PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Club icon Simon Önerud was dumped by HV71.
But now comes the big turn that changes everything.
And the HV fans absolutely love the new good news.
There were really strong feelings and opinions when HV71 made the tough decision to dump the golden hero and club icon Simon Önerud after last season. Due to injury problems, there were only six games for the 35-year-old last season and HV was forced to act.
HV71’s decision
After the announcement of no continuation in Jönköping, Önerud considered ending his playing career completely. But now the big turn has come that changes the situation completely.
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Today it became clear that Simon Önerud is returning to HV71 again and has been awarded a try out contract valid for August and September. The reason is that Herman Hansson suffered a long-term injury and the club wants to have 13 forwards available when the new SHL season starts again.
– It is important for us to start already in August with 13 forwards and now that Herman is away for a longer period of time, we asked Simon the question. We know that he trained hard during the spring and summer and is in good physical shape. After all, Simon is also an HV icon and extremely motivated to come and prove that he is still top class on the ice, says the sports director Kent Norberg in a press release.
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Önerud’s joy
The veteran forward has played over 400 games for HV71 and won two SM golds in Jönköping. Önerud was also the team captain when the club managed to win the HockeyAllsvenskan and get back to the SHL after just one season, so of course he is happy to return to HV again.
– First, I am extremely happy and grateful for the opportunity to put on the HV shirt again. I thought I had played my last game in front of all the great fans at Husqvarna Garden and now feel a joy to do it again. Now I will do everything to play for a longer contract and hope to contribute to HV71 having a good season, says the crowd favorite to the club’s official website.
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The HV supporters receive the news with enormous joy and look forward to seeing the club icon on the ice next season as well. A lot of supporters have expressed their joy on social media with words such as “tear-eyed”.
“Damn it’s fun. Welcome back Simon,” writes one user on Twitter.
“I think this is a neat solution,” writes another.
“Here we are talking about someone with a heart for the club. Gets sent but still wants to go back and play for HV,” writes a third.
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But there are also critical voices for how HV71 handled the whole situation with Simon Önerud.
“Could be one of the worst handlings of a player: ‘We can’t find anything better right now so you get a trial job…'”, writes one person on Twitter.
What do you think of HV71’s decision to bring back Simon Önerud? Share the article and have your say!