PHOTO: Bildbyrån
He has become one of Swedish television sports’ most popular figures.
But now it’s time for Niklas Wikegård to leave the box and return to real hockey.
Now the 60-year-old opens up about why he is taking over as sporting manager in Djurgården.
At a young age became Niklas Wikegård hockey coach and was part of the classic team “Vilda Väsby’s” success era as well as the clubs Hammarby, Boden, Malmö Redhawks, Swiss EHC Chur and several turns in Djurgården. But in 2005, life took a completely new turn.
Wikegård’s decision
Wikegård left the booth and stepped straight into the TV box. With his unique personality and rapping mouth leather, he quickly became a favorite as a TV expert and has remained with TV4 for a long time.
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18 years later, it is now time to say goodbye to the job as a hockey expert. This week the silly bomb broke that the TV profile is returning to Djurgården in a new role as sporting manager.
“Then something happened”
As of May 1, 2024, he will take over the major responsibility for the entire hockey association Djurgårdens IF, from kids up to senior players. Now the 60-year-old reveals why he chooses to leave his comfortable role at TV4 to step into the hot air again – after a decisive coffee with the club’s newly appointed CEO Matthias Sånemyr.
– I finally thought: “Let go of the edge, Wikegård, now we’re driving!”. I know Djurgår, I know the challenges. I still went home and thought about my situation, I’ve been in TV for 18 years and it’s been absolutely amazing, it still is, but I felt like I’ve been doing this for a lot of years. I want to start competing again. It’s time for me to be in an environment where I get to break and pry a little. I want to influence in a different way than what I do today, so I told Djurgår that I was interested and after that it went quickly, Wikegård tells SportExpressen.
– Djurgår is in the Hockeyallsvenskan, I have a “comfortable” life with a fantastic job at TV4 where I get to stick my nose in and influence Swedish ice hockey, but in the end I felt that I was missing something. It was that simple. Djurgår’n asked the question, then something happened inside me.
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After two decades in the television studio, where Wikegård has never backed down to step on anyone’s toes or really say what he thinks, one is naturally curious as to whether he has made any enemies in the Swedish hockey clubs.
– No I do not think so. I think some people may think more or less good about me, just as it should be. I think that in ice hockey we don’t have any direct enemies, I think we think differently and that’s why I value my sport. We can be damn disagreeable, but when the smoke clears we are still friends, we stand with the sport and shall represent the best sport in the world. I’ve done it in the TV box and it’s clear that many people wondered what I said from time to time, even friends who have been players and leaders over the years. At the end of the day, we are friends and I actually expect to receive the same treatment myself when I step into Djurgår, he admits in the interview.
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As a TV expert, Niklas Wikegård has not only gathered a lot of experience, but also met a large amount of competence among his TV colleagues. But whether he wants to bring someone from TV4 to Djurgården or not – he mostly jokes away.
– I get to bring Sanny (Lindström) into the club… Haha, no, but I haven’t actually thought about it for a second, he says to the evening newspaper.
– You can’t promise anything in this world, but when it comes to the gang there, everyone is absolutely fantastic. It has been wonderful to spend time with (Johan) Tornberg, Petter (Rönnqvist), Sanny, (Staffan) Kronwall and all of them. It has developed me a lot, but everything has its time and place. And are we talking specifically about Staffan… The day he wants to work in a hockey business, then a lot of clubs will want to grab him.
What do you really think of Niklas Wikegård? Share the article and have your say!
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