Mats Naslund (b. October 31, 1959 in Timra, Sweden) was a Swedish ice hockey player. He played left wing.

National Hockey League Career

Naslund was selected 37th overall in the 1979 NHL entry draft . He was the second choice that year of the Montreal Canadiens. After three more years of playing hockey in Sweden, he joined the Canadiens for the 1982-83 NHL season . He was the first European-born player to play for Montreal.

In his rookie season of 1982-83, Naslund recorded 71 points in 74 games, finishing third on the team in scoring behind Guy Lafleur and Ryan Walter . That year, he was recognized as the left winger on the NHL All-Rookie team.

His offensive abilities quickly endeared him to Montreal fans, and he was given the nickname of "Le Petit Viking" (The Little Viking), a reference to his Swedish citizenship and his diminuitive stature.

Naslund's best NHL season came in 1985-86. He recorded 43 goals and 67 assists for 110 points, the first Montreal player to top 100 points since Lafleur in 1979-80, and the last Canadien to reach 100 points as of 2004. His 67 assists were an NHL record for a left winger until Kevin Stevens of the Pittsburgh Penguins recorded 69 in 1991-92. Joe Juneau of the Boston Bruins subsequently recorded 70 assists in 1992-93. In the 1985-86 NHL playoffs , Naslund led all Montreal scorers with 19 points as the Habs won their 23rd Stanley Cup championship, their first since 1979.

During his NHL career, Naslund was an infrequent visitor to the penalty box. Never logging more than 19 penalty minutes in any season during his career, his gentlemanly play was recognized when he was voted the winner of the 1988 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, beating Wayne Gretzky in the voting. During the 1988 NHL All-Star Game , his five assists established a record, and he was instrumental in helping Mario Lemieux set the All-Star Game record with six points.

After a sub-par 1989-90 season, Naslund left the Canadiens to return to Europe. He played one year in Switzerland, followed by three seasons in his native Sweden. He returned to the NHL to play for the Boston Bruins in the lockout shortened 1994-95 season . He left the NHL permanently after the season ended.

Naslund ranks eleventh on the Canadiens all-time scoring list, with 612 points in 617 regular season games.

International Career

Naslund is one of Swedish hockey's all-time great players, and as such represented his country at numerous international tournaments. As a junior, he represented Sweden at the 1978 and 1979 World Junior Hockey Championship, winning a silver medal in 1978 and a bronze medal the following year.

Naslund would go on to participate in five World Hockey Championships, winning a bronze in 1979, a silver in 1981 and a gold in 1991, his last appearance at the event. Because the World Championships occur at the same time as the Stanley Cup playoffs, Naslund was often not available for the event during his best years in Montreal. His sole appearance as an active NHL player came in 1983.

Naslund did get the chance to play for Sweden against the NHL's best players at the 1984, 1987 and 1991 Canada Cup, the forerunner to the World Cup. The Swedes lost to Canada in the finals of the 1984 event. They reached the semifinal game in both 1987 and 1991, losing to the USSR and Canada respectively.

Naslund also participated in two Winter Olympics, in 1980 and 1994. Sweden won the bronze medal in 1980 and the gold medal in 1994, that year defeating Canada in a memorable shootout. The gold medal in 1994 gave Naslund the distinction of having won the Stanley Cup, World Championship and Olympic Championship in his career.

Awards, Honors and Championships

• World Junior Championship All-Star Team, 1978
• Swedish Player of the Year, 1980
• Swedish league Champion, 1980, 1992, 1994
• NHL All-Rookie Team, 1983
• Played in NHL All-Star Game, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989(injured, did not play)
• NHL Second All-Star Team, 1986
• Stanley Cup Champion, 1986
• Lady Byng Trophy, 1988
• World Champion, 1991
• Olympic Gold, 1994

External link

Mats Naslund's career statistics at the Internet Hockey Database