PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Kenny Jönsson won both Olympic and World Cup gold.
But he always chose to go his own way during his career.
Which led to him nobbing 20 million kroner for the best reason.
There are few Swedish hockey players who Kenny Jonsson. He may have scored 10 seasons in the NHL and totaled 267 points in 686 games in North America but glory and fame were never his driving force.
Jönsson’s career
Kenny wanted to play hockey and left the NHL already at the age of 29 to return home to Sweden and help the parent club Rögle BK, which was then playing in the HockeyAllsvenskan. There would be another five seasons in Swedish hockey and Jönsson was a big reason why Rögle took the step up to the SHL in 2008.
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The big highlight of his career came in 2006 when Kenny Jönsson, together with his brother Jörgen Jonsson, won both Olympic and World Cup gold in the same year with Tre Kronor. Where Kenny was also named the tournament’s best back in the Olympics and noted for the best plus statistic (+13) of all players in the World Cup.
Nobbed 20 thousand
An incredible achievement by an Allsvenskan back at the fall of age, but since then Jönsson has also been a very special hockey player. And he has always gone his own way in his hockey career.
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In 2008, he received a dream offer from the KHL of a whopping 20 million kroner in net salary, but he refused to move to Russia and would rather remain in Rögle BK.
– I don’t comment on sums, but it was a lot of money. There were many sleepless nights, but since I had previously decided never to play hockey in a Russian club, it also turned out that way, Kenny said in an interview with Expressen at the time.
READ MORE: Kenny Jönsson takes his place in his brother Jörgen Jönsson’s powerful dream five
Became a fireman
After his hockey career, the hockey legend then became a part-time firefighter.
– It is an enormous satisfaction to help people in need. It is also a team effort, you fight together to overcome the accident or event you are on. Then there is motivation to stay in good shape, he explained his new job to the evening newspaper.
But we have also seen him return to hockey also in the form of coach for Skåne’s team in the TV puck.
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