Håkan Loob
Håkan Loob | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Born |
Slite, Sweden | 3 July 1960|||||
Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | |||||
Weight | 176 lb (80 kg; 12 st 8 lb) | |||||
Position | Right Wing | |||||
Shot | Right | |||||
Played for |
Färjestad BK Calgary Flames | |||||
National team |
NHL Draft |
181st overall, 1980 Calgary Flames | ||||
Playing career | 1979–1996 |
Håkan Per Loob (born 3 July 1960) is a
Loob joined Färjestad in 1979 and was a member of the team that won the
Rejoining Färjestad in 1989, Loob won consecutive
Early life
Loob was born on 3 July 1960 in Gotland, where he grew up in the small town of Slite.[2] Loob is of Estonian descent. Loob's grandparents, together with their children, including Loob's father, Paul, fled to Gotland in a small boat across the Baltic sea from the island Kihnu[3] during the German occupation of Estonia in 1944. Loob started playing ice hockey at the age of five, when an artificially frozen rink was constructed near his home.[2] Loob was an active athlete in his youth, involved in tennis, handball, football, and sailing,[2] and was one of Sweden's best table tennis talents,[3] winning the Tommy Sport Cup in 1971 at age eleven.[3] At age 15 Loob made his senior debut for IK Graip,[4] and quit all other sports to focus on hockey.
Playing career
Färjestad BK
Loob began with third division clubs IK Graip Slite and Roma IF Romakloster in 1975–76 and 1976–77 respectively before spending two seasons with second division club Karlskrona IK. He moved up to the Elitserien when he joined Färjestad BK, with whom he scored 15 goals and 19 points in 36 games in 1979–80.[5] He scored 23 goals the following season as Färjestad won its first Le Mat Trophy as Elitserien champion.[6] In 1982–83, Loob set Elitserien records by scoring 42 goals and 76 points.[7] He continues to hold those records today.[8]
Calgary Flames
The
Loob improved to 37 goals in
"I have to realize my family is a big thing in my life. I could probably play another few years, but I'm just happy with the six years I had in Calgary. Cliff Fletcher treated me as well as anybody ever treated me in my whole life. I think Calgary Flames were pretty happy with what I've done for them and I'm certainly very happy with what they've done for me."
—Loob in 1989, explaining his reasoning for leaving Calgary[10]
Returning to the lineup healthy for
During the 1989 Stanley Cup playoffs, Loob made it known that he was considering a return to Sweden.[18] He later revealed that he and his wife had made the decision almost a year before and that he declined a large contract offer the team offered to entice him to stay.[16] Loob wanted his children to grow up in Sweden, however, and after the Flames won the Stanley Cup, he announced he was returning to Färjestad for the 1989–90 season.[10]
Return to Färjestad
In his first season back in Sweden, Loob scored 22 goals in 40 games for Färjestad and led the league with 53 points. He improved to 33 goals in 1990–91 while his 66 points again led the Elitserien.[5][8] He won the Guldhjälmen ("Golden Helmet") as the most valuable player of the league as voted by the players. He won a second consecutive Guldhjälmen in 1991–92 and led the league in scoring for a third consecutive season.[19] At 37 goals, Loob also led the league in goal scoring.[20] He played another four seasons with Färjestad, retiring in 1996.[7]
Loob ended his playing career as the Elitserien's all-time leading goal scorer with 305 goals combined between the regular season and playoffs.[19] The league created the Håkan Loob Trophy in his honour and awards it to the leading goal scorer.[7] Färjestad retired his jersey number 5 and named him the team's general manager for the 1996–97 season.[21] He served in the role for 11 seasons, during which the team reached the final of the Elitersien playoffs eight times and won four championships.[22] Two of the titles came in his first two seasons as general manager, 1996–97 and 1997–98. He added a third in 2001–02,[21] and the fourth in 2005–06. Loob was promoted to team president in 2008.[7]
In January 2017, it was announced that he would quit as Färjestads BK's director of sport at the end of the 2016–2017 season.[23]
International
Medal record | ||
---|---|---|
Representing Sweden | ||
Men's ice hockey | ||
World Junior Championships
| ||
1979 Sweden | ||
1980 Finland | ||
World Championships | ||
1987 Austria |
||
1990 Switzerland |
||
1991 Finland |
||
Olympic Games | ||
1994 Lillehammer |
Internationally, Loob first skated for the
Loob appeared in his first best-on-best world tournament at the
The
Playing style
Standing five-foot, nine inches tall, and weighing 170 pounds, Loob arrived in Calgary facing skepticism about his ability to cope with the rougher style and smaller ice surface of the NHL compared to what he was used to in the Elitserien.[16] Opinion around the NHL in the early 1980s was that Swedish players were "soft"; teammate Colin Patterson credited Loob with changing that perception. He was a vocal leader, unafraid to speak to his teammates when he felt it necessary.[7] He was a strong skater with "dazzling technique",[8] and former Calgary linemate Joe Nieuwendyk said Loob was a key reason for his own early success in the NHL: "He just had such a great amount of skill. He could do things none of the rest of us could. The luckiest thing that happened to me was getting put on Hakan Loob’s line my first full year in Calgary. He helped me so much, starting my career the right way. A big reason why I scored 50." Nieuwendyk added that Loob could "put pucks into areas, make plays, nobody else would dream of".[7]
Personal life
Loob's older brother Peter was also a hockey player. The brothers played together briefly with Färjestad and Peter appeared in eight NHL games with the Quebec Nordiques.[21] Håkan and his wife Marie have three children, Henrik, Niclas, and Isabelle. Their children are why the family chose to return to Sweden in 1989.[16] Loob always intended to return home following his playing days, but felt that Henrik's assimilation into North American culture was problematic.[10] He wanted his family to grow up in Sweden.[18]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Regular season
|
Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
1975–76 | IK Graip | SWE.3 | 22 | 12 | 2 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1976–77 | Roma IF | SWE.3 | 20 | 19 | 12 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1977–78 | Karlskrona AIK | SWE.2 | 25 | 15 | 4 | 19 | 37 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | ||
1978–79 | Karlskrona AIK | SWE.2 | 23 | 23 | 9 | 32 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1979–80 | Färjestads BK
|
SEL | 36 | 15 | 4 | 19 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1980–81 | Färjestads BK | SEL | 36 | 23 | 6 | 29 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 6 | ||
1981–82 | Färjestads BK | SEL | 36 | 26 | 15 | 41 | 28 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
1982–83 | Färjestads BK | SEL | 36 | 42 | 34 | 76 | 26 | 8 | 10 | 4 | 14 | 6 | ||
1983–84 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 77 | 30 | 25 | 55 | 22 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | ||
1984–85 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 78 | 37 | 35 | 72 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | ||
1985–86 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 68 | 31 | 36 | 67 | 36 | 22 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 6 | ||
1986–87 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 68 | 18 | 26 | 44 | 26 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||
1987–88 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 80 | 50 | 56 | 106 | 47 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 4 | ||
1988–89 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 79 | 27 | 58 | 85 | 44 | 22 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 4 | ||
1989–90 | Färjestads BK | SEL | 40 | 22 | 31 | 53 | 24 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 14 | 2 | ||
1990–91 | Färjestads BK | SEL | 40 | 33 | 25 | 58 | 16 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 8 | ||
1991–92 | Färjestads BK | SEL | 40 | 37 | 29 | 66 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | ||
1992–93 | Färjestads BK | SEL | 40 | 25 | 26 | 51 | 28 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | ||
1993–94 | Färjestads BK | SEL | 22 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1994–95 | Färjestads BK | SEL | 39 | 13 | 25 | 38 | 58 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
1995–96 | Färjestads BK | SEL | 40 | 17 | 32 | 49 | 62 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 2 | ||
SEL totals | 405 | 262 | 238 | 501 | 304 | 56 | 43 | 23 | 65 | 28 | ||||
NHL totals | 450 | 193 | 236 | 429 | 189 | 73 | 26 | 28 | 54 | 16 |
International
Year | Team | Comp | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1978 | Sweden | EJC | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | |
1979 | Sweden | WJC
|
6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
1980 | Sweden | WJC | 5 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 2 | |
1982
|
Sweden | WC | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | |
1984 | Sweden | CC | 8 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 2 | |
1987
|
Sweden | WC | 8 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 4 | |
1990
|
Sweden | WC | 10 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 10 | |
1991
|
Sweden | WC | 10 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 6 | |
1992 | Sweden | OG | 8 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 0 | |
1994 | Sweden | OG | 8 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 2 | |
Junior totals | 16 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 4 | |||
Senior totals | 60 | 28 | 32 | 60 | 30 |
Awards and honours
Award | Year | |
---|---|---|
International | ||
IIHF World U20 Championship Tournament All-Star
|
1980 | [33] |
International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame | 1998 | [34] |
Elitserien/Sweden | ||
Guldpucken Player of the year |
1982–83 | [5] |
Guldhjälmen Most Valuable Player as voted by the players |
1990–91 1991–92 | |
Swedish World All-Star team | 1982–83 1984–85 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 |
[5] |
National Hockey League | ||
All-Rookie Team | 1983–84 | [9]: 26 |
First team All-Star | 1987–88 | [9] |
Viking Award Top Swedish player in the NHL |
1987–88 | [8] |
Stanley Cup | 1989 | |
Calgary Flames team awards | ||
Molson Cup Most three star selections |
1985–86 | [14] |
References
- ^ Johnson, George (17 June 2018). "WELCOME BACK, HAKAN!". NHL.com. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
- ^ a b c Hansen, Maria (1 July 2010). "För att lyckas måste man ha en liten djävul i sig". Värmlands Folkblad (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 28 August 2010. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
- ^ a b c Mårtensson, Per (2 July 2010). "50-firande Håkan Loob går ner i spagat". Nya Wermlands-Tidningen (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 3 September 2010. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
- ^ Johansson, Ronnie (20 April 2008). "Old School - Håkan Loob" (in Swedish). Hockeysverige.se. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Hakan Loob profile". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
- ISBN 978-0-7710-9598-6.
- ^ a b c d e f Johnson, George (2 October 2008). "Going out on top". Calgary Herald. Archived from the original on 15 June 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Håkan Loob". Swedish Hockey Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
- ^ a b c d e Hanlon, Peter; Kelso, Sean; Ahrens, Janette; Buer, Greg (2011). 2011–12 Calgary Flames Media Guide. Calgary Flames Hockey Club.
- ^ a b c d Duhatschek, Eric (26 May 1989). "Loob bows from NHL on winning note". Calgary Herald. p. C2.
- ^ a b "Hakan Loob statistics". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
- ^ Ornest, Leo, ed. (1987). 1987–88 Calgary Flames Media Guide. Calgary Flames Hockey Club. p. 95.
- ^ a b c Ornest, Leo, ed. (1987). 1987–88 Calgary Flames Media Guide. Calgary Flames Hockey Club. p. 24.
- ^ a b Hanlon, Peter; Kelso, Sean; Ahrens, Janette; Buer, Greg (2011). 2011–12 Calgary Flames Media Guide. Calgary Flames Hockey Club. p. 167.
- ^ "Wings' Zetterberg anxious to join Loob in elite club". Regina Leader-Post. 1 October 2008. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
- ^ ISBN 1-897229-01-1.
- ^ Duhatschek, Eric (26 May 1989). "Stanley Cup: Ours at last". Calgary Herald. p. A1.
- ^ a b "Flames' Suter can't grin, but he bears it". The Record-Journal (Merriden, Conn.). 14 May 1989. p. D2. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
- ^ a b "Loob invald i Hockey Hall of Fame" (in Swedish). Färjestad BK Hockey Club. 11 February 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
- ^ von Konow, Gregor. "Målkungarnas säsongsinledningar" (in Swedish). hockeyligan.se. Archived from the original on 31 October 2006. Retrieved 8 March 2007.
- ^ ISBN 0-385-25999-9.
- ^ Rydenholm, Pär (11 February 2012). "Håkan Loob i Hall of fame" (in Swedish). helagotland.se. Archived from the original on 2 August 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
- ^ "Loob lämnar Färjestad". Dagens nyheter (in Swedish). 16 January 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
- ISBN 978-0-7710-9598-6.
- ^ "WJHC history: 1977–1981". The Sports Network. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7710-9598-6.
- ISBN 1-894622-17-0.
- ISBN 1-894622-17-0.
- ^ Podnieks, Andrew (9 October 2011). "The Shootout: From Boy to Man". International Ice Hockey Federation. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
- ISBN 978-1-55168-323-2.
- ^ "Triple Gold Club". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
- ^ "IIHF Hall of Fame". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
- ISBN 978-0-7710-9598-6.
- ^ "Håkan Loob". Swedish Olympic Committee (in Swedish). 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
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