to Ohlund, it’s the injuries. He missed half of the 1999-2000 campaign after catching a puck in the eye, and it took a long time for him to recover. This year, the big blueliner is still rehabbing a left knee injury that kept him out of last season’s stretch run and hampered his playoffs.

Yet such experiences have strengthened his character. Now in his seventh NHL year, Ohlund shows why the derogatory stereotype of the “Chicken Swede” is obsolete. He is full of grit and heart.

The final piece of Vancouver’s Swedish puzzle may also be the most intriguing. Johan Hedberg was ostensibly acquired from Pittsburgh to back up Dan Cloutier. But this 30-year-old graduate of Leksands IF has something on his resume that has eluded Cloutier and other celebrated goalies like Jose Theodore and Roman Cechmanek: a three-round run in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Hedberg carried the Penguins through 18 post-season games in 2001, posting a 2.30 GAA.

Asked about his relationship with Cloutier, Hedberg said: “I think he’s a great guy, and I think we’re going to get along awesome.” After a pause, he added: “I’m going to try to steal his job, obviously.” If Cloutier falters this season, or goes from gold to mud in a playoff situation, you might see Hedberg take over between the pipes.

Affable and articulate, Hedberg should be a perfect fit for the Vancouver dressing room. The Canucks take community involvement seriously, and Hedberg, Ohlund, Naslund and the Sedins were among the players who visited hospitals, schools and firefighting crews to lift their spirits during training camp in Vernon, five hours east of Vancouver.

Everyone loves to cheer for fellow countrymen, so you might assume the Canucks would now be Sweden’s favorite NHL team with their seven stalwarts. Not necessarily so, according to Swedish hockey journalist Peter Westermark.

“Colorado, Toronto and Detroit are the top three here, with the Avalanche winning the race,” Westermark said. “After those three, teams like Vancouver, Philadelphia and the New York Rangers also tend to be popular. As you can tell, it has a lot to do with success and prominent Swedish players.”

No kidding. Peter Forsberg and Nicklas Lidstrom are arguably the best players in the world at their respective positions, and Mats Sundin is a huge national team hero in addition to captaining the Leafs.

But then again, Markus Naslund isn’t exactly a nobody after racking up a League-best 88 goals and 194 points over the last two seasons.

You have to consider another factor. Vancouver may currently deserve the nickname of “Stockholm West,” but its geographical location limits the team’s visibility in Sweden.

“Playing on the West Coast is a drawback,” said Westermark. “Swedish TV shows NHL games mid-week, and there’s a big difference between staying up till 1:30 a.m. for the East Coast games and waiting till 4:30 to see the Canucks. As a result, they mostly televise East Coast games and a lot of Colorado road games. Also, hockey highlights on the early morning Swedish news are usually from the East Coast.”

So it may take a run at the Cup to fully capture the imagination of Swedish fans. And there is a Vancouver precedent for that.

Naslund has spoken of the “history of Swedish players here in Vancouver,” and one of the finest chapters in that book was written during Vancouver’s first trip to the Finals in 1982. Five Swedes took part in the Cinderella story, including slick forwards like Thomas Gradin, Lars Molin, and Per-Olov Brasar, and defenders Lars Lindgren and Anders Eldebrink. That spring, Vancouver fans revived “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” by the Swedish pop group Steam as their theme song.

Renowned for his passing and stickhandling skills, Gradin paced the Canucks with 19 points as they ousted Calgary, Los Angeles and Chicago before dropping four straight to the New York Islanders. Gradin ranks as one of the all-time great Canucks. The Solleftea-born center finished his career with 550 points and remains in the organization as a European scout.

Molin and Lindgren played over their heads in 1982. Brasar was less noticeable as he got into only six games, and Eldebrink was young and still learning. He would blossom into a fine international rearguard after returning to Sweden in 1983.

In the 1970’s and early 1980’s, some North American players wished more of the Swedes and other Europeans would go back home. As in any environment, the new minority had a tough time finding acceptance.

For instance, all-time NHL penalty-minute leader Dave “Tiger” Williams wrote in his 1984 autobiography: “I decided they were a bunch of floaters who just came to pick up easy money.” During his time with Vancouver, Williams said he nearly got into a fight with Molin at a team party, and he accused Gradin of indifferent play when the star was awaiting a new contract one season.

Things improved for later Swedish additions to the Canucks, from the sublime Patrik Sundstrom, who still holds the club record for most points by a center (91), to journeymen blueliners like Robert Nordmark, Leif Rohlin and Bert Robertsson.

Today’s climate is welcoming. The contributions of players like Naslund and Ohlund can’t be denigrated. “Honestly, I could care less about the nationalities,” said Naslund. “I don’t think anyone feels we’re a cliquey group or that the Swedish guys hang out too much together. I think we’re accepted like North Americans.”

“It’s not about us having seven Swedes on the team,” said Henrik Sedin. “We’re all different players. It’s not about where we’re born.”

But it does make a good storyline. Henrik himself has been spotted buying Swedish meatballs at the local IKEA, so he certainly hasn’t disowned his heritage.

Depending on how their seasons shake down, there’s even an outside chance that all the Swedish Canucks will don blue-and-yellow jerseys at the 2004 IIHF World Championships or the World Cup. Of course, another silver mug is their priority.

And if they get un-Swedishly swelled heads, they need only turn to Jarkko Ruutu for assistance. One of two Finnish Canucks along with Sami Salo, he recently joked in the spirit of Scandinavian rivalry: “It takes seven Swedes to come close to two Finns!”

Who needs ABBA jokes when you’ve got lines like that?

Swede Memories

While teams like Vancouver, Ottawa, Toronto, Colorado and Detroit have had lots of recent success with Swedish players, other clubs enjoyed a smorgasbord of Tre Kronor talent before them.

Calgary Flames (1984-85): It was unheard-of for two Europeans to lead their NHL club’s scoring derby in the 1980’s, but that’s what Kent Nilsson and Hakan Loob did with 99 and 72 points respectively. Both would win Stanley Cups, but not that year. The enigmatic Nilsson triumphed with Edmonton in 1987. Loob, whose name was often chanted by Calgary fans, tasted champagne with the Flames in 1989.

Montreal Canadiens (1985-86): Mats Naslund, the “Little Viking,” enjoyed his finest NHL moments as he helped Montreal to its only Cup of the 1980’s. The shifty forward paced the team with 110 regular season points and 19 in the playoffs. His countryman Kjell Dahlin got Calder Trophy consideration with a 71-point rookie campaign, but never rose to such heights again.

New York Islanders (1982-83): The fourth and final installment in the Long Island dynasty was also the most Swedish. Anders Kallur rebounded from a miserable regular season to post 15 playoff points. Teammate Bob Bourne praised Tomas Jonsson and Stefan Persson as members of the “best defense in the league.” Rookie winger Mats Hallin won his first Cup by appearing in seven games. It was the fourth for Kallur and Persson and the second for Jonsson. This was particularly delicious because they knocked off their archrivals, the Wayne Gretzky-led Edmonton Oilers, in the Finals.

Philadelphia Flyers (1984-85): While only two Swedes played for this Mike Keenan-coached team, one of them deserves special mention. Pelle Lindbergh became the first European goalie to capture the Vezina Trophy and make the First All-Star Team. He posted a playoff-best three shutouts en route to the 1985 Finals, where his Flyers fell in five to the Oilers. Lindbergh died tragically in a car crash on November 13, 1985. Defenseman Thomas Eriksson from Stockholm was his teammate.

Pittsburgh Penguins (1991-92): This was Pittsburgh’s second straight Cup run, and two Swedish towers of power patrolled the blueline: Ulf Samuelsson and Kjell Samuelsson. They weren’t related to each other, but they both did the dirty work in their own end. Ulf’s nasty physical approach and Kjell’s enormous wingspan kept opposing forwards at bay. Both would stretch out their careers till the dawn of the new millennium.

Winnipeg Jets (1977-78): The pre-NHL incarnation of the Jets may have been the most impressive as far as Swedes. They won the World Hockey Association title with a talented group that would go on to varying degrees of NHL success: forwards Anders Hedberg, Ulf Nilsson, Kent Nilsson, Willy Lindstrom, and Dan Labraaten, and defensemen Lars-Erik Sjoberg and Thommie Bergman. This paved the way for more Swedish stars in Winnipeg, like Thomas Steen and Fredrik Olausson. With the franchise now relocated in Phoenix, the tradition may continue with the Coyotes’ 2001 first-rounder, winger Fredrik Sjostrom.