Former great goalkeeper Johan Hedberg is about to make his debut as a head coach in the SHL with Örebro.
It takes place, of all places, in Leksand.
– It’s nice to take the bull by the horns right away, he says.
Örebro’s new coach, former great goalkeeper Johan Hedberg, during a training session with his new team before the SHL premiere.
The schedule makers really got it right when it came to the SHL’s newest coach.
The fact is that Johan Hedberg and his family have a house just a stone’s throw from the Tegera arena in Leksand, where he now comes as an opponent and coach in Örebro.
He has a good laugh about this fact when TT brings up the premiere match after a training session.
– It is clear that it will be a special match, but now I have been away in so many different teams and the ones I work with are my team. Then I will always be interested in other teams anyway, I follow Mora, I follow Leksand, I follow teams where you have feelings with people you have worked with, says Hedberg.
“Immense” meaning
TT: What has Leksand meant to you?
– A huge amount for my whole person, that’s where I started playing, that’s where I got the chance in the elite series (then SHL), which took me to the national team and which made me become a professional. To experience the dream of playing in the NHL for so long.
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– Since then I have done various things in the association, I sat on the board for a few years and have good visibility and contact with the club. But that’s how it is for many coaches and leaders. It’s not as special as you might think from the outside, says Hedberg.
The former great goaltender played twelve NHL seasons, played with stars like Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr, and won World Cup gold with Tre Kronor.
After his playing career, which lasted until he was 40, he became a manager in New Jersey before joining his former coach Peter DeBoer to San Jose as an assistant coach.
The closest Hedberg comes from three successful seasons in Mora – his first as head coach – where he took the team from the bottom to the top in the hockey Allsvenskan. He was named the league’s best coach in 2020-21.
“A hell of a respect”
Now he comes to an Örebro that has stabilized as a top team in the SHL.
Last season was the best in the club’s history with a fourth place in the regular season and an exit in the semi-finals after losing to Skellefteå.
The next step is obvious: SM gold.
But Hedberg does not really speak in those terms, even if that is the goal.
– I’m probably more process driven, that you build the blocks bit by bit and when you’re in a playoff, anything can happen. But the goal is for everyone to get better every day and if everyone can improve a few percent from the first to the last day, then we have come a long way, then we have a good chance of entering the playoffs with a good feeling. For a long time to come, you don’t have to see.
– I have a hell of a lot of respect for this league, it’s incredibly difficult, all the teams are good, if you’re not thorough and one hundred percent dedicated, you won’t win.
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Head coach Johan Hedberg.
The call a relief
Johan Hedberg does not doubt the latter for a second. He pays tribute to former coaches, led by Niklas Eriksson, for the environment they built in the team in recent years.
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The fact is that Hedberg and Eriksson, now sports director at the club, are old teammates and roommates from the Leksandstiden.
When it first began to be rumored that Hedberg was on his way to Örebro, at Eriksson’s expense, the old goalkeeper felt far from comfortable.
Until the phone rang.
– When contact was made with Örebro, there was talk that Niklas would not be staying. So my first reaction was “well, I don’t know”. But when it came out in the newspapers, Niklas called me straight away and gave me his approval, which was very, very nice. He was super professional and completely prestigeless, and that is Niklas as a person, says Hedberg.
Now the old friends will work together. Johan Hedberg has signed a two-year contract.
– It’s a super win-win for everyone, I think, he says.
So how does Örebro move on now with Hedberg in the booth?
– We want to continue to build on what has been done, there will always be some changes in the game with a new coach, but we don’t want to change Örebro’s DNA, just refine it.
However, there are still question marks on the player side. The super talent Leo Carlsson is in Anaheim to try to get an NHL place and in Örebro they count him out at the moment.
– Should Leo come back, he is the best new acquisition you can get, Hedberg thinks.
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But in that case there is some time left. Back to the premiere then. Is Johan Hedberg nervous about how he will be received in his hometown?
– No, I’m actually not. I don’t think I’ve done anything they need to be too angry about. We’ll see if there will be any swear words or not, says Hedberg.
Fact
Facts: Johan Hedberg
Age: 50.
Lives: Apartment in Örebro and house in Leksand.
Family: Wife Pernilla, adult children Molly, 28, Vilma, 25 and Bia, 19.
Clubs as coach: New Jersey (various assignments, 2013-14), Albany (goalkeeping coach, 14-15), San Jose (assistant/goalkeeping coach, 15-20), Mora (20-23), Örebro (23- ).
I am an active clubber: Leksand, Manitoba, Detroit Vipers, Baton Rogue, Kentucky, Pittsburgh, Vancouver, Dallas, Atlanta, New Jersey, Albany.
Three quick…
+ Who will be Sweden’s first head coach in the NHL?
– Maybe Sam (Hallam) when he is done with the national team. He is probably the closest. That journey and the success he has had make him the most suitable. For me it’s not a goal, I’ve been over there for 23 years.
+ Coolest memory from your playing career?
– The NHL debut and first playoff game with Pittsburgh, that whole journey is probably the coolest thing I’ve experienced. So much happened at once, a dream come true, I got to play with great players like Jagr, Lemieux, and Alexej Kovalev.
+ How did the nickname “Moose” begin?
– It was in Pittsburgh, I came from the Manitoba Moose (in the IHL) and had that gear on and a blue Manitoba helmet with a big moose on it. So that’s how the Pittsburgh crowd took it during the playoffs. At first I thought they were booing when they yelled “Moose”. It became a hype.
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Fact
Facts: SHL’s coach
The SHL’s head coaches in order according to how long they have been in their positions:
Roger Rönnberg, Frölunda, 10 seasons.
Thomas Berglund, Luleå, 6.
Cam Abbott, Rögle, 6.
Björn Hellkvist, Leksand, 3.
Martin Filander, Oskarshamn, 3.
Tomas Mitell, Färjestad, 2.
Klas Östman, Linköping, 2.
Tomas Kollar, Malmö, 2.
Mattias Karlin, Modo, 2.
Robert Ohlsson, Skellefteå, 2.
Anders Karlsson, Timrå, 2.
Jörgen Jönsson, Växjö, 1.
Tomas Montén, HV71, new.
Johan Hedberg, Örebro, new.
Fact
Facts: The premier round
Thursday, 19.00: Skellefteå–Modo, Timrå–Frölunda, Leksand–Örebro, Färjestad–Växjö, HV71–Linköping, Oskarshamn–Luleå, Rögle–Malmö.
2023-09-13 09:28:43
#SHL #debuts #home #Special #match
