Mats Näslund
Mats Torsten Näslund (born 31 October 1959), nicknamed "
Le Petit Viking", is a Swedish former
ice hockey player. He played as a
left winger. Despite his small size at only five feet and seven inches, Näslund is best known for being one of the top forwards with the
National Hockey League's
Montreal Canadiens from 1982 to 1990. In addition to the Canadiens, Näslund played for
Timrå IK,
Brynäs IF, and
Malmö IF of the
Swedish Elite League, and
HC Lugano of the
National League A between 1975 and 1994. He made a short NHL comeback attempt in 1995 with the
Boston Bruins following the
1994–95 NHL lockout, and retired after the season's conclusion.
In 1986, he won the
Stanley Cup with the Canadiens, and he won the
Lady Byng Trophy in 1988. He is a three-time
Le Mat Trophy champion, once with Brynäs in 1980, and leading Malmö to its only championship wins in 1992 and 1994. Internationally, he won gold medals at the
1991 World Championship in Finland and the
1994 Winter Olympics in
Lillehammer, making him a member of the prestigious
Triple Gold Club. He was inducted into the
IIHF Hall of Fame in 2005.
Provided by Wikipedia