Pelle Eklund

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	1981–1999

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

Pelle Eklund played as a Bantam for Stocksund in team 63 where he was the captain of the team. This team made a huge impact in international Batam tournaments such as the annual Lahr Cup at the Canadian Forces Base in Lahr where top Bantam teams from Europe competed ( Poldi Kladno, Kosice, Schwenningen, la Chaux des Fonds, Freiburg etc). 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. Currently he is an amateur scout with the Edmonton Oilers.

International

Medal record
Representing Sweden
Olympics
	1984 Sarajevo
World Championships
	1991 Finland
	1995 Sweden
	1990 Switzerland
European Junior Championships
	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		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1978–79	Stocksunds IF	SWE-3		1	2	0	2	—		—	—	—	—	—
1979–80	Stocksunds IF	SWE-3		17	8	2	10	—		—	—	—	—	—
1980–81	Stocksunds IF	SWE-3		19	13	20	33	—		—	—	—	—	—
1981–82	AIK	SWE		23	2	2	4	2		—	—	—	—	—
1982–83	AIK	SWE		34	13	17	30	14		3	1	4	5	2
1983–84	AIK	SWE		35	9	18	27	24		6	6	7	13	2
1984–85	AIK	SWE		35	16	33	49	10		—	—	—	—	—
1985–86	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		70	15	51	66	12		5	0	2	2	0
1986–87	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		72	14	41	55	2		26	7	20	27	2
1987–88	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		71	10	32	42	12		7	0	3	0
1988–89	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		79	18	51	69	23		19	3	8	11	2
1989–90	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		70	23	39	62	16		—	—	—	—	—
1990–91	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		73	19	50	69	14		—	—	—	—	—
1991–92	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		51	7	16	23	4		—	—	—	—	—
1992–93	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		55	11	38	49	16		—	—	—	—	—
1993–94	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		48	1	16	17	8		—	—	—	—	—
1993–94	Dallas Stars	NHL		2	1	3	2	9		0	3	3	4
1994–95	Leksands IF	SWE		32	13	36	49	12		2	0	1	1	0
1995–96	Leksands IF	SWE		30	6	17	23	6		4	1	0	1	2
1996–97	Leksands IF	SWE		36	6	16	22	10		9	2	5	7	4
1997–98	Leksands IF	SWE		38	8	18	26	18		4	1	0	1	2
1998–99	Leksands IF	SWE		37	8	17	25	10		4	1	2	3	4
SWE totals				300	81	174	255	106		32	12	19	31	16
NHL totals				594	120	335	455	109		66	10	36	46	8

International

Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1981	Sweden	EJC		5	0	0	0	4
1982	Sweden	WJC		6	1	3	4	2
1983	Sweden	WJC		7	5	1	6	2
1984	Sweden	OLY		7	2	6	8	0
1984	Sweden	CC		8	1	1	2	0
1985	Sweden	WC		10	2	4	6	2
1986	Sweden	WC		4	1	1	2	4
1990	Sweden	WC		10	1	7	8	4
1991	Sweden	WC		10	1	3	4	2
1995	Sweden	WC		8	1	2	3	0
1996	Sweden	WC		6	0	3	3	4
Junior totals				18	6	4	10	8
Senior totals				63	9	27	36	16

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

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database