PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Markus Näslund began his NHL career with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
During that time, Näslund played with the best he ever played with.
– He stands out a little extra, he tells Sportbibeln.
One of Sweden’s greatest NHL players of all time, but who is sometimes forgotten in discussions, is Markus Näslund. After being a promising talent, he progressed to become a skilled forward and a goalscorer of rank.
Näslund and Forsberg
It was a total of 15 seasons in the NHL for Markus Näslund. The stay began with three seasons in the Pittsburgh Penguins, before he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks. There he had, among other things Henrik and Daniel Sedin as teammates. In the Canadian club, there were a total of eleven seasons, seven of which were with the captain’s armband, and the Swede is now an icon in the Canucks.
The article continues after the picture.
Näslund appeared in Modo, together with, among others Peter Forsberg, and also ended his career in Modo, together with, among others, Peter Forsberg. When the 50-year-old Näslund looks back on his career today, he does so with joy, and states that he played with and faced many talented players during his time as a professional hockey player.
Tribute to Lidström
Who is the best player you have played against?
– You have played against so many talented players, and I think it is difficult to compare different positions. But it was always difficult to face Niklas Lidström for example. He was always so compliant and didn’t give me much space as a forward. In the same manner as Chris Pronger, Rob Blake or Scott Stevens also. There are many who are talented, but Niklas was one of those who was the most difficult, says Markus Näslund to Sportbibeln.
The article continues after the picture.
Who is the best player you have played with?
– I’ve actually been lucky enough to play with many, many “Hall of Famers”. But after all, the time I got to play with Mario Lemieux still stands out a little extra, precisely because of how skilled he was. He totally dominated the NHL then, and I had never seen anyone play at that level before, says Näslund.
Canadian Lemieux and Näslund played together for two seasons in Pittsburgh.
READ MORE: Markus Näslund reveals the words from Mario Lemieux – which changed his entire NHL career: “Great advice”
Sign up for our newsletter
Share