Ice hockey is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hockey sticks to control, advance, and shoot a closed, vulcanized, rubber disc called a "puck" into the other team's goal. Each goal is worth one point. The team which scores the most goals is declared the winner. In a formal game, each team has six skaters on the ice at a time, barring any penalties, one of whom is the goaltender. Ice hockey is a full contact sport, and is considered to be one of the more physically demanding team sports.
The "Miracle on Ice" was an ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. It was played between the hosting United States and the Soviet Union on February 22, 1980, during the medal round of the men's hockey tournament. Though the Soviet Union was a four-time defending gold medalist and heavily favored, the United States upset them and won 4–3.
Henrik Zetterberg is a Swedish former professional ice hockey forward. He played his entire National Hockey League career, from 2002 to 2018, with the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL), for whom he would serve as captain for his final six seasons.
Mats Torsten Näslund, nicknamed "Le Petit Viking", is a Swedish former ice hockey player. He played as a left winger. Despite his small size at only five feet and seven inches, Näslund is best known for being one of the top forwards with the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens from 1982 to 1990. In addition to the Canadiens, Näslund played for Timrå IK, Brynäs IF, and Malmö IF of the Swedish Elite League, and HC Lugano of the National League A between 1975 and 1994. He made a short NHL comeback attempt in 1995 with the Boston Bruins following the 1994–95 NHL lockout, and retired after the season's conclusion.
Ice hockey tournaments have been staged at the Olympic Games since 1920. The men's tournament was introduced at the 1920 Summer Olympics and was transferred permanently to the Winter Olympic Games program in 1924, in France. The women's tournament was first held at the 1998 Winter Olympics.
The Triple Gold Club is the group of ice hockey players and coaches who have won an Olympic Games gold medal, a World Championship gold medal, and the Stanley Cup, the championship trophy of the National Hockey League (NHL). The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) considers them to be "the three most important championships available to the sport".
Frölunda Hockey Club, previously known as the Frölunda Indians, is a Swedish professional ice hockey club based in Gothenburg. They currently play in the highest Swedish league, the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), formerly the Elitserien, where they have played for most of the club's existence. They last played in the lower division, the Allsvenskan, in 1995. Frölunda have won the national championship title five times: in 1965, 2003, 2005, 2016 and 2019.
Tommy Albelin is a Swedish former ice hockey defenceman who is currently an assistant coach for Switzerland's national team. He also was world champion in 1987 and competed in the men's tournament at the 1998 Winter Olympics.
Kenny Per Anders Jönsson is a Swedish former professional ice hockey player.
Hans Inge Hammarström is a Swedish former professional ice hockey left winger. He played six seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Toronto Maple Leafs and St. Louis Blues between 1973 and 1979. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1964 to 1982, was spent in the Swedish Division 1 and Elitserien, the top leagues at the time. Internationally Hammarström played for the Swedish national team at several tournaments, including the 1972 Winter Olympics and five World Championships. After retiring Hammarström worked as a scout.
Hans Niklas Kronwall is a Swedish former professional ice hockey defenceman, who currently serves as an advisor to the general manager of the Detroit Red Wings. He previously played for the Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is one of the 30 members in the Triple Gold Club. Kronwall started his career in Järfälla HC in Sweden, and has played internationally for Sweden. In the NHL, Kronwall gained notoriety for being an open ice hitter, and the phrase "being Kronwalled" was coined to describe his signature back-pedaling hits. In 2008, he won the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings.
Bengt-Åke Gustafsson is a Swedish ice hockey coach and former ice hockey player. Gustafsson is a former head coach of the Sweden men's national ice hockey team, a post he held from February 2005 to May 2010.
Mathias Evert Johansson is a Swedish former professional ice hockey forward. He played 58 games in the National Hockey League with the Calgary Flames and Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2002–03 season. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1990 to 2010, was mainly spent in the Swedish Hockey League. Internationally Johansson played for the Swedish national team at four World Championships and the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Ulf Thomas Abrahamsson is a retired Swedish ice hockey player. During his career he played in the Swedish Elite League, the National Hockey League and World Hockey Association.
Ulf Ivar Erik Sterner is a Swedish former professional ice hockey forward. He played in nine IIHF World Championships for Sweden, where the team won seven medals: one gold, five silver, and one bronze. He was also a member of the silver medal team at the 1964 Winter Olympics. Sterner played for Forshaga IF from 1956–61, Västra Frölunda IF from 1961–64, and for the New York Rangers in 1964–65, before returning to Sweden to play for Rögle BK and Färjestads BK. He finished his career in England with the London Lions in 1973–74. On 27 January 1965, he became the first European-trained player to play in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2001.
Anders Karl Daniel Eldebrink is a Swedish former ice hockey defenceman who played in the SEL in the 1970s and 1980s. He also played 165 games for the Swedish national team.
Miroslav Dvořák was a Czechoslovak ice hockey defenseman. He played three seasons in the NHL with the Philadelphia Flyers from 1982 to 1985. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1969 to 1989, was mainly spent with HC České Budějovice in the Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League. Internationally Dvořák played for the Czechoslovak national team at several Ice Hockey World Championships, winning gold medals in 1976 and 1977, along with six silver medals, and a silver medal at the 1976 Winter Olympics.
Tord Göte Lundstrom is a retired Swedish professional ice hockey player and coach. Lundström won the Swedish Championship nine times playing for Brynäs IF, he also played for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Ice hockey in Sweden has a history going back to at least 1912 and is one of the country's most popular sports. The sport was first organized in the country by the Swedish Football Association (SvFF), which was a member of the IIHF in 1912. The ice hockey department of the SvFF eventually split off to become the Swedish Ice Hockey Association (SIHA) which today is still responsible for organizing Sweden's domestic leagues and its participation in tournaments internationally. The highest tier of men's ice hockey in Sweden, the SHL, brought in 1,974,388 spectators in the 2013–14 season, the highest overall attendance in Swedish sports. The SHL's average of 5,983 spectators per match is bested only by Allsvenskan, the country's top flight of association football.
Sweden 