Top 20 Swedish players of all time

weklof

Registered User
Jan 30, 2009
1,115
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Solna, Sweden
Hello

The way Daniel and Henrik Sedin has performed the last to seasons has certainly bumbed them up in the rankings of the greatest Swedish players of all time. In honor of this, I made a rankning of, in my view, the 20 greatest Swedish players. The list i probably scewed in favor of players from the late 90s/2000s since I've actually since them play.

1. Nicklas Lidström, D
2. Peter Forsberg, C
3. Salming, Börje, D
4. Pelle Lindbergh, G
5. Mats Sundin, C
6. HÃ¥kan Loob, W
7. Mats Näslund, W
8. Kent Nilsson, C
9. Sven Tumba, C
10. Henrik Sedin, C
11. Daniel Sedin, W
12. Daniel Alfredsson, W
13. Henrik Zetterberg, C
14. Bengt-Ã…ke Gustavsson, C
15. Ulf Sterner, C
16. Markus Näslund, W
17. Henrik Lundqvist, G
18. Pekka Lindmark, G
19. Calle Joahnsson, D
20. Stefan Persson, D
 

TheDevilMadeMe

Registered User
Aug 28, 2006
52,271
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Brooklyn
Are you putting a heavy emphasis on international play? You must be, because Markus Naslund clearly had a better NHL career than Mats Naslund, Nilsson, or Loob.


Also, I realize he has a sad story, but I really can't see any reason why Lindbergh should be ranked over Lundqvist.

Svedberg (defenseman from the 70s who sometimes beat out the Russians for awards in international play) had to be included somewhere.
 

Infinite Vision*

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The Sedin's or Zetterberg don't deserve to be ahead of Alfredsson, atleast not yet anyway.
 

begbeee

Registered User
Oct 16, 2009
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Slovakia
If you put emphasis also on international play as TDMM have said, I would love to see Jorgen Jonsson on very bottom of the list.
 

jkrx

Registered User
Feb 4, 2010
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Are you putting a heavy emphasis on international play? You must be, because Markus Naslund clearly had a better NHL career than Mats Naslund, Nilsson, or Loob.


Also, I realize he has a sad story, but I really can't see any reason why Lindbergh should be ranked over Lundqvist.

Svedberg (defenseman from the 70s who sometimes beat out the Russians for awards in international play) had to be included somewhere.

Markus Näslund has 3-4 years as a top player. I would rate Loob, Mats and maybe Kent over him too. I have noticed though that amongst americans Markus is extremely over valued.

Didnt we already have a thread about this though?
 

Hardyvan123

tweet@HardyintheWack
Jul 4, 2010
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Are you putting a heavy emphasis on international play? You must be, because Markus Naslund clearly had a better NHL career than Mats Naslund, Nilsson, or Loob.


Also, I realize he has a sad story, but I really can't see any reason why Lindbergh should be ranked over Lundqvist.

Svedberg (defenseman from the 70s who sometimes beat out the Russians for awards in international play) had to be included somewhere.

Lindberg at 4 is too high on what he actually did IMO and sadly wouldn't make my top 20.



The Sedin's or Zetterberg don't deserve to be ahead of Alfredsson, atleast not yet anyway.

I can see the case for the Sedin's being behind Alfie but Zetts playoff record get him close and he will eventually pass Alfie IMO.

Alfie gets a bad rap for playing on the Sens, he has had a great career and might be in my top 5 after Lidstrom, Foppa, Sundin, Salming.
 

vivianmb

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Jan 10, 2007
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winnipeg
www.whocares.ca
glad to see Stefan Persson on your list. he was an important part of the islanders dynasty.and has more cups than anyone else on your list. IMHO he is very underated.
 

Pear Juice

Registered User
Dec 12, 2007
807
6
Gothenburg, SWE
If based on sheer hockey skills, a top-20 list of Swedish players just has to include Lennart "Lill-Strimma" Svedberg. The Swedish Bobby Orr. A rushing defenseman shining in the late 60s/early 70s with much too short of a career. Sadly he passed away at the height of his career in a car accident in 1972. A Swedish All-Star in 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70 and 71. A WCH All-Star in 68, 69 and 70. Declined offers to play for both CSKA and Detroit.

I'd also love to see anyone dare put Jörgen Jönsson on a list, despite hardly playing in the NHL at all.

Maybe I would also consider Roland "Rolle" Stoltz. Probably the second most important part of the 50-60s dominant Djurgården team after Sven Tumba.
 

jkrx

Registered User
Feb 4, 2010
4,337
21
If based on sheer hockey skills, a top-20 list of Swedish players just has to include Lennart "Lill-Strimma" Svedberg. The Swedish Bobby Orr. A rushing defenseman shining in the late 60s/early 70s with much too short of a career. Sadly he passed away at the height of his career in a car accident in 1972. A Swedish All-Star in 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70 and 71. A WCH All-Star in 68, 69 and 70. Declined offers to play for both CSKA and Detroit.

I'd also love to see anyone dare put Jörgen Jönsson on a list, despite hardly playing in the NHL at all.

Maybe I would also consider Roland "Rolle" Stoltz. Probably the second most important part of the 50-60s dominant Djurgården team after Sven Tumba.

Svedberg is definitly a top-20 swede. Stoltz is up there too. Jörgen Jönsson was the heart and soul for swedish hockey.


Dont take this list too serious as I'm just doing it from memory and no immidiate research is behind it.

1. Lidström
2. Salming
3. Forsberg
4. Loob
5. Sundin
6. Svedberg
7. Tumba
8. Mats Näslund
9. Kent Nilsson
10. Holmqvist
11. Markus Näslund
12. Alfredsson
13. Sedins
14. Pekka Lindmark
15. Henrik Zetterberg
16. Sterner
17. Stefan Persson
18. Henrik Lundqvist
19. Lindbergh
20. Ulf Samuelsson
21. Gustafsson
22. Steen
23. Stoltz
24. Eldebrink
25. Rundqvist
26. Gradin
27. Lasse Björn
28. Willy Lindström
29. Tomas Sandström
30. Calle Johansson
 

The Kingslayer

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Aug 26, 2004
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Svedberg is definitly a top-20 swede. Stoltz is up there too. Jörgen Jönsson was the heart and soul for swedish hockey.


Dont take this list too serious as I'm just doing it from memory and no immidiate research is behind it.

1. Lidström
2. Salming
3. Forsberg
4. Loob
5. Sundin
6. Svedberg
7. Tumba
8. Mats Näslund
9. Kent Nilsson
10. Holmqvist
11. Markus Näslund
12. Alfredsson
13. Sedins
14. Pekka Lindmark
15. Henrik Zetterberg
16. Sterner
17. Stefan Persson
18. Henrik Lundqvist
19. Lindbergh
20. Ulf Samuelsson
21. Gustafsson
22. Steen
23. Stoltz
24. Eldebrink
25. Rundqvist
26. Gradin
27. Lasse Björn
28. Willy Lindström
29. Tomas Sandström
30. Calle Johansson

Forsberg> Salming
 

VanIslander

A 19-year ATDer on HfBoards
Sep 4, 2004
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Thomas Gradin was twice the competitor either Sedin is. Gradin performed well in big games, playoffs, captained the Canada Cup final team, took physical punishment and rode through it, handled it well, even gave some back when pushed.

The Sedins may pass him someday, but not yet.

a2777.jpg
 

Hardyvan123

tweet@HardyintheWack
Jul 4, 2010
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Vancouver
Thomas Gradin was twice the competitor either Sedin is. Gradin performed well in big games, playoffs, captained the Canada Cup final team, took physical punishment and rode through it, handled it well, even gave some back when pushed.

The Sedins may pass him someday, but not yet.

a2777.jpg


I'd have to agree here.

Gradin was much more than his points and had a better playoff and international career than either Sedin so far.
 

His Beardliness*

Guest
Pelle Lindbergh has Vezina. How is he not ahead of Lundqvist. I don't particularly care that his career was cut short. Also Loob deserves his high spot because he's still to this day the only swede to score 50 goals in a season.
 

seventieslord

Student Of The Game
Mar 16, 2006
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Regina, SK
Pelle Lindbergh has Vezina. How is he not ahead of Lundqvist. I don't particularly care that his career was cut short. Also Loob deserves his high spot because he's still to this day the only swede to score 50 goals in a season.

If you don't care that his career was cut short, then any discussion on why he was ranked that lower, would probably go nowhere with you.

Lindbergh did win a Vezina... it was also in a pretty weak year for goaltending. Lundqvist is a 3-time finalist and in his other three seasons has been generally considered one of the six best goaltenders in the NHL.
 

seventieslord

Student Of The Game
Mar 16, 2006
36,080
7,132
Regina, SK
I get the impression Gradin's grit is being overstated a bit here. I have 8 years of scouting reports on him, and they rave about his skating and puckhandling ability, but there are zero mentions of his non-offense skills and the books are not hesitant to lay it on thick when warranted. It does mention once, that he is a gentlemanly player and a Byng finalist. That's the only indication of toughness or lack thereof.

He did have a good playoff record, as the centerpiece of a poor team that had from 59-77 points in his time there, never once over .500. On one hand, it makes his 42 points in 42 games impressive since it always came against better teams. On the other hand, his offensive talents never took a team anywhere, except of course, for 1982.

As for whether the Sedins have passed him... come on. I am not a Sedins fan at all, and even if Gradin had grit to spare (which I am not convinced of), the difference in offensive dominance between the players is so much that the gap can't possibly be bridged.

Gradin's best offensive seasons saw him place 22nd, 33rd, and 36th in league scoring. Henrik Sedin has had three seasons significantly better than that (1st, 4th, 13th) and two others that, once the competition in the post-euro era is considered, were also more impressive than Gradin's best season.

People are going to want to hate on the Sedins right now, and that's fair enough given the way this series is going. But Gradin was, by comparison, a face in the crowd. The Sedins are superstars.
 

jkrx

Registered User
Feb 4, 2010
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Gradin might have been twice the competitor but he wasnt twice the player in either raw talent nor in offensive production.
 

Pear Juice

Registered User
Dec 12, 2007
807
6
Gothenburg, SWE
I would definitely consider the Sedin brothers greater players than Thomas Gradin. At this precise moment they seems to be out of their touch, but Henrik does have 21 points and leads the playoffs in assists. It's not like he has pulled a disappearing act. Henrik Sedin just has to be among the absoute best playmakers in the game right now, Gradin was never that close to the top.

Off the top of my head, I'd probably begin with something like this, and then develop from there. Probably made som egregious mistakes aswell.

1. Nicklas Lidström
2. Peter Forsberg
3. Börje Salming
4. Sven Tumba
5. Mats Sundin
6. HÃ¥kan Loob
7. Mats Näslund
8. Lennart Svedberg
9. Kent Nilsson
10. Henrik Zetterberg*
11/12. Henrik & Daniel Sedin*
13. Stefan Persson
14. Henrik Lundqvist*
15. Daniel Alfredsson
16. Markus Näslund
16. Jörgen Jönsson
17. Pelle Lindbergh
18. Tomas Jonsson
19. Leif Holmqvist
20. Roland Stoltz

*Some projection is involved in these choices.

Lots of other mentions: Kenny Jönsson, Calle Johansson, Tomas Sandström, Ulf Hedberg, Ulf Samuelsson, Tomas Holmström, Jonas Bergqvist, Ronald Pettersson, Jörgen Pettersson, Nisse Nilsson, Lasse Björn, Ulf Sterner, Tommy Salo, Pekka Lindmark, Leif Holmqvist, Bengt-Åke Gustafsson, Anders Eldebrink, Thomas Steen
 

VanIslander

A 19-year ATDer on HfBoards
Sep 4, 2004
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I get the impression Gradin's grit is being overstated a bit here.
No, it was stated, not overstated. You may imply that it is not true because you didn't read it in any books. I saw it, others saw it, and a very respected Canuck even detailed it, as you sdeventieslord must have known from at least two all-time board minor league drafts (AAA level no less) in which I profiled him:

All Time Draft subboard said:
... the talented pivot who captained Team Sweden to the finals of Canada Cup '84 and led the Canucks in scoring four consecutive postseasons, including a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals

Thomas Gradin
04F.jpg


"...he dished it out more than he had to take it... ... he had courage... he had heart ... he played well at both ends"
Those quotes come from a hockey player and a play-by-play announcer on the following 5-minute sports report hosted by Squire Barnes of BCTV/Global News:
:youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRyzQApEdDk

593 points in 677 NHL games (excellent 42 pts in 42 NHL playoff games). In all-star game (1985).

Gradin was a Canuck team co-MVP in Vancouver his rookie season, from a two-goal, three-point night his first game through to his 51st point in 76 games his first season, helping return the Canucks to the playoffs for the first time in three years, and, in fact, the team would go on to six consecutive playoff appearances with Gradin as top or second top scorer, Gradin scoring 20+ goals each season despite being more of a playmaker looking for passes. In 1982, as a 26 year old in his fourth year, the slick and sturdy Swede, led the team in scoring once again, with a career high 39 goals and 86 points. He followed that up by leading the team in scoring with 19 points in the 17-game Stanley Cup run in the famous 1982 postseason of Towel Power. He set up the first goal and scored the insurance marker as the Canucks won its first playoff game in franchise history against the Flames in the first round. In the next round he scored the only regulation goal for his team as the Canucks went on to win a 2-1 OT thriller over the Blackhawks in what still stands as the longest game in franchise history. That season Gradin was voted the team's most exciting player, the first time since he was so awarded in his rookie season. He was also deemed the best Swede in the NHL for that year, seven years after he had been labeled Swedish junior player of the year. Gradin played in Canada Cup '81 and was captain of Canada Cup '84, leading his team to the finals against Canada.

listed #2 on 50 Greatest Canucks list at
http://www.canucks.com/subpage.asp?sectionID=27

seventieslord said:
He did have a good playoff record, as the centerpiece of a poor team that had from 59-77 points in his time there, never once over .500. On one hand, it makes his 42 points in 42 games impressive since it always came against better teams. On the other hand, his offensive talents never took a team anywhere, except of course, for 1982.
Henrik Sedin took the Canucks nowhere except for THREE GAMES in ONE ROUND. You may value the regular season style of hockey more than the playoffs (after all seventieslord, you drafted Pierre Turgeon and convinced many he could help a team win the cup).

Those who didn't watch Gradin play and who highly value regular season and discount the playoffs and tourneys can be excused for finding it odd that someone who watched Gradin and Sedin play might actually think Gradin accomplished more and was more valuable to the team. I stand by my words: Thomas Gradin was twice the competitor either Sedin is. I never said he was Neely or Lucic. But he wasn't pushed off pucks and baby butted by goalies nor scurried away from physical play. Henrik Sedin was a LIABILITY through the first two rounds, the brothers having atrocious plus-minus then and Henrik's only goal being an empty netter. Yes, yes, yes,three games against the Sharks he exploded offensively, in what was very sloppy, brutal hockey from a playoff perspective. San Jose looked like Columbus or Florida not divisional champs. Anyways, to think Gradin is a better competitior and more valuable in playoff style hockey is not a stretch. I sure hope the Sedins prove themselves more valuable. Not in my books yet, and I ain't alone (us crusty old Canucks fans!).
 
Last edited:

seventieslord

Student Of The Game
Mar 16, 2006
36,080
7,132
Regina, SK
No, it was stated, not overstated. You may imply that it is not true because you didn't read it in any books. I saw it, others saw it, and a very respected Canuck even detailed it, as you sdeventieslord must have known from at least two all-time board minor league drafts (AAA level no less) in which I profiled him:

The sources I am using are by far the most objective of all, and they say nothing of grit or physicality. I realize you're not trying to call him a power forward, but I do think you're taking it too far as well. I'm just chalking this up to be another one of your pet players.

(after all seventieslord, you drafted Pierre Turgeon and convinced many he could help a team win the cup).

Absolutely he can - as a secondary player and with the right linemates. But I bet you think Gradin's a better player than him, too.

Those who didn't watch Gradin play and who highly value regular season and discount the playoffs and tourneys can be excused for finding it odd that someone who watched Gradin and Sedin play might actually think Gradin accomplished more and was more valuable to the team. I stand by my words: Thomas Gradin was twice the competitor either Sedin is.

Maybe he was, mainly because I don't think much about the Sedins' compete level. Doesn't make him a better player. I don't see anyone agreeing with you here aside from hardyvan.

The Sedins, it should be noted, already have played twice as many playoff games as Gradin did - by being more important cogs for much better teams for longer - and also in a time where 53% of teams make the playoffs... not 76%.
 

vadim sharifijanov

Registered User
Oct 10, 2007
28,585
15,948
so jorgen jonsson over his brother kenny, eh? when they played together, like on WC or olympic teams, was jorgen the better one? because kenny had a pretty stellar international career and, according to wikipedia, seems to have good accomplishments in the SEL considering he played there pre- and post-prime. and obviously he destroyed his brother in the NHL. but tell me more about what jorgen did in sweden, because i really don't know.
 

begbeee

Registered User
Oct 16, 2009
4,158
30
Slovakia
Jorgen Jonsson was homesick, it's not like he failed to play at NHL level. During his NHL season he made decent impact considering he played during peak of the dead puck era on a team where Mariusz Czerkawski was by far the best player.

I wouldn't exclude J. Jonsson from TOP20 for sure.
 

TheDevilMadeMe

Registered User
Aug 28, 2006
52,271
6,980
Brooklyn
Markus Näslund has 3-4 years as a top player. I would rate Loob, Mats and maybe Kent over him too. I have noticed though that amongst americans Markus is extremely over valued.

Didnt we already have a thread about this though?

Markus had 3-4 years as a top player in the NHL. Neither Loob nor Mats Naslund had a single year as good as Markus's short stretch of dominance. Again, I'm talking NHL only.
 

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