Pelle Eklund
Encyclopedia
Per-Eric "Pelle" Eklund (born 22 March 1963 in Stockholm
) is a Swedish
former professional ice hockey
center
who played nine seasons in the National Hockey League
(NHL) with the Philadelphia Flyers
and Dallas Stars
and nine seasons in the Swedish Elitserien
(SEL) with AIK and Leksands IF
.
He came to the NHL in 1985, joining the Philadelphia Flyers
who had selected him 161st overall in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft
. He made an immediate impact, leading all rookies in assists with 51 and finishing 3rd in overall rookie scoring (behind only Kjell Dahlin
and Gary Suter
) in the 1985–86 season.
Over the next 9 seasons, Eklund made a name for himself as a slick playmaking center, topping the 50 assist mark on three occasions. He was also noted for his gentlemanly play, always finishing amongst the least-penalized players in the NHL. The high point of his career came in the 1987 playoffs, when his outstanding play helped carry Philadelphia to the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals
, as his 27 points were 4th in overall scoring and his 20 assists second to only Wayne Gretzky
.
Eklund's scoring touch mysteriously disappeared in the 1993–94 season, as he recorded only 1 goal and 18 points in 48 games for the Flyers. At the trade deadline, he was dealt to the Dallas Stars
, where he had a brief stint to finish his NHL career.
Eklund then returned to Sweden to play for Leksands IF
for the 1994–95 season. He re-discovered his scoring touch in one of the finest seasons of his career, as he led the SEL in assists and points and was named league MVP. He played 4 more seasons for Leksand before retiring in 1999 at age 36.
In 2005–2006, he served as an assistant coach for Leksand. He served as a scout for the Montreal Canadiens
until fired on 31 May 2010.
on the Bronze medal team, and in the 1984 Canada Cup
, in which Sweden made the finals. He was also on the European Championships gold-medal team in 1990.
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
) is a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
former professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
center
Centre (ice hockey)
The centre in ice hockey is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play is the middle of the ice, away from the side boards. Centres have more flexibility in their positioning and are expected to cover more ice surface than any other player...
who played nine seasons in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL) with the Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
and Dallas Stars
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The...
and nine seasons in the Swedish Elitserien
Elitserien
Elitserien, is a professional ice hockey league composed of twelve teams in Sweden...
(SEL) with AIK and Leksands IF
Leksands IF
Leksands Idrottsförening is a Swedish ice hockey team from the town of Leksand in the region of Dalarna. The team is currently playing in the second highest league in Sweden, HockeyAllsvenskan. Leksand has played 53 seasons in the top Swedish league – between 1951 to 2001, 2002 to 2004, and 2005–06...
.
Playing career
Eklund played for AIK of the Elitserien between 1981 and 1985, winning the league championship in 1984. He quickly became one of the top players in the league, winning the Golden Puck as Sweden's top player in 1984 - one of the youngest winners ever at the age of only 21.He came to the NHL in 1985, joining the Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
who had selected him 161st overall in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft
1983 NHL Entry Draft
The 1983 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec, on June 8, 1983. The NHL Entry Draft is the primary means by which players arrive in the National Hockey League. The St. Louis Blues did not participate in this draft, shortly after the league blocked the franchise's...
. He made an immediate impact, leading all rookies in assists with 51 and finishing 3rd in overall rookie scoring (behind only Kjell Dahlin
Kjell Dahlin
Kjell Dahlin is a retired professional ice hockey forward. He played for the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL in the mid 1980s.-NHL:Dahlin was drafted by the Canadiens in 1981 in the 4th round as the 82nd pick overall...
and Gary Suter
Gary Suter
Gary Lee Suter is a retired American professional ice hockey defenseman. He played his junior hockey for the Dubuque Fighting Saints, high school hockey at Culver Military Academy and then moved on to the University of Wisconsin–Madison...
) in the 1985–86 season.
Over the next 9 seasons, Eklund made a name for himself as a slick playmaking center, topping the 50 assist mark on three occasions. He was also noted for his gentlemanly play, always finishing amongst the least-penalized players in the NHL. The high point of his career came in the 1987 playoffs, when his outstanding play helped carry Philadelphia to the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals
1987 Stanley Cup Finals
The 1987 Stanley Cup Final was played between the Edmonton Oilers and the Philadelphia Flyers. The Oilers would win the series 4–3, for their third Stanley Cup victory.-Paths to the Final:...
, as his 27 points were 4th in overall scoring and his 20 assists second to only Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...
.
Eklund's scoring touch mysteriously disappeared in the 1993–94 season, as he recorded only 1 goal and 18 points in 48 games for the Flyers. At the trade deadline, he was dealt to the Dallas Stars
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The...
, where he had a brief stint to finish his NHL career.
Eklund then returned to Sweden to play for Leksands IF
Leksands IF
Leksands Idrottsförening is a Swedish ice hockey team from the town of Leksand in the region of Dalarna. The team is currently playing in the second highest league in Sweden, HockeyAllsvenskan. Leksand has played 53 seasons in the top Swedish league – between 1951 to 2001, 2002 to 2004, and 2005–06...
for the 1994–95 season. He re-discovered his scoring touch in one of the finest seasons of his career, as he led the SEL in assists and points and was named league MVP. He played 4 more seasons for Leksand before retiring in 1999 at age 36.
In 2005–2006, he served as an assistant coach for Leksand. He served as a scout for the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
until fired on 31 May 2010.
International
Eklund played 126 international games for the Swedish national team. He played in six IIHF World Championships and was on the gold medal Swedish team of 1991. He played in the 1984 Winter Olympics1984 Winter Olympics
The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from 8–19 February 1984 in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. Other candidate cities were Sapporo, Japan; and Gothenburg, Sweden...
on the Bronze medal team, and in the 1984 Canada Cup
1984 Canada Cup
The 1984 Canada Cup was a professional international ice hockey tournament played during the first three weeks of September 1984. The best-of-three final took place between Canada and Sweden, with Canada winning two games to nil...
, in which Sweden made the finals. He was also on the European Championships gold-medal team in 1990.
Awards
- Guldpucken Award (Golden Puck) as Sweden's player of the year in 1983–84
- Guldhjalmen Award (Golden HelmetGolden HelmetGolden Helmet may refer to:* Golden Helmet , an annual Polish speedway event* Guldhjälmen, a Swedish ice hockey award* Casque d'or , a 1952 French film...
) as the Most Valuable Player in the Elitserien in 1994–95 - 1984 Elitserien All-Star Team
- top scorer in 1984 Elitserien playoffs
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1978–79 | Stocksunds IF Stocksunds IF Stocksunds Idrottsförening, Stocksunds IF, SIF, is a Swedish sportsclub in Stocksund, just north of Stockholm. The club was founded on 3 January 1935 and at present it has sections for ice hockey, association football, figure skating and floorball... |
Swe-3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Stocksunds IF | Swe-3 | 17 | 8 | 2 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1980–81 | Stocksunds IF | Swe-3 | 19 | 13 | 20 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1981–82 | AIK | SEL Elitserien Elitserien, is a professional ice hockey league composed of twelve teams in Sweden... |
23 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | AIK | DN Cup | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982–83 | AIK | SEL | 34 | 13 | 17 | 30 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 1983–84 | AIK | SEL | 35 | 9 | 18 | 27 | 24 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 2 | ||
| 1984–85 | AIK | SEL | 35 | 16 | 33 | 49 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | Philadelphia Flyers Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League... |
NHL National Hockey League The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States... |
70 | 15 | 51 | 66 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1986–87 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 72 | 14 | 41 | 55 | 2 | 26 | 7 | 20 | 27 | 2 | ||
| 1987–88 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 71 | 10 | 32 | 42 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 1988–89 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 79 | 18 | 51 | 69 | 23 | 19 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 2 | ||
| 1989–90 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 70 | 23 | 39 | 62 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 73 | 19 | 50 | 69 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 51 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 55 | 11 | 38 | 49 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 48 | 1 | 16 | 17 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | Dallas Stars Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The... |
NHL | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 1994–95 | Leksands IF Leksands IF Leksands Idrottsförening is a Swedish ice hockey team from the town of Leksand in the region of Dalarna. The team is currently playing in the second highest league in Sweden, HockeyAllsvenskan. Leksand has played 53 seasons in the top Swedish league – between 1951 to 2001, 2002 to 2004, and 2005–06... |
SEL | 32 | 13 | 36 | 49 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1995–96 | Leksands IF | SEL | 29 | 3 | 16 | 19 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1996–97 | Leksands IF | SEL | 36 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 10 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 4 | ||
| 1997–98 | Leksands IF | SEL | 38 | 8 | 18 | 26 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1998–99 | Leksands IF | SEL | 37 | 8 | 17 | 25 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 1998–99 | Leksands IF | EuroHL IIHF European Champions Cup The IIHF European Champions Cup was an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation , which took place during a long weekend in early January. The winner was considered the official club champion of Europe by the IIHF... |
4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| NHL totals | 594 | 120 | 335 | 455 | 109 | 66 | 10 | 36 | 46 | 8 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Sweden Sweden men's national junior ice hockey team The Swedish men's national under 20 ice hockey team is the national under-20 ice hockey team in Sweden. The team represents Sweden at the International Ice Hockey Federation's World Junior Hockey Championship, held annually every December and January.Sweden's roster for the 1981 World Junior... |
EJC | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 1982 | Sweden | WJC 1982 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships The 1982 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships was the 6th edition World Junior Ice Hockey Championships and was held from December 22, 1981 until January 2, 1982. The tournament was hosted by the United States in various cities across the state of Minnesota with some games also played in the... |
6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | |
| 1983 | Sweden | WJC 1983 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships The 1983 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships was the 7th edition of the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships and was held in Leningrad, Soviet Union between December 26, 1982 and January 4, 1983... |
7 | 5 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 1984 | Sweden | Oly Ice hockey at the 1984 Winter Olympics At the 1984 Winter Olympics held in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, one ice hockey event was held: men's ice hockey. Most of the games were held at the Olympic Hall Zetra and some of the games in Skenderija II olympic hall.-Medalists:Source:* Gold -... |
7 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 0 | |
| 1984 | Sweden | Can-Cup 1984 Canada Cup The 1984 Canada Cup was a professional international ice hockey tournament played during the first three weeks of September 1984. The best-of-three final took place between Canada and Sweden, with Canada winning two games to nil... |
8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1985 | Sweden | WC 1985 World Ice Hockey Championships The 1985 Ice Hockey World Championships took place in Prague, Czechoslovakia from 17 April to 3 May. Eight teams took part, with each team playing each other once. The four best teams then played each other again. This was the 50th World Championships, and also the 61st European Championships of... |
10 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | |
| 1986 | Sweden | WC 1986 World Ice Hockey Championships The 1986 Ice Hockey World Championships took place in the Soviet Union from 12 April to 28 April. The games were played at the Palace of Sports of the Central Lenin Stadium in Moscow, and eight teams took part. Each team played each other once, and then the four best teams played each other again.... |
4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1990 | Sweden | WC 1990 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships -Final Round:-Consolation Round:Norway needing to keep their final game within four goals, lost four to nothing to the Germans, and were relegated.... |
10 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 4 | |
| 1991 | Sweden | WC 1991 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships -Final Round:-Consolation Round:No team was relegated because of the expansion to twelve teams.-World Championship Group B :... |
10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | |
| 1995 | Sweden | WC 1995 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships The 1995 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships was played in Stockholm and Gavle Sweden, from April 23rd to May the 7th, 1995. In the tournament finals, Finland won the gold medal by winning over Sweden 4-1 at the Globen arena in Stockholm. The Finnish goals were scored by Timo Jutila and Ville... |
8 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | |
| 1996 | Sweden | WC 1996 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships - Group 2 :- Quarterfinals :- Consolation Round 11-12 Place :Austria was relegated to Group B.- Semifinals :- Match for third place :- Final :-World Championship Group B :... |
6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | |
| Junior int'l totals | 17 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 6 | |||
| Senior int'l totals | 63 | 10 | 36 | 46 | 16 | |||