Pelle Eklund

Infobox Ice Hockey Player


image_size =
position = Center
played_for = "Elitserien"
AIK
Leksands IF
"NHL"
Philadelphia Flyers
Dallas Stars
shot = Left
height_ft = 5
height_in = 10
weight_lb = 175
nationality = SWE
birth_date = Birth date and age|1963|3|22|mf=y
birth_place = Stockholm, SWE
draft = 161st overall
draft_year = 1983
draft_team = Philadelphia Flyers
career_start = 1985
career_end = 1999

Per-Eric "Pelle" Eklund (born March 22, 1963 in Stockholm, Sweden) is a retired Swedish professional ice hockey center.

Playing career

Eklund played for AIK of the Swedish Elite League between 1981 and 1985, winning the league championship in 1984. He quickly became one of the top players in the SEL, 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 late 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 9 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 4th in overall scoring and his 20 assists second to only Wayne Gretzky.

Eklund's scoring touch mysteriously disappeared in the 1993–94 season, as he recorded only 1 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 lead the SEL in assists and points and was named league MVP. He played 4 more seasons for Leksand before retiring in 1999 at age 36.

In 2005–2006, he served as an assistant coach for Leksand. Currently he is a scout for the San Jose Sharks.

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 Swedish Elite League in 1994–95
* 1984 Swedish Elite all-star team
* top scorer in 1984 Swedish playoffs

Career statistics

In 9 NHL seasons, Eklund scored 120 goals and 335 assists for 455 points in 594 games. He also recorded 10 goals and 36 assists for 46 points in NHL playoff action, including 27 points in 26 games in 1987.

International play

Eklund played 126 international games for the Swedish national team. He played in six IIHF 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.

External links

* Meltzer, Bill [http://flyers.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=314456 "Flyers Heroes of the Past: Pelle Eklund" at Philadelphiaflyers.com] Retrieved 05–31–07.
*hockeydb|30377
*legendsofhockey|10422
* [http://www.azhockey.com/index.html A to Z Encyclopaedia of Ice Hockey]