Mats Naslund = “Le Petit Viking”

Jeff Gesner is the owner/operator of a small sports apparel/memorabilia business
called “The Stadium”. He spent some time in the scriptwriting business for film. The transition has been satisfying for Jeff being a sports fanatic.

I’ve been a hockey fan for as long as I can remember, I was wearing Montreal Canadiens t-shirts, hats, and socks long before I truly understood the game, even my toothbrush had the Habs logo on it. I also remember admiring a poster that hung above my bed for years.

The poster showcased Mats Naslund, a Swedish born NHLer who was drafted by the Canadiens in 1979. He was my favourite player growing up.

Mats played three years in Sweden before joining the Montreal Canadiens in 1982. In his first season as a Hab, he scored 26 goals and 45 assists for a total 71 points in 74 games. Naslund’s popularity quickly grew amongst the Montreal fans, he was the first European-born player to ever play for the Habs, and he was eventually nicknamed “Le Petit Viking” (The Little Viking).

Mats is the last Montreal Canadien player to earn over 100 points in a single season, he did it in 1985-86 with 110 points. He also led the Canadiens to their 23rd Stanley Cup championship in 1986 with 19 playoff points. Naslund won the Lady Byng Trophy in 1988 beating out Wayne Gretzky in the voting, he never had more than 19 penalty minutes in a season which ranks him as one of the most gentlemanly players of all time.

The 1989-90 season was a struggle for Mats, he posted a career worst 41 points, which led to his decision to leave the NHL and play in Europe the following season. Mats returned to the NHL after a four year hiatus signing with the Boston Bruins during the shortened lockout season in 1994-95. He played 34 games with Boston putting up 22 points; he then retired from professional hockey at age 36.

Mats played in part of nine NHL seasons, during that time he was a Lady Byng Trophy winner, four time all-star, Stanley Cup champion, and an Olympic Gold winner. He played 651 games, scoring 251 goals, 383 assists for a total 634 points. In addition he had 92 career playoff points.

Naslund paved the way for stars such as Peter Forsberg and Mats Sundin, he’s undoubtedly one of the greatest Swedish born players of all-time. He’s played in multiple World Hockey Championships representing Sweden, and he also constructed the 2006 gold medal winning team at the 2006 Winter Olympics as general manager.

Mats Naslund played his first NHL season the year I was born; he played left-wing and wore number 26. When I began playing hockey as a kid I selected left-wing and the number 26 as well. My oldest hockey memories are of Mats Naslund, and he’s a big part of why I’m a hockey fan today. He was my favourite player growing up; he still is my favourite player.

Related posts:

1. Tampa Bay Lightning Bolstering Roster with Tanguay Signing
2. Veteran Mike Sillinger Retires from Hockey
3. Chris Chelios a Maple Leaf?
4. Jason Allison is Attending Leafs’ Camp
5. The Montreal Canadiens Will Fail