PHOTO: Bildbyrån
In 2006, Bengt-Åke Gustafsson wrote history.
Something that brought back good memories.
– It was very special, “Bengan” tells Sportbibeln.
Bengt-Åke Gustafsson is forever inscribed in the history books of Swedish and international hockey. In 2006, the former player from Karlskoga became the first national team captain ever to win both the Olympics and the WC in the same year.
Bengt-Åke’s triumph
“Bengan” was the national team captain for Tre Kronor between 2005-2010. He also made 117 international appearances for Sweden himself as a player. In addition to his job as national team captain, Gustafsson also coached several Swiss clubs and Färjestad for several years. There was also SM gold with the club from Karlstad in 2002.
The SM gold is a nice memory for Bengt-Åke, but the feats from 2006 are still the greatest.
– WC gold and Olympic gold are huge, you can’t get away from that, he says to Sportbibeln.
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How special was it to become the first coach to win WC and Olympic gold in the same year?
– You didn’t think about that particular thing then, but it was just the feeling. First to go and win the Olympics in Turin with all these incredible legends that you had in the team. Everyone really, it was a wonderful team. Then they went to Riga and tried to put together a team and got together a really good one there too, and then won with it. It was very big, it felt completely senseless.
– But then you never thought that “you are the only one who has done it”, if you say so. But it was just the feeling of getting it together with the team and succeeding in winning, that was the nice feeling, says Gustafsson.
Paying tribute to the NHL players
Do you think you got enough credit for it?
– Well, I don’t know that. I don’t really care about that either. It’s nothing that I think about in any way, what has happened has happened. So it’s just to be proud to have been involved and part of the team, and to win these two tournaments in the same year then.
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Was there anything that stood out from any of the Olympic or World Cup gold celebrations?
– Both were nice events in Stockholm. We were welcome home, if you say so. But it was incredibly strong – the NHL guys who chartered planes themselves and did things and fixed things because they wanted to join in celebrating in Stockholm. It was very special, it was strongly done, says Bengt-Åke Gustafsson.
What do you remember best about the double in 2006? Share the article and have your say!
READ MORE: Bengt-Åke Gustafsson’s unexpected revelation about the fine coaching career – admits today: “These damn idiots”
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