Ronald Pettersson
Encyclopedia
Erik Ronald "Sura-Pelle" Pettersson (16 April 1935 – 6 March 2010) was a Swedish ice hockey
player. He played 252 international games for Sweden between 1955 and 1967, including thirteen World Championships
and three Olympic Games
. Between 1951 and 1967 Pettersson played for Surahammars IF
, Södertälje SK
and Västra Frölunda IF
. He won the Swedish championship twice, in 1956 with Södertälje and in 1965 with Västra Frölunda. He won Guldpucken
in 1959–60 as the most valuable player in Swedish Championship playoffs.
After suffering a career-ending injury in 1967, Pettersson took on the role as head coach for the Swedish national junior team
from 1968 to 1974, the Swedish national senior team from 1974 to 1976, and the Norwegian national men's team from 1978 to 1981. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame
in 2004, and his jersey #14 was retired by Västra Frölunda in 2002.
, a rural industrial town where the name Ronald was unusual, thus the locals nicknamed him Collman, after the famous actor Ronald Colman
. Pettersson was a natural athletic talent, in his youth he played tennis and table tennis with good results. He started playing bandy
as a goalkeeper since his skating was of poor quality, as he developed his skating ability he moved to the outfield. He played his first ice hockey game with Surahammars IF
's senior team in an exhibition game against Avesta BK during the autumn of 1952.
in Division 1, the highest level of ice hockey in Sweden at the time. He played five games, scoring no goals. The following season Pettersson played ten games, scoring nine goals, only one goal shy of the team's scoring leader Arne Holmgren
. Surahammar were relegated to Division 2 for the 1954–55 season, where Pettersson set a new club record as he scored 23 goals in seven games. In 1955 Pettersson left Surahammar as he was enlisted to do conscript service in the Swedish Navy
, stationed in Stockholm's archipelago. In Stockholm he was supposed to sign a contract with Djurgårdens IF
, but rival club Södertälje SK
were faster with the transfer papers and Pettersson signed with them instead. In 1956 he won the Swedish Championship with Södertälje, scoring one goal in the decisive game against Djurgården which Södertälje won 3–1.
and left winger Lars Erik Lundvall
, formed the legendary ungdomskedjan (youth line), one of the most successful and considered as Tre Kronor's best line ever.
He made his debut for Juniorkronorna in February 1954, and for Tre Kronor when they played two games against Norway in Stockholm on 26 and 27 November 1954. He was selected to Tre Kronor's roster for the 1955 World Championship, he scored his first tournament goal, assisted by Sven "Tumba" Johansson, in a 9–0 win against Poland in the last game of the championship.
in 1993 and later by Jonas Bergqvist and Jörgen Jönsson
.
He was inducted to the International Ice Hockey Federation
's (IIHF) Hall of Fame
in 2004.
He became the fiftieth ice hockey player to receive Stora Grabbars Märke
.
His jersey #14 is retired by Frölunda. In 2003 he was inducted as an honour member in Surahammars IF.
in Allsvenskan
, the top level football league in Sweden. When Pettersson was acquired by Västra Frölunda IF in 1960, Västra Frölunda's manager Anders Bernmar had talked IFK Göteborg into helping Västra Frölunda with the acquisition, after convincing them that Pettersson not only was a good ice hockey player but a good football player too. During the 1960 season, his first season with IFK, he scored two goals in eight matches in Allsvenskan, and fourteen goals in seven friendly matches. IFK Göteborg finished eight in Allsvenskan. The following season Pettersson scored two goals in six matches in Allsvenskan and matched the numbers in friendly matches. IFK Göteborg won bronze this season, Västra Frölunda had won promotion to Division 1 in ice hockey and Pettersson did not play football again.
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...
player. He played 252 international games for Sweden between 1955 and 1967, including thirteen World Championships
Ice Hockey World Championships
The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation . First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European...
and three Olympic Games
Ice hockey at the Olympic Games
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 programme in 1924. The women's tournament was first held at the 1998 Winter Olympics...
. Between 1951 and 1967 Pettersson played for Surahammars IF
Surahammars IF
Surahammars IF is a sports club in Surahammar, Sweden. The club was officially founded June 4, 1914, even though the activity started in 1911. The club now focus on ice hockey, but they have had several sections, of which the association football and bandy sections were of highest notability...
, Södertälje SK
Södertälje SK
Södertälje Sportklubb is a Swedish professional ice hockey club playing in HockeyAllsvenskan. Södertälje were charter members of Elitserien when the league was founded in 1975 and have since played 24 seasons in the league...
and Västra Frölunda IF
Frölunda HC
Frölunda Hockey Club, also known as the Frölunda Indians, are a Swedish professional ice hockey club based in Gothenburg. They are currently playing in the highest Swedish league, Elitserien, where they have played the majority of the seasons during its existence. The last time they played in the...
. He won the Swedish championship twice, in 1956 with Södertälje and in 1965 with Västra Frölunda. He won Guldpucken
Guldpucken
Guldpucken is awarded annually to the ice hockey player of the year in Sweden. It is similar to the NHL's Hart Memorial Trophy. Normally it goes to a player in the Swedish Elite League...
in 1959–60 as the most valuable player in Swedish Championship playoffs.
After suffering a career-ending injury in 1967, Pettersson took on the role as head coach for the Swedish national junior team
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...
from 1968 to 1974, the Swedish national senior team from 1974 to 1976, and the Norwegian national men's team from 1978 to 1981. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame
IIHF Hall of Fame
The IIHF Hall of Fame is a hall of fame which was established by the International Ice Hockey Federation in 1997, when 30 individuals were inducted at the world championships in Helsinki...
in 2004, and his jersey #14 was retired by Västra Frölunda in 2002.
Early life
Pettersson was born on April 16, 1935 in SurahammarSurahammar
Surahammar is a locality and the seat of Surahammar Municipality in Västmanland County, Sweden with 6,276 inhabitants in 2005.- References :...
, a rural industrial town where the name Ronald was unusual, thus the locals nicknamed him Collman, after the famous actor Ronald Colman
Ronald Colman
Ronald Charles Colman was an English actor.-Early years:He was born in Richmond, Surrey, England, the second son and fourth child of Charles Colman and his wife Marjory Read Fraser. His siblings included Eric, Edith, and Marjorie. He was educated at boarding school in Littlehampton, where he...
. Pettersson was a natural athletic talent, in his youth he played tennis and table tennis with good results. He started playing bandy
Bandy
Bandy is a team winter sport played on ice, in which skaters use sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal.The rules of the game have many similarities to those of association football: the game is played on a rectangle of ice the same size as a football field. Each team has 11 players,...
as a goalkeeper since his skating was of poor quality, as he developed his skating ability he moved to the outfield. He played his first ice hockey game with Surahammars IF
Surahammars IF
Surahammars IF is a sports club in Surahammar, Sweden. The club was officially founded June 4, 1914, even though the activity started in 1911. The club now focus on ice hockey, but they have had several sections, of which the association football and bandy sections were of highest notability...
's senior team in an exhibition game against Avesta BK during the autumn of 1952.
Playing career
During the 1952–53 season Pettersson debuted at age 17 for his hometown team Surahammars IFSurahammars IF
Surahammars IF is a sports club in Surahammar, Sweden. The club was officially founded June 4, 1914, even though the activity started in 1911. The club now focus on ice hockey, but they have had several sections, of which the association football and bandy sections were of highest notability...
in Division 1, the highest level of ice hockey in Sweden at the time. He played five games, scoring no goals. The following season Pettersson played ten games, scoring nine goals, only one goal shy of the team's scoring leader Arne Holmgren
Arne Holmgren
Arne Holmgren is a Swedish biochemist known as a redox pioneer. He studied medicine at Uppsala University in 1962 and became a medical student. He received his Ph.D. in 1968 from the Karolinska Institute where he became associate professor in 1969.- References :...
. Surahammar were relegated to Division 2 for the 1954–55 season, where Pettersson set a new club record as he scored 23 goals in seven games. In 1955 Pettersson left Surahammar as he was enlisted to do conscript service in the Swedish Navy
Swedish Navy
The Royal Swedish Navy is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet – as well as marine units, the so-called Amphibious Corps .In Swedish, vessels of the Swedish Navy are given the prefix "HMS," short for Hans/Hennes...
, stationed in Stockholm's archipelago. In Stockholm he was supposed to sign a contract with Djurgårdens IF
Djurgårdens IF Hockey
Djurgårdens IF Hockey are a professional ice hockey team based in Stockholm, Sweden. They are the ice hockey department of the sports club Djurgårdens IF. The department was formed in 1922 with the help of Wilhelm Arwe and have since then become Sweden's most successful team, having won the Swedish...
, but rival club Södertälje SK
Södertälje SK
Södertälje Sportklubb is a Swedish professional ice hockey club playing in HockeyAllsvenskan. Södertälje were charter members of Elitserien when the league was founded in 1975 and have since played 24 seasons in the league...
were faster with the transfer papers and Pettersson signed with them instead. In 1956 he won the Swedish Championship with Södertälje, scoring one goal in the decisive game against Djurgården which Södertälje won 3–1.
International play
Pettersson played for Sweden in all thirteen international championships between 1955 and 1967, totaling 252 games for the national team. Pettersson, a right winger, together with centre Nisse NilssonNisse Nilsson
Nils "Nisse" Nilsson is a retired Swedish ice hockey player. He participated at the 1964 Winter Olympics, winning a silver medal. He was inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame in 2002.-External links:...
and left winger Lars Erik Lundvall
Lars Erik Lundvall
Lars-Eric Lundvall is a retired Swedish ice hockey player and coach.-External links:...
, formed the legendary ungdomskedjan (youth line), one of the most successful and considered as Tre Kronor's best line ever.
He made his debut for Juniorkronorna in February 1954, and for Tre Kronor when they played two games against Norway in Stockholm on 26 and 27 November 1954. He was selected to Tre Kronor's roster for the 1955 World Championship, he scored his first tournament goal, assisted by Sven "Tumba" Johansson, in a 9–0 win against Poland in the last game of the championship.
Playing style
Pettersson was a hard-working right winger, who played an efficient game and made every minute on the ice count. He was a fast skater, and had a well-developed goal-scoring ability. He was considered a team player, not a crowd pleaser or a man for newspaper headlines, despite his natural athletic talent. Like a chess player he always thought one step ahead, knewing what do to when he received the puck, he was sly, cunning, coldblooded and could always do unexpected moves. His passing game was of high quality and precision, he was a good shooter but rarely used powerful shots, instead he preferred well placed precision shots which had a remarkable ability to find the net.Legacy
With his 252 games Pettersson is ranked fourth all-time in games played for Tre Kronor. His feat was long considered an unbreakable record, but he was surpassed by Thomas RundqvistThomas Rundqvist
Thomas Per Rundqvist is a retired Swedish professional ice hockey player and now sporting director of Färjestads BK.Rundqvist started his senior ice hockey career in 1978 with the Swedish club Färjestads BK...
in 1993 and later by Jonas Bergqvist and Jörgen Jönsson
Jörgen Jönsson
Ulf Peter Jörgen Jönsson is a retired Swedish professional ice hockey player who last played for Färjestads BK of the Swedish Elitserien. He has represented the Team Sweden 285 times, making him the record holder for most games played in the national team...
.
He was inducted to the International Ice Hockey Federation
International Ice Hockey Federation
The International Ice Hockey Federation is the worldwide governing body for ice hockey and in-line hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 70 members...
's (IIHF) Hall of Fame
IIHF Hall of Fame
The IIHF Hall of Fame is a hall of fame which was established by the International Ice Hockey Federation in 1997, when 30 individuals were inducted at the world championships in Helsinki...
in 2004.
He became the fiftieth ice hockey player to receive Stora Grabbars Märke
Stora Grabbars Märke
Stora Grabbars Märke is an honorary award within Swedish sports, created in 1928 by Bo Ekelund. The recipients are called a 'Stor Grabb' and has to gather a certain amount of points according to different rules depending on the sport in question...
.
His jersey #14 is retired by Frölunda. In 2003 he was inducted as an honour member in Surahammars IF.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 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 | ||
| 1952–53 | Surahammars IF Surahammars IF Surahammars IF is a sports club in Surahammar, Sweden. The club was officially founded June 4, 1914, even though the activity started in 1911. The club now focus on ice hockey, but they have had several sections, of which the association football and bandy sections were of highest notability... |
Division 1 | 5 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1953–54 | Surahammars IF | Division 1 | 10 | 9 | — | 9 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1954–55 | Surahammars IF | Division 2 | 7 | 23 | — | 23 | 8 | 2 | 4 | — | 4 | 0 | ||
| 1955–56 | Södertälje SK Södertälje SK Södertälje Sportklubb is a Swedish professional ice hockey club playing in HockeyAllsvenskan. Södertälje were charter members of Elitserien when the league was founded in 1975 and have since played 24 seasons in the league... |
Division 1 | 10 | 11 | — | 11 | — | 6 | 8 | — | 8 | — | ||
| 1956–57 | Södertälje SK | Division 1 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 0 | ||
| 1957–58 | Södertälje SK | Division 1 | 14 | 24 | 15 | 39 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 2 | ||
| 1958–59 | Södertälje SK | Division 1 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 21 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1959–60 | Södertälje SK | Division 1 | 14 | 19 | 16 | 35 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 12 | ||
| 1960–61 | Västra Frölunda IF Frölunda HC Frölunda Hockey Club, also known as the Frölunda Indians, are a Swedish professional ice hockey club based in Gothenburg. They are currently playing in the highest Swedish league, Elitserien, where they have played the majority of the seasons during its existence. The last time they played in the... |
Division 2 | 14 | 33 | — | 33 | — | 6 | 9 | — | 9 | — | ||
| 1961–62 | Västra Frölunda IF | Division 1 | 14 | 9 | 13 | 22 | — | 7 | 4 | 4 | 8 | — | ||
| 1962–63 | Västra Frölunda IF | Division 1 | 13 | 23 | 14 | 37 | — | 7 | 3 | 1 | 4 | — | ||
| 1963–64 | Västra Frölunda IF | Division 1 | 21 | 20 | 10 | 30 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1964–65 | Västra Frölunda IF | Division 1 | 14 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 23 | 14 | 14 | 2 | 16 | 2 | ||
| 1965–66 | Västra Frölunda IF | Division 1 | 21 | 12 | 17 | 29 | 18 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 6 | ||
| 1966–67 | Västra Frölunda IF | Division 1 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 29 | 14 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 1967–68 | Västra Frölunda IF | Division 1 | 14 | 11 | 5 | 16 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Division 1 totals | 198 | 183 | 129 | 312 | 105 | 67 | 58 | 19 | 77 | 22 | ||||
| Division 2 totals | 21 | 56 | — | 56 | 8 | 8 | 13 | — | 13 | 0 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Tre Kronor | WC Ice Hockey World Championships The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation . First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European... |
8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 1956 Ice hockey at the 1956 Winter Olympics At the 1956 Winter Olympics held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, one ice hockey event was held: men's ice hockey. This tournament was also counted as IIHF World Championship and IIHF European Championship. For World Championships Pool B matches were also played between GDR, Norway and Belgium in Berlin... |
Tre Kronor | OG Ice hockey at the Olympic Games 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 programme in 1924. The women's tournament was first held at the 1998 Winter Olympics... |
9 | 5 | 0 | 5 | — |
| 1957 1957 World Ice Hockey Championships The 1957 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships were held between 24 February and 5 March 1957 at the Palace of Sports of the Central Lenin Stadium in Moscow, USSR.... |
Tre Kronor | WC | 7 | 9 | 7 | 16 | — |
| 1958 | Tre Kronor | WC | 7 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 0 |
| 1959 | Tre Kronor | WC | 8 | 6 | 0 | 6 | — |
| 1960 Ice hockey at the 1960 Winter Olympics At the 1960 Winter Olympics held in Squaw Valley, California, United States, one ice hockey event was held: men's Ice Hockey. This tournament was also counted as IIHF World Championship and IIHF European Championship. Games were held at Blyth Arena.Canada, the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and... |
Tre Kronor | OG | 7 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 2 |
| 1961 | Tre Kronor | WC | 7 | 5 | 2 | 7 | — |
| 1962 | Tre Kronor | WC | 7 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
| 1963 | Tre Kronor | WC | 7 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 1964 Ice hockey at the 1964 Winter Olympics At the 1964 Winter Olympics held in Innsbruck, Austria, one ice hockey event was held: men's ice hockey. This tournament was also counted as IIHF World Championship and IIHF European Championship. Games were held at the Olympiahalle Innsbruck.... |
Tre Kronor | OG | 7 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 |
| 1965 1965 World Ice Hockey Championships The 1965 Ice Hockey World Championships took place in Tampere, Finland, 3rd March - 15th March. Eight teams took part, each playing each other once. The Soviets were world champions, winning all of their games.-First round:-Second round:... |
Tre Kronor | WC | 7 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 2 |
| 1966 | Tre Kronor | WC | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| 1967 | Tre Kronor | WC | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Football career
Pettersson had a two year stint with IFK GöteborgIFK Göteborg
IFK Göteborg is a Swedish professional football club based in Gothenburg. Founded in 1904, the club has won 18 national championship titles, five national cup titles, and two UEFA Cups....
in Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan is a Swedish professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Swedish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Superettan...
, the top level football league in Sweden. When Pettersson was acquired by Västra Frölunda IF in 1960, Västra Frölunda's manager Anders Bernmar had talked IFK Göteborg into helping Västra Frölunda with the acquisition, after convincing them that Pettersson not only was a good ice hockey player but a good football player too. During the 1960 season, his first season with IFK, he scored two goals in eight matches in Allsvenskan, and fourteen goals in seven friendly matches. IFK Göteborg finished eight in Allsvenskan. The following season Pettersson scored two goals in six matches in Allsvenskan and matched the numbers in friendly matches. IFK Göteborg won bronze this season, Västra Frölunda had won promotion to Division 1 in ice hockey and Pettersson did not play football again.