PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Swedish hockey is in mourning.
The icon Lasse Björn has passed away, he was 92 years old.
Now Niklas Wikegård opens up with emotional words about the passing of the legend.
One of Swedish hockey’s biggest profiles has left us. On Thursday, the news came that the legend Lasse Björn has fallen asleep.
Lasse Björn dead
He was 92 years old and is now celebrated by all hockey fans. Björn won two World Championship golds with Tre Kronor, and holds the record with nine World Championship golds, all won with Djurgården.
The article continues below.
The icon had its heyday in the 50s and 60s and for animal keepers he is remembered as a true “iron stove”. Now hockey profile Niklas Wikegård opens up about the grief with emotional words.
– Lasse Björn… Yes, what do you say? It is difficult to compare then and now, but he is definitely one of our greatest in Swedish ice hockey. He put hockey on the map with his way of playing, his way of leading. In the Djurgården club, he is the one who set the culture for what it means to be an iron stove and animal keeper. I joined Djurgår in 1996 and met Lasse, we met many times, and his rhetoric about competing and being a zookeeper… A zookeeper never complains, a zookeeper never films, a zookeeper never blames himself, says Wikegård to The Express.
Wikegård’s words
It was a total of 18 seasons in Djurgården for Björn and his shirt number 12 is hoisted in Hovet’s roof. Wikegård is now sports manager at Djurgården Hockey and says that the late icon will leave a big void behind him.
– I’ll never forget when Lasse came into the dressing room and both the younger and older people stood up more or less at attention. There is great sadness in the association Djurgården today, but Lasse Björn’s legacy and spirit will live on forever, he tells the evening newspaper.
READ MORE: Daniel Ståhl now admits what he really thinks of Niklas Wikegård – the Olympic gold hero’s honest words: “Know everything about that”
Several other animal owners have also expressed their grief following the club icon’s death.
– One of our biggest ever! To me he was the perfect zookeeper. He created a legacy and an attitude that lives on to this day, says Christian “Fimpen” Eklund to the newspaper.
We will miss you, Lasse Björn. Rest in peace! 🌹
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