For today\u2019s Swedish players, the impact of the 2006 gold medal team resonates to this day.<\/p>\n
At least for those old enough to remember.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s the proof, albeit in a small sample size.<\/p>\n
During the NHL\/NHLPA European Player Media Tour at Milan\u2019s Westin Palace hotel in August, NHL.com asked the Swedish players on hand what their greatest\/favorite Olympic memory was. Eight of them — forwards Filip Forsberg<\/a> (Nashville Predators), Mikael Backlund<\/a> (Calgary Flames), William Nylander<\/a> (Toronto Maple Leafs) andAlexander Wennberg<\/a> (San Jose Sharks), defensemen Hampus Lindholm<\/a> (Boston Bruins), Rasmus Sandin<\/a> (Washington Capitals) and Philip Broberg<\/a> (St. Louis Blues), and goalie Filip Gustavsson<\/a> (Minnesota Wild) — listed the 2006 team.<\/p>\n Such is the impact Sundin and his teammates are still having two decades later.<\/p>\n \u201cSweden beating Finland in 2006. I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll get that answer a lot. You\u2019ve probably already had it,\u201d Filip Forsberg said. \u201cThat was special.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked who his hockey hero was, he replied: \u201cI would say that whole team. (Goalie) Henrik Lundqvist<\/a> made a [huge] save at the end, Lidstrom scoring the winner from Forsberg and Sundin. That\u2019s Swedish hockey summarized pretty well in one moment right there.\u201d<\/p>\n Indeed, it does.<\/p>\n And Backlund, 36, said he still savors the memory all these years later of watching the celebration when the final horn sounded on the gold medal game, even though he\u2019d missed part of it because he was playing himself.<\/p>\n \u201cIn 2006 I had a junior game at the same time as the gold-medal game,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re coming in in the intermission checking the score, and then at the end of our game I think I got to watch like the last 10 minutes of the gold medal game. Was very stressful. But yeah, having that winning goal scored by Lidstrom, assisted by Mats (Sundin) and Peter (Forsberg), well, that\u2019s really special for Swedish hockey.\u201d<\/p>\n It remains so to this day.<\/p>\n \u201cI agree, that was very special, especially for that golden generation of Swedish players,\u201d Lindholm said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s been a driving force for ours. I mean, if we could do it again …\u201d<\/p>\n Could you imagine?<\/p>\n * * * *<\/p>\n It was Sundin who made sure that special moment was shared with his native people back home.<\/p>\n On Feb. 26, 2006, he and his teammates celebrated like never before in the minutes and hours following their championship win. Seven of the players on that roster — Sundin, Lidstrom, Lundqvist, Forsberg, Daniel Alfredsson<\/a>, Henrik Sedin<\/a> and Daniel Sedin<\/a> — went on to be voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n At one point that day, former NHL forward Mats Naslund, the general manager of the Swedish Olympic team, congratulated the players and told them travel arrangements had been made for the NHLers on the roster to go back to North America to rejoin their pro teams the following day. Sundin, Lidstrom and Forsberg were having none of that.<\/p>\n \u201cI told (Naslund) that we HAD to go to Sweden the next day,\u201d Sundin recalled. \u201cThere was a bit of a commotion, for sure, until they told us a plane had been arranged by the Swedish Hockey Federation to take us to Stockholm. I think it was a big hassle for management and the Federation to arrange that, but it\u2019s something we really wanted. It had to be done.\u201d<\/p>\n In the end, it was worth it. And then some.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was amazing,\u201d Sundin said. \u201cIt was such a special moment to share when we got there. Not only for the team, but for the people at home. For the people of Sweden to come out and celebrate with the players in downtown Stockholm and enjoy such a unique victory, it was just so special.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s flattering to know to hear that some of the Swedish players of today remember and are inspired by it, especially since some of them were probably in diapers. Sweden had never won a best-on-best international tournament before and has never won one since.<\/p>\n \u201cImagine if they could do it this time around, same country, with the anniversary and all …\u201d<\/p>\n An entire hockey-crazed country is doing just that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For today\u2019s Swedish players, the impact of the 2006 gold medal team resonates to this day. 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