Oskar took the trophy to Boden again

Photo Mats Engfors/Fotographic

He is the Bodensaren who has won the Stanley cup twice. The road to the top has not been straight but Oskar Sundqvist has never given up, always loved to stand on ice.

Oskar Sundqvist, 25, from Boden is a hockey professional in the NHL, the world’s highest ranked hockey league. On June 12, 2019, he won the Stanley Cup for the second time, together with his team St. Louis Blues.

– It was indescribable, so much emotion. Especially when we had many older players and an entire city that has never won, says Oskar.

One evening in August, the big trophy was flown by helicopter to Boden and Oskar got a chance to show it to the home crowd in Björknäshallen, wearing Boden hockey’s red jersey. When asked who is most proud, Oskar guesses that there is a dead race between father and girlfriend Klara.

– It is a special feeling to be able to show the trophy in Boden. There is a lot of emotion around the whole event and I feel an enormous pride in being one of two players who got to show this, says Oskar. (Niclas Wallin took home the trophy in 2006, reds. amn.)

Adversity to success

The first time Oskar won was with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016, but then he had a much more hidden role in the team.

– My two years in Pittsburgh did not turn out quite as I had hoped. Even though we won the Stanley cup, it was a time when most things went against me. I never really got an honest chance in the NHL and was mostly in the AHL. There were many who asked why I did not come home and said that I would not work over there, says Oskar.

When he was transferred to St. Louis he saw it as a chance to show what he was made of but the setbacks continued. There were many insults from the coaches and in a pre-season match against the Washington Capitals in October, Oscar suffered a major concussion.

– I woke up in the locker room and did not know where I was. It was one of the scariest things I’ve ever been through. After a week, I started thinking about whether I could play hockey again or not. I’ve never been so worried about anything in my whole life, what if I have to stop doing what I love most?

Some time later, he started to feel good again and come back – to a team in crisis. Last in the series, new coach, chaos among the players and fights in training. But they managed to reverse the trend and Oskar did his best season ever.

– It feels like I’ve been through everything in one season. I’m just happy that I managed with what I have struggled for so long, to be able to show who was wrong. There are many who apologized afterwards, who did not believe this about me. It’s nice to hear but it was really mostly for myself I wanted to show that I can play at the highest level.

Oscar Sundqvist has started his new season in the NHL

Raised in Boden

This is what Oskar says when he visits his hometown during his visit to Boden hockey’s summer camp to tell about his journey and inspire.

– Many believe that there is only one way to the NHL, but there are several. Mine has not been straight, it has been a lot of ups and downs, but I have pushed on and continued. I believe that my winner’s instinct has always helped me, to never give up and never stop believing in myself. And I have always loved ice hockey, every time I put the skates on the ice all the worries disappear. It’s a pretty cool feeling.

He has had that feeling ever since he started skating on the outdoor rink at home in Södra Svartbyn as a child. He immediately got stuck and started training hockey in BIK.

– It was important that everyone felt involved. I think that is important, everyone should be allowed to participate and everyone should enjoy themselves. The coaches did that extremely well.

They were a close-knit group of friends who only had sports in mind, whether it was training or not. In the summers they played football, in the winters ice hockey or field hockey on the street. The childhood friends are still there today, they are a handful of guys who have been together throughout the whole journey.

There have been two seasons in the AHL, two in the NHL and now Oskar is starting his fifth season on the other side of the Atlantic.

– My personal goal is to continue to get better and do better than me last season. Of course I want to win, that is the ultimate goal and it will always be. Whether or not I would play for St. Louis or Boden. #

…………………..

FACTS /

Name: Oskar Sundqvist

Age: 25 years

Profession: Hockey player in the NHL

Lives: Saint Lewis, Missouri, USA / Skellefteå

Family: Girlfriend Klara Norman and the dog Nova. And mother, father and siblings in Boden.

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