Fun in Örnsköldsvik: Naslund Returns to Save Modo
All Swedish eyes appear to be on Modo Hockey out of Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. Playing in the Swedbank Arena, the club has been struggling as of late.
But that all changed with the announcement that Peter Forsberg was going to return to the club and play there for the remainder of the season. And it looks like he’s called on one of his best friends to come help the cause of Modo Hockey because Markus Naslund, the recently retired NHLer, is going to lace the skates for Modo as well.
“It might sound weird, but I haven’t missed playing,” Naslund told The Canadian Press on Sunday. “I still felt that I made the right choice in retiring. This was just a different scenario with coming back here and playing in my hometown because I’m helping the team.”
Forsberg and Naslund, born ten days apart in Örnsköldsvik, both played for Modo Hockey as 17-year-olds. After spending three seasons with the club, they headed to the NHL and to impressive playing careers. Now that those NHL careers have come to a close, it looks as though the magic is back at Modo.
With a population of roughly 30,000 people, Örnsköldsvik is filled to the brim with rabid Modo fans. The hockey club’s failure as of late has meant everything to the city, so the decision to return was a no-brainer for Forsberg and Naslund. They felt they owed something to the team that started it all, so the move demonstrates the class of each player.
“The hockey team means everything to this city,” said Naslund. “In everyday life, that’s the only real thing that they have here in this town as far as entertainment goes. Now when the team is not doing well, you can tell a lot of people are down here too.”
Naslund should be ready to skate with the club in a couple of weeks. He’s already been practicing. Forsberg has already notched 6 goals in 6 games.
With the commitment made, Naslund is jacked to play hockey again in Sweden. “It will be interesting to see what it feels like to play again,” said Naslund. “Hopefully, it will be something where we have some fun and are successful on the ice too.”
Back in Vancouver, the Daniel and Henrik Sedin are excited about what’s going on with Modo Hockey. They’ve already all but pledged similar support to the team upon their retirement. “It’s a long way down the road, but every player who has come up through that organization wants to come back and help the team again and I think we feel the same way,” Daniel said.
So it looks like it’s an exciting time in Örnsköldsvik again and, with any luck, it will be for quite some time.
Posted by Jordan Richardson.
Tags: markus naslund, modo hockey, peter forsberg, swedish elite league