Photo: Bildbyrån
National team goalkeepers Tommy Söderström and Tommy Salo both played at the same time in the New York Islanders.
There, coach Bob Froese forbade the two Swedes to hang out.
– He said we weren’t allowed to be friends, Salo tells Hockey Sweden.
During the mid-90s, the New York Islanders had no less than two Swedish goalies. Both were also called Tommy. Söderstrom played there 1994-1997 and the two years younger Salo between 1994 and 1999.
Söderström: “Of course it was fun”
The time in the Islanders was initially good for Söderström, who was the first choice in the box. The Swedes didn’t know each other, but they got to know each other even though they didn’t always train in the same team.
– Of course it was fun to train with a Swedish goalkeeper. Although it didn’t turn out that we trained together very much. When I was in the Islanders he was in the farm team and when he came up in the Islanders third year I was in the farm team instead, says Söderström to Hockeysverige.
Salo also remembers the initial time together as fun and wonderful. They were around 25 years old when they moved to New York and there was a good feeling between them, until their coach wanted to see something else.
– Me and Tommy Söderström didn’t know each other directly before the time on Long Island, but of course we knew who the other was. It was fun to play and train with Tommy and there was absolutely no fight between us about who would stand the games. Regardless of that Bob Froese thought it would be like that, says Salo.
The ban from the Islanders
Tommy Salo explains what he means by Froese thinking there would be a “fight” between the goalkeepers. It became especially clear when the results started to fail and management felt they had to act in some way.
– When things were going badly for the Islanders, it was also decided that me and Tommy would not be allowed to talk to each other. Bob Froese said we couldn’t be friends. Now of course we were anyway when we weren’t in the arena, but the situation felt sick and we didn’t talk to each other much in the dressing room, says Salo.
READ MORE: Tommy Salo reveals when Peter Forsberg completely outed him – and went on the attack: “He went completely crazy”
At one point, there was a little extra tension between the goalkeepers. It was after the 1998 Olympics when the national team captain Kent Forsberg had promised Söderström to stand, but in the end chose to play Salo. Forsberg apologized to Tommy Söderström and promised that he would be allowed to stand in the WC, regardless of how good Salo was. In the end, the former declined to play the tournament, leaving several experts furious.
Tommy Söderström left the New York Islanders in 1997 to move home to Djurgården. Tommy Salo stayed until 1999 when his NHL journey continued with the Edmonton Oilers.
Yes, a lot has been read over the years, but this probably takes the prize. Forcing two people to stop hanging out in order to create a rivalry situation doesn’t feel like the best way.
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