PHOTO: Bildbyrån
He became the first hockey coach to win the WC and the Olympics in the same year.
Now Bengt-Åke Gustafsson talks about retired life.
– It’s such a nice life, says the icon, who also opens the door for a comeback to hockey.
Bengt-Åke Gustafsson, 65, made history when in 2006 he became the first coach ever to win both the WC and the Olympics with Tre Kronor. Something that entered “Bengan” into the history books and gave him legendary status. He has also won SM gold with Färjestad, and as a player has been honored with the achievement gold.
Life today
To summarize – Bengt-Åke Gustafsson has an incredibly fine track record both as a coach and player.
Today, Bengan lives a good retired life.
– There’s a little old man coffee, a lot of golf in the summer and stuff like that. It’s just things like that. A little peace and quiet, you take it easy and do what you want, when you want. So it’s quite a nice life, he tells Sportbibeln.
The article continues after the picture.
There will also continue to be a lot of hockey watching.
– I follow both the Elitserien and Hockeyallsvenskan. Yesterday I watched Swiss hockey as well, knew a little about it. There will be a lot of TV, then there will probably be a lot in the Nobel Hall here as well, and there will usually be a match in Karlstad as well, says Bengt-Åke.
READ MORE: Ingemar Stenmark reveals the very best memory with Börje Salming – which says everything about the hockey icon: “He was completely exhausted”
Gustafsson feels satisfied with his new existence.
– I definitely am. As I said, I can do what I want, when I want – travel, visit children and grandchildren and everything, so there is little to do.
Miss hockey
But despite the joy of the new stage in life, Bengan can miss hockey.
– Sometimes you get a bit like that that you miss it. But at the same time, I know that, if I were involved, I wouldn’t be able to do all this “when I want”. Then you end up in this rhythm, that you structure day by day all the time, as well as travel and all that. In a way, it feels good that “now I’ve made this decision, now it’s enough”, if we say so.
The article continues after the picture.
So didn’t want to return to the SHL or hockey again?
– After I resigned in Norway there – if something had come up then I might have hung up. But then it was quiet there for about a year and a half, and when I got into that “what the hell is this phase of being able to do what I want” then I felt “no, then a lot needs to be done”. But you should never say never, I’ve always said that. Suddenly, something might appear and you feel “the phase, that would have been fun to try”. But I think a lot needs to be done, says Bengt-Åke Gustafsson.
READ MORE: Bengt-Åke Gustafsson on strange times – after Tre Kronor: “I got to experience a lot of strange things”
Share