PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Swedish hockey has developed a lot since Stig Salming’s time as a player.
The former back doesn’t just see a positive development.
– It’s a bit of a shame, Salming says to Sportbibeln.
Stig Salming, 76, spent his entire hockey career in Sweden. First game in Kiruna AIF, followed by 13 seasons in Brynäs IF where he spent his entire professional career and won six SM golds. In 1981, Stig resigned after playing the last season in Gävleklubben as captain.
Salming’s picture
Directly after his playing career, Stig joined Brynäs as an assistant coach. After one year, he was promoted to head coach, which Salming remained for five years. Since then, the 76-year-old has been outside of Swedish hockey, but has followed its development from a distance.
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Salming thinks that the development has largely gone in a positive direction.
– It’s just a matter of stating that all players, everything, is improving. Both materially and that you train more, and because of that there will naturally be a development in a positive direction.
– That’s how it will be – that everyone gets better. You train more, you get better material, everything gets better, he tells Sportbibeln.
Stig’s advice
But it is also increasingly common for young Swedish players to leave Swedish hockey earlier and earlier to try their luck in North America. Stig sees this as a worse development.
– It’s a bit of a shame that there are many players who go to the USA and Canada too early, so we don’t have time to experience them properly here before they go.
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The latest example is 18-year-olds Leo Carlson, who before the season left Örebro for the Anaheim Ducks in the NHL. For him, things are going quite well in and of themselves, in that the center gets some playing time and scores points. But other young Swedes have not handled the move as well, and Stig has some advice for them.
– I think there are many people who would benefit from having ice in their stomach and staying a few more years, before they leave and have it before they are “ready to fly” so to speak. We can try to summarize the whole thing with that, says Salming.
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