Pelle Eklund
Pelle Eklund in 2013.
Born (1963-03-22) 22 March 1963
Solna, Sweden
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 176 lb (80 kg; 12 st 8 lb)
Position Winger
Shot Left
Played for AIK
Leksands IF
Philadelphia Flyers
Dallas Stars
National team  Sweden
NHL Draft 161st overall, 1983
Philadelphia Flyers
Playing career 19811999

Per-Erik "Pelle" Eklund (born 22 March 1963) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey winger. He played nine seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Philadelphia Flyers and Dallas Stars from 1985 to 1994 and nine seasons in the Swedish Elitserien (SEL) with AIK and Leksands IF from 1981 to 1985 and 1994 to 1999. Internationally Eklund played for the Swedish national team at several World Championships, winning gold in 1991 and silver in both 1990 and 1995, and the 1984 Winter Olympics, winning a bronze medal.

Playing career

Eklund played for AIK of the Elitserien between 1981 and 1985, winning the league championship in 1984. He quickly became one of the top players in the league, winning the Golden Puck as Sweden's top player in 1984 - one of the youngest winners ever at the age of only 21.

He came to the NHL in 1985, joining the Philadelphia Flyers who had selected him 161st overall in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft. He made an immediate impact, leading all rookies in assists with 51 and finishing 3rd in overall rookie scoring (behind only Kjell Dahlin and Gary Suter) in the 1985–86 season.

Over the next nine seasons, Eklund made a name for himself as a slick playmaking center, topping the 50 assist mark on three occasions. He was also noted for his gentlemanly play, always finishing amongst the least-penalized players in the NHL. The high point of his career came in the 1987 playoffs, when his outstanding play helped carry Philadelphia to the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals, as his 27 points were fourth in overall scoring and his 20 assists were second to only Wayne Gretzky.

Eklund's scoring touch mysteriously disappeared in the 1993–94 season, as he recorded only one goal and 18 points in 48 games for the Flyers. At the trade deadline, he was dealt to the Dallas Stars, where he had a brief stint to finish his NHL career.

Eklund then returned to Sweden to play for Leksands IF for the 1994–95 season. He re-discovered his scoring touch in one of the finest seasons of his career, as he led the SEL in assists and points and was named league MVP. He played four more seasons for Leksand before retiring in 1999 at age 36.

In 2005–2006, he served as an assistant coach for Leksand. He served as a scout for the Montreal Canadiens until fired on 31 May 2010.[1] Currently he is an amateur scout with the Edmonton Oilers.

International

Medal record
Representing Sweden Sweden
Olympics
Gold medal – first place 1984 Sarajevo
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1991 Finland
Silver medal – second place 1995 Sweden
Silver medal – second place 1990 Switzerland
European Junior Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1981 Soviet Union

Eklund played 126 international games for the Swedish national team. He played in six World Championships and was on the gold medal Swedish team of 1991. He played in the 1984 Winter Olympics on the bronze medal team, and in the 1984 Canada Cup, in which Sweden made the finals. He was also on the European Championships gold-medal team in 1990.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
1978–79 Stocksunds IF SWE-3 1202
1979–80 Stocksunds IF SWE-3 178210
1980–81 Stocksunds IF SWE-3 19132033
1981–82 AIK SWE 232242
1982–83 AIK SWE 3413173014 31452
1983–84 AIK SWE 359182724 667132
1984–85 AIK SWE 3516334910
1985–86 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 7015516612 50220
1986–87 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 721441552 26720272
1987–88 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 7110324212 7030
1988–89 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 7918516923 1938112
1989–90 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 7023396216
1990–91 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 7319506914
1991–92 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 51716234
1992–93 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 5511384916
1993–94 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 48116178
1993–94 Dallas Stars NHL 2132 90334
1994–95 Leksands IF SWE 3213364912 20110
1995–96 Leksands IF SWE 30617236 41012
1996–97 Leksands IF SWE 366162210 92574
1997–98 Leksands IF SWE 388182618 41012
1998–99 Leksands IF SWE 378172510 41234
SWE totals 30081174255106 3212193116
NHL totals 594120335455109 661036468

International

Year Team Event GPGAPtsPIM
1981 Sweden EJC 50004
1982 Sweden WJC 61342
1983 Sweden WJC 75162
1984 Sweden OLY 72680
1984 Sweden CC 81120
1985 Sweden WC 102462
1986 Sweden WC 41124
1990 Sweden WC 101784
1991 Sweden WC 101342
1995 Sweden WC 81230
1996 Sweden WC 60334
Junior totals 1864108
Senior totals 639273616

Awards

  • Guldpucken Award (Golden Puck) as Sweden's player of the year in 1983–84
  • Guldhjalmen Award (Golden Helmet) as the Most Valuable Player in the Elitserien in 1994–95
  • 1984 Elitserien All-Star Team
  • Top scorer in 1984 Elitserien playoffs

References

  1. Uffe Bodin (1 June 2010). "Svensken får lämna Montréa" (in Swedish). Hockeysverige. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
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