PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Stockholm hockey has rarely been worse.
Then Dick Axelsson knows who to blame.
– They are completely useless at fixing things, I think, says the former Djurgårds player to Sportbibeln.
After eight straight seasons in the SHL, Djurgården left the top league in the 2021/2022 season. Last season, most of the champions made it to the finals in the playoffs, where they fell to Modo. This year, the club has started the season weakly, and they are in eleventh place.
Dick Axelsson’s concern
Worst rival AIK is also having a tough time. The club has spent the last ten seasons in the Hockeyallsvenskan. They have reached the final on two occasions but have not managed to achieve promotion to the SHL. Having said that, there is no Stockholm team in the Swedish top flight. You can compare that with football, where there are four clubs from Stockholm at the moment.
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Dick Axelsson looks with concern at the development of hockey in Stockholm, the city he grew up and lives in. Historically, Stockholm has been strong in the TV puck youth tournament. But the former hockey player believes that this is due to the fact that Stockholm has many players rather than a good development.
– Stockholm hockey just gets worse and worse, I think, in many ways. You know yourself, you’re jealous of these guys who live in small towns who can only go to the ice rink and drive. Or outer ice, and the lakes freeze and the sea freezes and all that is called. Where I live, there is hardly any public riding during the day. So it’s a big problem, and it’s also very difficult perhaps to find surfaces and places to build on, says Axelsson to Sportbibeln.
Heavy criticism
How serious is it that both AIK and Djurgården are doing so poorly in the Hockeyallsvenskan?
– It is clear that it is serious. But the problem really lies with the City of Stockholm, with its own arenas and so on. It is difficult to find something that can make the team get a bigger fund and develop on other levels than hockey as well. Because the City of Stockholm is currently completely useless at fixing things, I think.
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Dick Axelsson has played in clubs such as Färjestad, Modo and Frölunda. But he is most strongly associated with his years in Djurgården, which is also the club where he spent the most time during his career.
– It is a big negative that both AIK and Djurgården are in the Hockeyallsvenskan and are actually two mediocre teams, says Axelsson.
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