tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101070682011-12-14T04:53:52.643+01:00Evereything about Swedish Hockey, without having to read Swedish!Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comBlogger821100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-71801306623901169132007-01-22T13:17:00.000+01:002007-01-22T13:20:36.422+01:00

Janne Karlsson takes over at Linköping. They have been very inconsistent this year not only from match to match but even during matches. Their last game against Frölunda they were playing well, dominating their opponent and posting a 2-0 lead through the first half of the game. Then suddenly a goal goes in, they lose all their self-confidence, and two more goals go in. Its 2-3 at the end of the

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-60071519236524030142007-01-18T12:24:00.000+01:002007-01-18T12:50:04.286+01:00

Sweden is no exception when it comes to nationalism. Swedes like to think of themselves as not nationalistic, at least not in the same way as Americans are, but they just have a different way of showing it. One of those ways was published today in a major newspaper by a columnist calling for an end to foreign players in Sweden.There is no reason to end or even put a quota on foreign hockey

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-45917856985083649942007-01-11T00:26:00.000+01:002007-01-16T16:26:43.218+01:00

A little late this year, but hey, this is a blog. :)Teams are listed in order of number of points so far this season.HV-71 - AJust like last year, they play well, have lots of talent and good leadership but one wonders if their goalie can help them through the playoffs. Excellent player in captain Johan Davidsson, he is scoring goals as well. Still, they could go out in the first round if they

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-3863660395181487122007-01-04T15:39:00.000+01:002007-01-04T15:56:03.133+01:00

LukashenkoA group of old-timers from Björklöven have decided to go play with a Tyrant in Belarus. What an embarrassment. I think they should stay and live there for a while, maybe they would not be so excited to go next time. Who will check the dictator? How about a little high-sticking? I dare you. Nah, you Björklöven guys are not tough enough to check a dictator. Pathetic.

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-27089523506206857202006-12-21T10:08:00.000+01:002007-01-04T16:04:03.049+01:00

Mattias ModigSweden has never really been known as a nation that produces stellar goalies. That may be about to change. Yes, Tommy Salo made an impression when he was playing in the NHL, and he has probably the best resume of any Swedish goalie ever, but there are some goalies who might challenge him and in the meantime change the perception of Sweden as a hockey nation - for the better.Firstly

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-14836909793218529112006-12-14T15:16:00.000+01:002006-12-14T15:24:45.048+01:00

But nobody cares. If you want to see how the second installment of this years European hockey tour ends up you can check out their official web site. Oh wait, there is no official web site, so you are basically outta luck. Try wikipedia instead.

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-42475648716252983042006-12-14T14:45:00.000+01:002006-12-14T14:46:57.686+01:00

Here is a good article on Johnny Oduya who is now playing for the Devils.

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-68125841455583559472006-12-12T12:21:00.000+01:002006-12-12T13:41:00.087+01:00

The first half of the year is almost done, the season almost at the half way point and it is time to take a look at some of the stars so far this fall. This list is of players that have made a difference to their teams as well as produced impressive individual stats. The most important player in this years Elitserien (The Swedish Hockey League) is clearly Niklas Bäckström. He leads the league in

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-75402240906590375832006-12-05T21:13:00.000+01:002006-12-05T21:30:49.755+01:00

After firing their coach and hiring a coach known as an "old timer", Frölunda has gone on a tear. In fact the entire league is looking a little more rational. Timrå no longer has such a big lead, Linköping and HV 71 are near the top as is Färjestad. Ergo, the main conclusion to draw this year is - parity. The league has amazing parity, only about 25 points separate the top from the bottom, and

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-33634686172201647442006-11-09T10:52:00.000+01:002006-11-09T11:20:09.976+01:00

So the first big international tournament of the year begins. The host Finland is probably the favorite, but Sweden will put in a good showing. The team is wholly drawn from Europe since it is nearly impossible to get NHLers to leave during the season. Five players are coming from the Swiss league, aside from that the rest of the players are playing in the Swedish Elitserien.Players to watch are

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1161347096060364042006-10-20T14:17:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:26.163+02:00

Frölunda continues to struggle and the inevitable calls for a coaching change are starting to pop up in the press. Clearly a change is needed. Stephan Lund was capable when he had experienced help, now that he has first year coach Calle Johansson at his side he is not looking so capable. He will not mix up his lines, he is really conservative and does not play the young players enough. Firing

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1160338699145801212006-10-08T22:11:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:26.099+02:00

The Swedes have a reputation, in the United States at least, as being sort of Communist. At least that is often the reaction from Americans when you tell them about high taxes here. But Sweden is far from Communist, in fact, if you go to the hockey games in one of the biggest arenas in Sweden you will see some very vulgar capitalism.The Frölunda team has advertising everywhere. On the ice huge

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1159460186611796322006-09-28T18:04:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:26.040+02:00

The league this year has much more parity than is usual. Or maybe that last few years have been an aberation and parity is the norm, but I don't think so. In any case, Frölunda has started the season poorly and there is pressure on the players and the coaches.Frölunda's worst start in 12 years (0-2-2) for a grand total of two points, has kept the fans away and put the spotlight on the coaching.

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1155324976440717212006-08-11T21:29:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:25.981+02:00

Steve Kariya has landed, he will wear number 18 for the Frölunda Indians this season. He has not spent much time in the rink this summer according to the press I have read, and has not felt so strong on his skates. He did score in the last pre-season game so perhaps he is not that rusty. Good to see a big name come in to town, of course, we wouldn't mind if his brother came along as well. Tommy

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1151855634125077222006-07-02T17:50:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:25.923+02:00

The Swedish hockey league has had amateur referrees and line judges since its inception. The league has not really had the revenues to support the stable of referees required and have them all be professional, that is to say, be full-time referrees with no part time work in the off season or even during the season.This year the league is going to experiment with two professional referrees.

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1148133096328143072006-05-20T15:23:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:25.819+02:00

Well, there is no Henrik Lundqvist but Sweden may still be able to pull off two world-class victories in one year. The "double" would be the combo of The Olympic gold medal and World Cup gold medal. Not bad.Sweden has to get by Canada first, and that is something of a tall order. The Canadians have had Sweden's number, they rarely lose to them and Swedes seem to have greater respect for Canada

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1145540739721997572006-04-20T15:30:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:25.700+02:00

Färjestad began the game with some quick goals, and hung on to win. They won their second championship in seven years but they have been in the finals every one of those last seven years, so this one was a while in coming.Färjestad was just hungrier. They had some big time players who came through for them, like their goalie Daniel Henriksson. The Swedish League has some pretty good goalies, not

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1145384850544651222006-04-18T20:18:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:25.595+02:00

Joel has not had as much press outside of Sweden as his twin brother Henrik has, not even in Sweden for that matter. But he is a solid player who I think will eventually play in the NHL, if that is his wish. He works really hardö digging in the corners, finishing his checks, playing with agression. He has come up big in some key moments, not least on Saturday when his goal in overtime tied the

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1145384171840315072006-04-18T20:10:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:25.475+02:00

There is no other word to use. Two game sevens, two huge collapsing sounds heard.The first was the loudest; HV-71 choking on a hockey puck fired right at them. They were leading the game 3 - 1 and Färjestad came back to win 4 - 3! What a collapse from the team that lead the league all season and had one of the best goaltenders in Stefan Liv. He is streaky however, and he can play poorly at times,

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1144233198800450902006-04-05T12:18:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:25.358+02:00

For the first time in Swedish hockey history (apparently) there will be two game sevens to decide the Semi-finals. Last night HV-71 got spanked by Färjestad 6 - 1 and Frölunda convincingly beat Linköping at home to force a game seven.The HV-71 game was remarkable in that within the first few minutes HV was already down 2 zip. The goals were pretty soft, one was just a soft lob from the right wing

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1143897735214538682006-04-01T15:06:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:24.913+02:00

The Swedish Elite League semis are here and the best teams have made it. But now, we will see if playoff hockey separates the men from the boys.The top four ranked teams are here: Frölunda Indians, Linköping, HV-71, and Färjestad. No surprises really, they all played well all season long. Now we will see if a hot goaltender emerges or if some player rises to seize the day. So far there are a few

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1140009112055610852006-02-15T13:57:00.000+01:002006-10-20T14:19:23.994+02:00

While most people are familiar with the Swedish hockey superstars who play in the NHL, like Forsberg and Sundin, few have heard of the three players on the Olympic team who play in Sweden. The three are;Stefan Liv - GoaltenderMika Hannula - ForwardRonnie Sundin - BackYou may have heard of Ronnie Sundin, he was in the Rangers organization for a while. He played with both the Rangers and the

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1136892501565813832006-01-10T11:55:00.000+01:002006-10-20T14:19:23.867+02:00

Here in Europe, the European Champions Cup has just been played, and Russia won. The team from Sweden, Frölunda, lost both their matches and the press here was filled with reports of how people were angry at them for not trying harder. They were picked by many to win.The tournament itself is not really taken seriously, it does not have the importance of the World Cup nor the Champions Cup in

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1135894475324648972005-12-29T23:12:00.001+01:002006-10-20T14:19:23.785+02:00

ESPN reports on the Ranger's resurgence this year. Here is a good quote;"Twenty-three-year-old Lundqvist, one of approximately 17 dark-haired Swedes, is coming off a four-season run with Vasta Frolunda of the Swedish Elite League."Goaltenders at this level usually come into their own around the mid-20s, or whatever, after a significant NHL experience behind a No. 1 guy," Renney said. "Henrik's

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1135894463107340662005-12-29T23:12:00.000+01:002006-10-20T14:19:23.697+02:00

ESPN reports on the Ranger's resurgence this year. Here is a good quote;"Twenty-three-year-old Lundqvist, one of approximately 17 dark-haired Swedes, is coming off a four-season run with Vasta Frolunda of the Swedish Elite League."Goaltenders at this level usually come into their own around the mid-20s, or whatever, after a significant NHL experience behind a No. 1 guy," Renney said. "Henrik's

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1134590743931347722005-12-14T20:50:00.000+01:002006-10-20T14:19:23.614+02:00

We have had a bit of a crisis in Gothenburg recently. First, we lost our first string goaltender Tommy Salo to injury, then we lost our second stringer to injury later in the same game. Since the league is about to go on a bit of a break, the management and coaches brought up some youngsters from the junior squad.And they are youngsters. Joel Gistedt is a few days past his eighteenth birthday and

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1133881236843962092005-12-06T15:56:00.000+01:002006-10-20T14:19:23.559+02:00

Ulf Rönnmark is still waiting. Waiting for the Swedish Hockey League to call him up and say "Come on back Ulf! All is forgiven!"It just ain't gonna happen.Ulf Rönnmark needs to realize two things; it is not okay to work for a gambling company and be a referee and it is not okay to work for a competitor of your employer. These things should be self-evident, but until Ulf realizes them he is just

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1133518054906974672005-12-02T10:31:00.000+01:002006-10-20T14:19:23.489+02:00

We are a little more than halfway through the season, time to hand out mid-term report cards!HV 71 - AHV 71 has played well in front of their outstanding goalie Stefan Liv. He has been solid and fiercly competitive, especially against Frölunda. They have scoring talent and they lead the league for a reason. They will have to turn it up a notch, as the cliche goes, in the playoffs.Frölunda -

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1131802356030906212005-11-12T14:08:00.000+01:002006-10-20T14:19:23.377+02:00

When one of the Swedish stars for the Detroit Red Wings was negotiating a contract, he told the American press that he was seriously considering moving back to Sweden to play and to allow his family to live in Sweden, his kids to go to Swedish schools. The American press seemed to raise a cynical eyebrow at this as just a move to increase his salary. The Red Wings re-signed him and he plays for

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1129745793132337572005-10-19T19:54:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:23.269+02:00

It is great to hear about the great stuff happening in the NHL, namely the good news surrounding Henke Lundqvist who is apparently doing really well. Here is some news straight from the horses mouth as it were. Henke is a great goalie, and the Swedish league appears to be a good precursor to the NHL, at least Henke is able to reproduce his success. The key is to make it through the bad spots,

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1128880238854683092005-10-09T19:39:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:22.956+02:00

Not only does this Ulf Rönnmark thing stink, it is getting stinkier. The man who made the decision to remove Ulf Rönnmark happens to work for a competing company, called Svenska Spel. Svenska Spel is the Swedish gambling monopoly. He also is the president of the Swedish Ice Hockey Association! Of which Svenska Spel is the chief sponsor. So did the government, trying to protect its monopoly, force

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1128877239242944722005-10-09T18:45:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:22.897+02:00

The Ulf Rönnmark saga has taken another odd turn. This time Ulf Rönnmark himself feels he will be completely vindicated from taking a job with expect.com, a sports betting firm. He may in fact be right, since who knows what information he hasö he claims he has certain information that he cannot reveal at this time which will get him his job back immediately. The odd thing is Ulf Rönnmark see

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1128876294385188312005-10-09T18:42:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:22.787+02:00

It was a good start, tying the Devils. The devils are no ordinary team, they are one of the most consistently good teams in the NHL along with the Red Wings. Henke did well to hold them to two goals in regular time. The Rangers are unbeaten and Henke has begun his career in the NHL, I think it will be a long one.

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1128082684530141132005-09-30T13:58:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:22.728+02:00

A new season has begun and it looks to be one dominated by youth. The NHLers are back in North America and some of the youngsters who did not get a chance to play last year are itching to show what they can do. Last night we saw a young group hit the ice; Defensman Richard Demén-WillaumeRW Kirill StarkovCE Sebastian KarlssonLW Anton AxelssonThis line, the ask line let's call it, looked good. Fast

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1127856257736802702005-09-27T23:18:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:22.670+02:00

The Swedish referee Ulf Rönnmark, who has a job with a gambling concern, is upset that he cannot report to work as usual and referee a professional hockey match. He thinks it a "strange situation" that he is under review.This is incredible. How can it appear strange when the referre has a direct effect on the game and presumably has a financial stake in the outcome? This is a true conflict of

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1127688617390727282005-09-26T00:40:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:22.606+02:00

It has always been a bit remarkable that gambling has had such a prominent place in the Swedish sports market. Ads for the gambling monopoly, Svenska Spel, owned by the government, are everywhere. Svenska Spel supports the national football team and is a major sponsor of the Elitserien. You can see how this might be a conflict of interest at best, and an opportunity for some serious graft at

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1127591464655354322005-09-24T21:29:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:22.529+02:00

Stockholm is Sweden's capital city. They think quite highly of themselves of course and when they lose to their rival Gothenburg it can be a painful event. One of the teams there, Djurgården, has been a powerhouse for years. It has had great players and coaches, even one who was credited with new strategies for an old game, (the torpedo offense.) RIght now Djurgården is on a bit of a high, their

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1126600049037388412005-09-13T10:24:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:22.443+02:00

Amazingly enough, many of the Swedish teams do not have information English. I think the marketing gene is left out of the Swedish DNA, although they have very funny commercials. I will try to list all the links to English content on this blog, and hopefully press some of the teams to do a little better for those of us whose mother tongue is not Swedish.

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1126598345931272352005-09-13T09:55:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:22.270+02:00

One of the main reasons for my love of hockey is Mark Messier. When he promised that we would win game six against the Devils in 1994, (I lived in New York City at the time,) I thought that was a bold and foolhardy prediction. New Yorkers know about boasts, and if you do not deliver you never live it down. The Rangers won the game, the series and the Stanley Cup, on the back of Messier. He is

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1125077523281094182005-08-26T19:25:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:22.128+02:00

Kristian Huselius and his pals who ended up on the front pages of the newspapers here last winter are getting the green light to come back to the Swedish National hockey team. A bit of a surprise really. The hockey association here seemed pretty quick to act and banned the players from the national team right away, before and formal police complaint was made. Perhaps they were a little hasty in

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1125077101329003442005-08-26T19:18:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:21.967+02:00

The Swedish Elitserien continues to be emptied of young talent. Maybe the Swedish Hockey association should have been tougher with the NHL about compensation and not signed the agreement directly. Russia and the Czech Republic both balked at signing the agreement, now it looks as though the Swedes are paying for it by losing good young players to the NHL. It will raise the profile hopefully of

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1124913106671028692005-08-24T21:45:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:21.682+02:00

The consequences of the new collective bargaining agreement have not really yet been seen. Even the general managers of European clubs can't be sure what the consequences are, in fact they are changing their positions from positive to negative. One reason is the the NHL is keen to take on some younger players; guys that are cheaper than established stars, have some upside, but are still green.

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1123938810583388102005-08-13T15:04:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:21.447+02:00

Johnny OduyaSo the Indians have now landed a couple of interesting new recruits. Tommy Salo and Johnny Oduya are both ready to play with new contracts. Salo looks to be a good replacement for Henke Lundqvist who we lost to the Rangers. Salo is not the best goalie in the world, and he had a tough season last year with all the expectations at Modo. He has some pretty big skates to fill here in

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1123615572774416002005-08-09T21:19:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:21.156+02:00

A recent article on Swedish Televisions web site quotes Håkan Loob, the general manager for Färjestad, and his justifications for why we will see some more NHL talent in the Eliteserien this year. The main reason is that the guys who played on the fourth or fifth line in the NHL are mostly without work or solid contracts. They are probably nervous and ready to sign a contract even if it is for

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1123248680247300572005-08-05T15:26:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:21.055+02:00

While the Swedish Ice Hockey Federation has signed the agreement with the NHL, both the Czech Republic and Russia have not. Both those countries want to be better compensated by the NHL for the players they lose to the American league. At issue is the "Player Transfer Agreement," from the IIHF web site - "The Player Transfer Agreement is a plan whereby the IIHF distributes money among the

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1123248285764399762005-08-05T15:21:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:20.946+02:00

And I do not blame him. I have no idea what is wrong with Modo, they had a dream team last year with Forsberg and Näslund yet they went out in the first round of the playoffs. They consistently have star players, like Salo, yet they manage to self-destruct. Now they are upset because Tommy Salo got out of his contract with Modo at the end of last season, ostensibly retiring, and now he wants to

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1123142249117970122005-08-04T09:57:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:20.865+02:00

It looks like there are discussions with Tommy Salo and Frölunda. If this works out it could be good news. It is tough to find a replacement for Henke but Salo might be the best available. It means that some of the younger goalies would stay in the junior system for seasoning and we would have two competent goalies the season out. I hope they work it out.

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1123062967139225842005-08-03T11:55:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:20.771+02:00

Daniel Alfredsson is going back to Ottawa, PJ (Pebben) Axelsson will play again in a Bruins jersey, Henrik Lundqvist is in New York. But we still may keep some NHL stars here in Sweden. The Indians may get to keep Samuel Påhlsson who has not accepted the qualifying offer from the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and is keeping his options open. Sami Salo may stay as well, he likes living closer to his native

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1122758904262208952005-07-30T23:21:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:20.696+02:00

I am unsure if this was on purpose or not but when you look at the draft it appears to be almost entirely North Americans drafted. There was a player from the Frolunda's B team at 122, and of course there were Europeans drafted, but at least half of all picks were Canadian and one fourth were American. That left few places for Slovakia, Sweden, Czech Republic, Russia, and Finland. In fact it is

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1122740451551029622005-07-30T18:13:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:20.593+02:00

Several Swedes from Frölunda were drafted in 2004 and it looks like there will be more this season. RICHARD DEMEN-WILLAUME, who was listed with the Eliteserien club but never played with them more than a few times, was drafted by Colorado. PJ Axelsson's brother, ANTON AXELSSON, is going to be a good player. I saw him in a pre-season match last year in Kungälv near his hometown, he played

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1122635963673931182005-07-29T13:16:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:20.530+02:00

Trevor Linden and other players on the NHLPA board, (including Daniel Alfredsson?), weakened Goodenow's strategy and linked players salary to NHL revenue. This ended the work stoppage but hurt the players since they are told by the NHL how much the NHL earns and the NHL lies. Perhaps the popular conception that hockey players are not very smart is true, but they falied to stand up for each other

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1122561518472122882005-07-28T16:36:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:20.460+02:00

Henke's page lives here - Henrik Lunqvist. Interesting to see if he makes the big club, their other drafted goalie is a Cuban-American and would be the first Cuban-American to play in the NHL. Still I'm rooting for Henke and when they get a chance to see him in action so will the rest of New York.

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1122380830136809052005-07-26T14:13:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:20.403+02:00

Espen Knutsen retires.It looks like Mattias Timander will stay in Sweden. That is godo news for Modo, bad news for the rest of the league. He is a tough back with size and a chip on his shoulder. Modo will probably lose Alexander Steen to Toronto though. He was a former Frölunda player, part of the effective farm system Frölunda has, but he did not produce as much at Modo. Interesting to see how

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1121691945177685182005-07-18T15:00:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:20.333+02:00

Yes, it is an obligatory blog title when you blog about hockey, but it is also true. The NHL will hit the ice again next fall. The issue for this blog is how it will affect the quality of play in Sweden, and in that regard there appears to be some pretty good news. Swedish television reports; "Konsekvenserna blir att unga svenskar väljer att stanna längre i elitserien och att äldre spelare kommer

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1120087997130510032005-06-30T01:31:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:20.244+02:00

I can understand this, Swedes are very particular. I think Forsberg and Näslund feel badly about the way they were treated in Sweden and they probably bonded while playing together for Modo. They both came under intense attack from the media for being rich, successful, and not loving every single thing about the motherland. Forsberg appeared here in Sweden in clothing ads with his girlfriend. The

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1119140535943839742005-06-19T02:07:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:20.122+02:00

There will be a salary cap in the NHL next year, the players have all but capitulated. If you want more info on the upcoming agreement I recommend visiting Eklunds Hockey rumors which seems to have an inside track.

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1118054497466160132005-06-06T12:33:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:20.060+02:00

It looks "cautiously optimistic" on the other side of the Atlantic before the new season in the NHL. I think the NHLPA has caved in and allowed a salary cap, a victory for socialism over capitalism. I say let the free market decide how much to pay a hockey player, just like the free market decides how much to charge for season tickets. Do the owners ever implement a ticket price cap? Nope, they

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1118010190115886252005-06-06T00:12:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:19.981+02:00

We lost Henrik Lunqvist to the USA this week. It is a bummer since he is clearly one of the main reasons for the success of the Frölunda Indians for the last few years. He goes to the New York Rangers now, and has a chance to play in the big leagues, in the NHL. The Rangers have some good goalies now, but they are older and they are probably ready to shed a couple of them and let some of their

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1116182412507562782005-05-15T20:34:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:19.922+02:00

Unfortunately I was wrong and the Swedes did not get a medal in this World Cup. Though the match with the Czechs was a great one, they still lost. They followed that with a bad loss to Russian and the whole thing leaves a bad taste in ones mouth. Not that the Swedes played poorly, they didn't, just that after the win against Canada I thought they had achange to compete for a gold medal. Not this

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1115998592524904282005-05-13T17:26:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:19.834+02:00

A tight match, like all the others in the quarterfinals. But this one was probably not as close as the others. While Switzerland played well, they were no match for the Swedes. In the seond period the Swedes were swarming, keeping the puck in the Swiss zone, the Swiss couldn't even ice it. A sweet goal high on Gerber put the Swedes ahead for good but there were some close calls for the Swiss

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1115899196203009422005-05-12T13:54:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:19.750+02:00

Here are the match-ups for the quarter finals! Interesting matches overall, especially the Czechs vs. USA. I think this will be tough for the Americans, the Czechs are really good, and they play a stifling defensive game which is not so fun to watch, but they win.Canada-Slovakia Czech Republic-USA Sweden-Switzerland Russia-FinlandMy predictions - Canada beats SolvakiaCzech Republic beats USA (

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1115732054096345382005-05-10T15:33:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:19.695+02:00

I was impressed by the Americans against Sweden, they played well. There was some very good goaltending on both sides, though Henrik Lundqvist from Sweden impressed me more, despite the loss. He faced tougher shots. The Swedes were clearly not in the right mental state for the match. The US was pretty fresh and eager after a close match against Canada, they had speed as they ran through the zone

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1115072831214380152005-05-03T00:16:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:19.629+02:00

Last night's match against Ukraine woke the Swedes up, they were much sharper tooday. They played with speed and went straight to the net instead of waiting for the perfect pass. Denmark has a good team, with some strong younger players. Their second line is called the baby line since it has three drafted youngsters. One of them, Regin, is going to play in Sweden next year and he is really

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1114988468561859082005-05-02T00:44:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:19.571+02:00

When Sweden plays a team like Ukraine you expect them to win easily. Sweden is one of the heavyweights of the hockey world and Ukraine is not really seasoned, not yet consistently successful in international play. Yet the Swedes struggled tonight. They did not play well. They did not play simple hockey. Instead they held the puck to long and waited for the perfect situation to shoot. Ukraine's

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1114890947820474222005-04-30T21:31:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:19.516+02:00

While looking at "the power rankings" I dug a little deeper to see which players played where this year. I knew that the Finnish team for example would have players who played this season in Sweden but I was surprised to find so many Canadians who played in Sweden this year. Morrison was in Linköping, and Turco was in Stockholm for a while. The overall list is below.Ranking Number of players

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1114641570320646272005-04-28T00:18:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:19.459+02:00

The World Cup of hockey is being held starting this weekend. Sweden is ranked 2nd in the world and certainly hopes for a medal. I think there is a strong chance of a medal, but I think that there are some really strong teams at the moment. Firstly, look out for Russia. They beat Sweden in the finals of the Euro Hockey Tour, two games - one in Sweden and one in Russia. The Russians looked sharp.

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1113833796558673422005-04-18T16:02:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:19.402+02:00

Though it was long predicted, it still feels really great that Frölunda has won at last. When we lost the first game there was a lot of naysaying and speculation, particularly from the papers in Stockholm. They said our backs were old. Well they may be old but they are brilliant. Along with Henke they shut down the opposition the rest of the way. Färjestad scored one more goal the rest of the

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1112887236706401402005-04-07T17:12:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:19.345+02:00

The first two games of the finals have been played with each team winning at home. You might think that means that it will be a close series. Well, maybe not. Firstly, Frölunda nearly came back from 0 - 2 to close the gap to 2 - 3, instead they failed to score and lost with an empty net goal, 2 - 4. When they came back to Göteborg however, the match wasn't close. It was 1 - 0 after 38 seconds and

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1112010430344325012005-03-28T13:31:00.000+02:002006-10-20T14:19:19.292+02:00

It will be a West Coast finals this year, with Färjestad and Frölunda squaring off. The two teams are only 3 hours away from each other so we should see lots of rival fans at each match. Färjestad went through the semis pretty easily, even though they ran into a determined team and a hot goalie. They won in four straight. Frölunda had it a little tougher, but in the end serveral things made it

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1111497736619911072005-03-22T14:09:00.000+01:002006-10-20T14:19:19.236+02:00

I have seen what José Theodore can do. He is an incredible goalie. He shutdown the Bruins one year when they had some pretty big stars like Jason Allison and Joe Thorton. He was sensational last night. He was well placed, all the shots Frölunda fired his way seemed to go right into his chest, no rebounds, or few rebounds. That is a sign of a goalie who knows the game and can see the play develop.

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1111273450652541232005-03-19T23:55:00.000+01:002006-10-20T14:19:19.164+02:00

Four straight and out, Luleå goodbye. Pretty amazing considering they had the great Thomas Holmström. He caused havoc in front of the net and was incredibly chippy. You can see why the Detroit Red Wings love him so much, he really is their kind of player. But Luleå had no defense, and no goalkeeping. Manny Fernandez did thet best he could but there were too many odd chances, and too many

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1109957438884344162005-03-04T18:11:00.000+01:002006-10-20T14:19:19.108+02:00

w00t w00t!! The playoffs are here! Tonight we start the second season, a three round tournament where through the best of seven games we find out who can slog through to be the Swedish champion. This year it is especially exciting because of all the great Swedish stars we have here. Peter Forsberg, Daniel Alfredson, Markus Näslund, Brendan Morrison, José Theodore, as well as some of the stars to

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1108997528904986922005-02-21T15:37:00.000+01:002006-10-20T14:19:19.048+02:00

You can feel it. the Scandinavium was rocking Saturday. Färjestad and Frölunda played hard and chippy. Frölunda went after Färjestad's best player right from the start, crushing him against the boards. The match was tied at the end of regulation and overtime. Färjestad deserved to win, they played harder. Chara and Souray were brilliant, but nasty too. Chara gat a 5 minute major that let Frolunda

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1108996232172768422005-02-21T15:18:00.000+01:002006-10-20T14:19:18.988+02:00

On this side of the Atlantic they still think there is a chance that the NHL will start again. I can't see why that is the case. Last week Timrå had to play without Mika Kiprusov who was told by his agent not to play. The reason was that if he played he would not be covered by insurance if he were hurt and would lose his NHL salary. He isn't going to get a NHL salary this year! The NHL owners do

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1108640482012234852005-02-17T12:02:00.000+01:002006-10-20T14:19:18.927+02:00

So now it is official. The NHL has collapsed. Perhaps now we will find a league that is truly international and can sustain itself with prudent ownership. But that seems unlikely. For us in Sweden we have the playoffs to look forward to. Despite the behaviour of some in the league, the interest is still high and the quality of play is strong. It should be a lot of fun.

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1108029764806108272005-02-10T10:37:00.000+01:002006-10-20T14:19:18.847+02:00

The various European hockey powerhouses (Russia, Czech Republic, Finland, and Sweden) all have tournaments during the season that interrupt the league play. Right now it is Sweden's turn. Sweden Hockey Games start today, read more about it here: http://www.swehockey.se/t2.asp?p=74847 The link is to a Microsoft ASP page with not much info. Sorry.

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1107264765524248902005-02-01T14:26:00.000+01:002006-10-20T14:19:18.769+02:00

In Sweden as in other European countries they have what they call "transfer windows." During the period when the window opens, players can be traded, and when the window closes one has to wait until it is re-opened. The transfer window in the Elitserien closed yesterday and we lost some good players. Marian Hossa left Mora, he will be missed. He was very fun to watch, obviously a great talent.

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1107171678277927272005-01-31T12:35:00.000+01:002006-10-20T14:19:18.712+02:00

Saw some real talent in the last few days. Aside from the solid Frölunda players, Markus Näslund, came to town with his Modo team. They also had Dan Hinote on the ice with some other exceptional Swedish talent. Two home grown Modo products; Per Svartvardet and Mattias Weinhandl, both promising players, played well. But the star of the night was Henrik "Henke" Lundquist who shut out one of the

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1106302684580694752005-01-21T11:08:00.000+01:002006-10-20T14:19:18.618+02:00

A recent NY Times article mentions two interesting aspects of the current lockout, which now appears to be a done deal. First Bill Clement says that the NHL players in Sweden don't care about their teams. Actually, he couldn't be more incorrect. Look at Peter Forsberg; even if there was an NHL season he would probably be with Modo trying to win a Swedish Championship. He cares a great deal and

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1106050796197093582005-01-18T13:13:00.000+01:002006-10-20T14:19:18.562+02:00

Tonight I get to see Daniel Alfredsson skate. He will be on a line with PJ Axelsson and Samuel Påhlson, Sami Salo and Christian Bäckman will be the defensemen since they tend to send a five man group out on the ice here in Sweden instead of slplitting up the defense and offense in to seperate units. This is a five man unit that could take on and beat any NHL unit, and this is Frölunda's second

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1105625705108620672005-01-13T15:10:00.000+01:002006-10-20T14:19:18.508+02:00

Here is a link to an article (in swedish) that talks about how many viewers saw the recent broadcast of "Hockey Night"; called "hockeykväll" in Swedish. This is a huge audience for a nation of 9 million, so more than 11% of the population was tuning in on a night when only two teams had played and highlights were limited. Granted the teams that were playing were two of the best, with Frölunda

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10107068.post-1105531586988673182005-01-12T13:00:00.000+01:002006-10-20T14:19:18.443+02:00

With the influx of all many NHL stars, Sweden has the best hockey league in the world right now. The NHL has foolishly decided not to negotiate with its players and the consequences are that many of the players are looking for another place to play. Sweden has turned out to be one of the best places for NHL stars because of the quality of play, excellent arenas, good crowds, and superior

Jeremiahnoreply@blogger.com