Get to know Joacim Eriksson

Joacim Eriksson talks about goaltending, his junior career, his relationship with his ex-team Brynäs and ex-team mate, Panthers prospect Jacob Markström, coaches, dogs, last season, national team, how he ended up in Skellefteå, his talks with the Flyers and you name it what else.

Let's start with how he became a goaltender.

"When I was a kid I played every other game as a goalie and as a skater in Hedesunda. When I was seven I was given the chance to be a full time goalie. It went well for me and I thought it was cool to make saves."

It still feels cool today.

"Yeah. It's such a special challenge; the pressure you have for your goalie. He's the last guy who can do something about the puck going in or not."

Eriksson started his junior career with Brynäs, but it wasn't his first option.

"I applied in hockey colleges in some bigger places, but I didn't get in. I was a third goalie on the Gästriksland team at the TV-Puck tournament. But I kept working and had a good time all the time. I never felt any pressure about hockey. It wasn't a must for me. I just wanted to go forward all the time."

"One summer I went to try on the Brynäs U18 junior team. We had five goalies and I kept thinking: 'Will I make it?' and 'Do I have to go to another team?' But it went really well for me and me and one of the other guys got to play."

That one other guy was Jacob Markström, the biggest goalie talent in Sweden.

"Yeah. Me and Jacob played together on the U20 team. He got to play a little more than I did and I felt that in the most important games it was him who got to play."

"Most of all, Jacob has a winner's mentality."

By "winner's mentality" Eriksson means...

"If I was really good at some practice, he was bitter. Then he kept working and was amazing at the next practice."

"It was a huge battle between us."

Eriksson says he's not staying in touch with Markström on a regular basis anymore.

"Not that we'd call each other, but if we meet, we talk."

Eriksson sees a very bright future ahead for his old partner in battle.

"He's big in goal and has such good hockey sense. I believe that he's going to play in Florida already this season."

Eriksson admits that he wants to show Brynäs now that it was a mistake for them not to trust him instead.

"Yeah, I'm definitely going to show them what I can do. With them, I got to sit on the bench in some Elitserien game at best. Before last season they wanted to loan me to some Allsvenskan team or have me continue on their junior team. But I didn't want that at all."

"Skellefteå was interested already then. But I thought that the best for my development would be to spend a year with Leksand."

Eriksson says he's very thankful to Leksand coach Leif Strömberg for his success last season.

"I went there to be the backup. That was the role they wanted me in. But I played better than Timo [Leinonen] and got to play. It gave me a lot of confidence and it meant a lot to me that the coach had faith in me right from the start of the season."

"Strömberg was a special coach. He didn't accept mistakes. I've gotten a lot of crap from him."

"When we had our first on-ice practice I let a couple shots in and he started yelling that we need to replace the goalie coach. It was pretty tough to hear as a new guy..."

Skellefteå coach Anders Forsberg is different type.

"He's special too, but in his own way. I've had him on the junior national team. He shows what he wants, it's easy to understand what he means and he speaks relaxed and understandably. He's not a hot head."

Eriksson isn't a hot head either. Skellefteå goalie coach Krister Holm calls Eriksson a "child of nature". Though Eriksson isn't sure what Holm means by that.

"I don't know. But I haven't had a goalie coach when I was a kid, so maybe it's that I'm pretty self-educated to begin with and I've done a lot of things by just feel."

"Everyone also says that I'm so calm, but I'm not sure if that's true."

The season has barely started, but there's already talk about Eriksson playing for the national team eventually. Team Sweden goalie coach Stefan Lahde is one who said that Eriksson on the national team is not an "if", but a "when".

"National team is definitely a dream for me. Yes, Elitserien has also been a dream. When I was a kid and went to see games in Gävle I thought: 'Oh, I'd like to be there!' and the Brynäs players were my biggest idols."

"But now I'm trying not to look too far ahead. I'm just trying to stop all the pucks every day. That's hard enough. We have many skilled shooters on the team and they also let me hear it extra loud when they score on me in practice."

"Christian Söderström and Jimmie Ericsson do that the most. So those two are the ones I especially don't want to score on me..."

After a successful last season with Leksand, Eriksson says the Flyers decided that it was best for him to play in the Elitserien next. Though there was some hesitation about it at first.

"The Flyers didn't really know if they'd want me to come over, but then they decided that it could be good for me to play some years in the Elitserien."

Eriksson certainly had many takers in the market after his record setting year in the Allsvenskan.

"Leksand wanted to keep me there and I also had many options in the Elitserien. Brynäs was also interested in me, but they wanted a quick decision from me since they thought it was so hard to find goalies in the market. Then things went like they did with their goalies that moved over to North America."

"But I didn't want to decide already before the post-season with Leksand and Skellefteå was willing to wait."

"It was an important matter to me that there was an understanding and that it was easy for me to concentrate on the post-season. It also felt right when I went to Skellefteå to meet with the club. I got a good gut feeling."

"It felt right with the goalie coach and everything else. The club helped me with the apartment and everything. Sometimes they've also arranged a babysitter for my dog when needed."

Talking about dogs, they're close to Eriksson's heart.

"I have a calm German Shepherd named Bianca. I like to train her and take good care of her. I've take her to an exhibition once and she came third."

"I got her last season in Leksand. I had been wanting to get a dog for a long time and eventually I just decided to get one."

But back to hockey. The way the goalies have been played in the preseason and in the first two regular season games in Skellefteå has created a very interesting situation in goal. Both goalies have played an equal amount of games. Eriksson has another battle ahead, similar to what he had with Markström in Brynäs. Now he'll be battling with Andreas Hadelöv who's coming off of the best season in his long career. Hadelöv was also voted as the best player in Skellefteå last season by the team's fans. Sounds like a good challenge.

"It feels like the step between juniors and the Allsvenskan is bigger than the step between the Allsvenskan and Elitserien. I'm going to fight as hard as I can to not sit on the bench. I definitely don't want to sit. I want to play and so does Hadelöv. Neither one wants to sit."

Eriksson doesn't know if the current "every other game" rotation will continue from now on.

"I don't really know. The one who's best is going to play, that's what they say."

"It's been said that we're going to fight for the position, that the best will play, but also that we're going to rotate."

Eriksson says he feels confident and he's ready for the challenge.

"I feel big in goal, I cover the net a lot and I can use both sides well, the glove and the stick."

The battle between Eriksson and Hadelöv seems even on the ice, but...

"I think it feels pretty even between me and Hadelöv. It's only in squash where it's uneven. He's terrific at squash and beats me really easily..."

Joacim Eriksson Quick Facts

Where does Skellefteå finish in the regular season?
"1st"

Playoffs?
"1st"

Who will be the biggest positive surprise on the team?
"Joacim Eriksson"

Interests?
"Train Bianca, fishing, movies, other sports"

Favorite sports teams?
"Anaheim Ducks when I was a kid. Liverpool"

TV show?
"Two and a half men, Simpsons"

Music?
"Relaxing music"

Book?
"Don't remember when I read a book"

Food?
"Tacos"

Goal or assist?
"Assist"

Night at home or night out?
"Night at home"

Last thing you do before a game?
"I go to the crease, get in the V position, get up again and check my glove and blocker to get the right feel"

First thing you do after a game?
"Depends on how it went. If we won I dance and jump"

First thing you do in the morning?
"Go out with Bianca. She eats before I do. Then I watch some TV and go to practice"

Last thing you do in the evening?
"Brush my teeth"

Source: VF

Vyacheslav Butsayev sharing Flyers memories

This season there's going to be some Russian players on the Flyers again. It's been a while and the combination hasn't worked out well very often for either the team or the player. Current head coach of Red Army, the junior team for the CSKA Moscow, Vyacheslav Butsayev, 39, shares his memories from the early 1990's.

The starting point for Butsayev's NHL journey wasn't ideal to begin with. Now he admits he wasn't ready for it.

"We lost a lot of more or less experienced players from CSKA before the 1992 season. One was Andrei Kovalenko. I didn't want to be a mentor at the age of 22, so I had to leave."

"I wasn't ready when I went to play in the NHL. This is one of my lessons to the kids today."

Butsayev says it straight; his NHL career was a disappointment.

"It was. I went to Philadelphia and it wasn't the best of times for me."

"Right before I went there, they got Eric Lindros who was supposed to be the successor for Wayne Gretzky. A year before Lindros had already played in the Canada Cup and he hadn't even played in the NHL yet. Eric didn't want to play in Québec that drafted him and demanded a trade. And he got it."

If Butsayev's memories of his NHL career aren't very positive, his memories of Lindros aren't any more positive either.

"He was a self-conscious young man who was allowed to do a lot of things. He could break the rules and it would go unpunished."

"He had talent, but he was far away from Gretzky."

"I also met him in the Canada Cup in 1991. He skated like a rocket and tried to do it all by himself. We weren't afraid of him, we played a 3-3 game with Canada. We then went on to beat him in the Olympics in Albertville in 1992 and at the World Championships in Munich in 1993."

But there was also a man who surprised Butsayev in a positive manner.

"The coach [Bill Dineen]. Old man, a father of one of the team's leaders, Kevin Dineen."

"We had lost a few games in a row and he put up a funny sign in the locker room that had three keys to victory; "Take 50 shots on goal, steal the puck 30 times and don't turn the puck over in the neutral zone more than ten times or you'll lose!"

"He also took the players to the bar at his own expense."

"I couldn't do that with the Red Army."

While Butsayev's visit in Philadelphia didn't go all too well, a move to San Jose didn't turn things any better. He got to play very little in California; a combined 18 games in two seasons.

"I barely played at all! The Sharks coach Kevin Constantine had his prejudices against Russians. There were Sergei Makarov and Igor Larionov, young Sandis Ozolinsh and Andrei Nazarov. My only relief was the period when I was put on the same line with Makarov and Larionov. Getting to play with such team mates felt great right away."

Source: Sovietsky Sport

Joacim Eriksson in a perfect situation

Elitserien starts today. There's a ton of hype built around the 20 year old Skellefteå goaltender Joacim Eriksson. Not a single game in the season has been played yet, but hockey experts around the nation are already suggesting that Eriksson could start for Team Sweden at the World Championships next spring. He hasn't even started his first career game in the Elitserien yet.

Eriksson keeps his feet on the ground and doesn't think about the hype. He rather moves the focus on the team, away from himself.

"I can't think about just myself", he says. "Now I'm up in the Elitserien with Skellefteå, so it's just about taking the chance and not think too much. I want to show what I can do and focus on what I'm good at; play hockey. I don't think of myself as a talent. I'm just one guy on the team."

But the hype hasn't come out of nowhere. It hasn't come without a reason. Eriksson's career so far has gone up like a rocket.

"I played a lot of junior hockey in Valbo and then I went to Brynäs", Eriksson recalls his career this far. "There me and [Jacob] Markström played every other game a lot. Then things started going really well for him and he got the call up. After that it started going really well for myself, too. We came second place in the league and I was drafted."

Eriksson says that being drafted by the Flyers gave him extra motivation in his young career.

"It was very special to get drafted. It really gave me something to push for. You couldn't give up at that point."

Eriksson says he had a choice to make before the start of last season. He had the option to stay in Brynäs, behind highly talented Panthers prospect Markström, or go play for Leksand in the minor league Allsvenskan.

"It was a tough choice, but I chose Leksand. I signed for one year to get to see what would happen next. I took a little risk there since I could've been injured for example. But I'm glad that I took that risk."

Now one of Eriksson's dreams is about to come true as his first Elitserien start is just around the corner.

"It's going to be cool, I've missed having this chance. Elitserien has always been my dream. It reminds me of the time when I was a little kid and got to see Brynäs play. It was awesome."

In Skellefteå Eriksson will battle with veteran goalie Andreas Hadelöv for ice time. The two goalies played every other game in the preseason and the battle is expected to be hard and equal all season. Eriksson calls the situation perfect.

"It's the perfect situation for both of us. We know that we have to work hard, but also that we both get to play. It's tough, but good."

Many consider this goalie tandem to be the best in the league, but if you mention that to Eriksson, he quickly dodges all possible praise again.

"I don't know about that. We don't waste our energy on thinking about things like that. We both just focus on the things that we're good at."

Eriksson says he's overall much more calm and relaxed today compared to how he used to be, on and off the ice.

"It used to be the end of the world to me if I let in one goal. Now I'm more about getting over it as fast as possible and just move on."

Source: Norran

Simon Bertilsson injured again

Simon Bertilsson's injury woes aren't going away. His last season was ruined by several injuries, including knee and shoulder injuries as well as a concussion. All those problems gave Bertilsson extra motivation to train harder than ever before this summer, but now this season seems to have a nightmare start - again.

Bertilsson suffered a knee injury in the last preseason game. He was able to finish the game, but afterwards it turned out to be worse than expected. He will miss at least two weeks of game action.

"Simon has undergone an orthopedic scan and while there seems to be no big damage, we're talking about at least fourteen days before he can play a game", said medical staff member Glen Hellström.

Elitserien starts already on Thursday, but obviously playing then will not be an option for Bertilsson.

"No, it doesn't look like that", Bertilsson confirms. "Something very special would need to happen for that to work out. It's sad because I've really looked forward to it all summer and preseason."

"Of course it feels fucking bitter."

Right now Bertilsson's knee is too swollen for skating and practicing to work out.

"He's had crutches last weekend, but he can start training in the gym this week", Hellström explains.

The good news for Bertilsson is that at least it wasn't the same knee he blew last season when the injury prevented him from playing at the World Junior Championships.

"Yeah, it was the other knee then."

Despite the latest setback, Bertilsson remains positive overall as he feels he has been playing well and developed a lot from last season.

"I think we've played well in preseason. And that means the whole team, excluding the last game."

Bertilsson has a clear thought on what area specifically he has developed the most in his game.

"Offensively. I join the attack a little more in the offensive zone than what I have done before. I can do more and go on for longer since I've trained better."

Source: Arbetarbladet

Denis Bodrov back next year?

Denis Bodrov says he's aware of the punishment the KHL gave him last year because of the secret double contract he had with the Lada Togliatti two years ago. Bodrov will be suspended for 10 games at the start of the season.

"Yeah, I know. But I'm still hoping that the league would forgive me and cancel the punishment."

Bodrov says the competition for roster spots is hard on the Moscow Spartak team and he can't expect to get a spot handed to him without a battle.

"I can't be sure about having a spot. The competition for spots is indeed very serious. And the coach demands us to take each game as it was our last. You should see me in the games."

Bodrov confirms his contract with Spartak is for one year.

"I have a contract for one year and I think I will stay the whole year with Spartak."

Bodrov also confirms that the Flyers did offer him a contract this summer.

"Yes, they did. But I started having personal reasons for a return. My wife was pregnant and she was about to deliver the baby, so there was no chance of going to another country. I could've played hockey, but my wife would've been alone with a baby with no grandparents around. She also doesn't speak any English. Could we have moved in such a situation?"

Bodrov says the Flyers understood the situation.

"They were understanding. They said that they would be happy to see me again."

Bodrov admits that the aggressive game in the AHL surprised him.

"There was a lot of battling, aggressive play on special teams. I haven't experienced that in Russia."

"The Togliatti junior system actually prefers physical hockey, but not to the magnitude of the American style. Fortunately I adapted quickly. And I didn't get into fights. If there were concerns that everyone would want to challenge a Russian, it never happened. It was normal hockey and the team treated me well."

Bodrov said buses became familiar in the AHL.

"Yeah, I sat in plenty of buses. But the conditions were quite comfortable. I had Wi-fi access all the time, so I was able to communicate with relatives during the trips. And the roads there are better!"

Source: KHL

Jakub Kovář comments preseason

Jakub Kovář shares his thoughts about the preseason so far and comments his new situation as a starting goaltender now that previous starter, NHL veteran Roman Turek, has retired.

České Budějovice concluded a preseason tournament that was held in Switzerland last week. Kovář says the tournament was demanding because of the travel, but it also offered high quality games and prepared the team well for the upcoming season.

"I enjoyed the tournament, it was beneficial for me. I like games where I get shots frequently."

"They were definitely good enough games to prepare us. It was no different from the Czech league playoffs and it was good for us to get that kind of a test already now. It definitely benefitted us."

The long distances between the arenas was the only down side Kovář could think of.

"Most of the time we just traveled. There were long distancies no matter where we went. It was really difficult. We had 120 kilometers from the hotel to our first game and we traveled 25 kilometers four times a day."

Other than the logistical inconveniences, Kovář thinks the tournament offered good preparation for the upcoming season. Even if the team lost two of the three games.

Kovář blames the travel for the poor result in the first game, but also gives credit to the opposition, Swiss league team Geneva.

"It was terrible for us, knowing the way we spent the day before the game", Kovář recalls. "They were stronger and faster. But in the end we started to match them better and I think eventually we played a decent game."

Second game, loss against Lausanne, Kovář watched from the bench.

"We were clearly the better team, but lost in the end."

Kovář was back in net in the final game of the tournament, a 5-2 win over Fribourg.

"It was probably the best game we played there. It was a well balanced game, we pushed hard, put pressure on them and got chances on the power play."

Kovář himself had a solid tournament, but it didn't change his perception on his position.

"My position is still the same; I try to get to play as much as I can and every time it's my turn to play I want to play my very best."

But Roman Turek's sudden retirement just before preseason does have it's own effect. A mental effect, if nothing else.

"Now it's even more obvious that I have to lead the team and I have to earn the trust from the coaches."

There are still a handful of preseason games left for České Budějovice against other Czech league teams before the regular season begins on September 17th.

"In the last preseason games it will be important for us to do some tweaking. We're all looking forward to the start of the season."

This report was based off of a Czech-language story released by České Budějovice.

Timonen not mentally ready yet

Kimmo Timonen says he still hasn't completely gotten over the bitter ending of last season.

"It felt like ten months had gone down the drain. Actually, it still feels like that."

Timonen played well over a hundred games last season, including preseason, regular season, Olympics and playoffs. It was demanding physically, but possibly even more so mentally.

"It was the toughest season I've ever had. My body was pretty much broken in the end."

The summer so far has not been enough time to recover from all of that.

"My body is in a relatively good condition, but I haven't recovered mentally yet. The idea of having to jump back into a similar situation feels pretty hard right now."

Nonetheless, the Timonen family will be flying back to North America already this week.

Busy Summer

It takes time to get over the bitter memories of last season, but because the season ended so late, the summer has been shorter than usual for Timonen. It also meant that he had a tighter schedule in the summer.

"It's been quite the hassle. I had to do so many things during the vacation in a much shorter time than usual. Time ran up too fast."

"Though I deliberately didn't start training until the beginning of July. Earlier I've started already in June, but now I didn't have any energy left to do that."

The Kime 4 Kids charity fundraising event was something that Timonen wanted to fit into his summer schedule, no matter what.

"It was a warm and successful event and we plan to keep organizing it also in the future."

Future Goals & Kalpa Stories

Coming close to winning the Stanley Cup last season has left a lot of desire to win for Timonen.

"The dream lives on. Now I know concretely what it takes to win the Cup. It's a long and bumpy road, but I want to experience that feeling. We got so close that the will to go all the way motivates a lot."

Timonen has hinted earlier that he would retire after his current contract is up in three years. There is also one personal goal that he would like to achieve before retiring.

"One of my dreams is to reach 1000 NHL games. It requires playing out my current contract."

"I go one year at a time. I'm going to respect my contract, but also listen to all parties."

Timonen says that following in his friend Sami Kapanen's foot steps to finish his career with Kalpa in Finland is not an option for him.

"My games in Finland are played. Something very special would need to happen that I would play in Finland."

When talking about Kalpa, you can't help but think how in the world did also Scott Hartnell get involved with the Finnish club. We need to hear that story, too.

Timonen laughs.

"Well, that story is pretty short. I think we were in Boston, I was sitting with Scott and he was wondering what he would do with his money when it was piling up in his bank account. I told him that I have a good investment target; put your money in Kalpa! [laughs] He was just: "Absolutely! How do I do it?" So I informed Sami about it and he took care of all the paper work. So that's how Scott got on board."

Despite rumors, Timonen says he hasn't retired from the national team yet.

"After Vancouver I told [coach] Jukka [Jalonen] that I'm not retiring from the national team. We'll look at the tournaments case by case."

When the time does come to hang up the skates, Timonen thinks it's possible that he and his family will keep flying over the Atlantic.

"I could easily imagine that we would live the winters in the US and the summers in Finland after my career. The decision in the future will depend on the kids in any case. They've gone to school in the US and their friends are there, too."


Source: Savon Sanomat

Ice cold Eriksson facing new challenge

Skellefteå goalie coach Stefan Ladhe shares his thoughts on Joacim Eriksson and the current situation the young goaltender is in.

"He's a great guy, it's very nice to get to work with him. He's a skilled goalie with a great attitude and that's a very important thing to have, especially for a goalie. Jocke won't become nervous if he has a big challenge ahead of him. He's ice cold."

Ladhe is a little surprised at how quickly Eriksson has developed. Eriksson became the starting goalie for Leksand last season and outplayed veteran goalie Timo Leinonen to take the job.

"I probably didn't expect it to happen so quickly. But I knew what caliber of a goalie Jocke is and how much potential he has because of his time with the junior national teams earlier. It was an achievement for him; he showed that he was better than Timo, so he earned the job."

Ladhe is confident in Eriksson's ability to repeat his success at a higher level this season.

"He showed as a rookie in the Allsvenskan what he can do and I'm convinced that he will do the same in the Elitserien. If he keeps developing like he has, there is no question that he's going to play in the Elitserien."

Ladhe doesn't expect it to be easy for Eriksson in Skellefteå where the young goalie has to battle with Andreas Hadelöv, 35, for ice time, but notes that Eriksson should get his chance.

"Skellefteå has a very good goalie tandem. I talked with Jocke after the season in Leksand and thought that he should think about what to do next. The Philadelphia Flyers organization was also an option for him. Skellefteå may not seem like a very good place for Jocke's development since they have Hadelöv who has been good there for many years, so you might wonder how many games Jocke will get. But from what I understand, Skellefteå will get a little younger and bring Jocke in and let both goalies play about as much."

Source: VF

Word with Pyörälä

Mika Pyörälä tells why he signed with Frölunda this summer, takes a quick look back on his season with the Flyers and also shares his thoughts on ex-teammate Johan Backlund.

"Nothing had happened at the end of July and there were many other players without a contract. I didn't hear anything, so I started thinking about Europe again."

"There were only two options; Sweden or Russia. I tried to look at the big picture. Gothenburg is a good city and it's a good organization there with a good team that has the chance to go far. That's why I chose to go to Frölunda."

Pyörälä signed a three year contract, but he can leave Frölunda if he gets an offer from the NHL.

Pyörälä had a strong start last season, earning a roster spot on the Flyers, but finished the season in the AHL.

"There were several different reasons for that. The team didn't play so well and they switched coaches right before the holidays. I played less than ten games under the new coach and I think we lost every single one of them. Then all of the injured players became healthy and they made changes in the team and when they started winning games I was eating popcorn in the press box."

"It sucked, but at the same time it was still a fun season and most of all a great experience."

"In the last game with their farm team I broke my collarbone. I would've been one of the Flyers black aces; six or seven farm team players who train with the team and are ready to jump in if someone gets injured. I had bad luck being injured so I couldn't do anything more but just rehab and watch the games."

The Stanley Cup finals were fun to watch nonetheless.

"It was just fantastic. The arena was sold out every game and you could see orange everywhere on the streets. The whole city was into it. Unfortunately they didn't win."

Pyörälä also believes in Johan Backlund's chances to become an NHL player.

"I believe he has a good chance to become an established player in the NHL. He played great all season in the AHL. We didn't have a good team and without Johan we would've lost many more games. I think the Flyers have a plan for him in the future."

Hockeysverige

Catching up with Krajíček

Lukáš Krajíček says he wanted to stay in Philadelphia and it was close to happen.

"I wanted to stay. It was my first priority. I wanted to settle somewhere more permanently. We had agreed on the terms, but at this point we have nine defensemen in Philadelphia, so there was no commitment in the end."

"I'm not sure yet where I'm going to play. I'm negotiating with several teams. Of course we're mostly talking about money. Phoenix, Anaheim and Carolina in particular."

"I want to stay in the NHL. There is interest in me in Russia, but I want to stay in North America as long as I can. Only then when no one wants me in the NHL I will return to Europe. At this point I don't know whether it's going to be a year or five years."

Krajíček feels confident in finding a job in the NHL.

"Maybe it's been in my head a little bit, but I'm sure it will work out. There are still a lot of places in the NHL, though I'm not alone in this situation. I'm not afraid, I'm sure things will work out. But of course I have to be well prepared for the new season."

Krajíček hopes he could find a new team by the time he goes back to North America.

"I'm flying back there in about ten days. It would be nice if I knew the team by then."

Krajíček has spent the summer in Czech, mostly just relaxing.

"Yeah, I played for Jagr's soccer and hockey teams in Prostějov. I love these exhibition games. People are having fun and the players enjoy it, too. I also spent a lot of time on tennis courts."

"Having a couple of weeks with family and friends is great. It's always perfect to stay home in the offseason and recharge your energy."

Krajíček also celebrated his successful season with his friends.

"Obviously. Afterall, it was a great success for me and also the experience of a lifetime. Especially considering at the beginning of the year I was with Tampa, on their farm team. The six months in Philadelphia was fantastic from my perspective. I played hockey at the absolute highest level. It was such a pity that we lost to Chicago. We didn't miss by much. We were only two wins away. If we had done it, there probably would've been a huge party in Philadelphia."

There wasn't much of a party for the second place finish.

"After the last game there was nothing but silence in the locker room. Only later on we realized what we accomplished."

"We had a quick meeting with the players after the season, but it wasn't anything big and special. There is only one winner in America."


Source: HS

Zherdev practicing with Ovechkin

"Come on, Kolya!", the ever so cheerful Alexander Ovechkin yells to the bench while speeding around the rink. "Come and play! One more time!"

"I wanna go eat", Nikolai Zherdev mumbles back, sitting tired on the bench. "I already did the shootout."

But in the end, slightly disgruntled as he may seem, Zherdev returns to the ice one more time to finish the easygoing practice, much to his friend Ovechkin's pleasure.

It's another day at the rink nearby Moscow where a bunch of Russian NHL players are having their summer practices.

"There's Kovalchuk, Ovechkin, Suglobov and some others", Zherdev lists his friends on the ice.

"Most likely I'm leaving Russia before the rest of the guys here. Somewhere in the beginning of September I'll already be in Philadelphia."

The vastly spread forest fires around the Moscow area have made practicing a little harder than usual. There's smoke everywhere.

"Of course it's hard to train when it's impossible to breathe normally. I hope that it's more normal in the States. Now we go train and run in the arena because it's hard to be on the streets. Like last night was good, but this morning it was bad again. Though sometimes there's smoke even indoors."

Zherdev says his goal was always to return to the NHL.

"NHL is the best hockey league in the world, so every hockey player dreams of playing there. I'm no exception in this case."

Zherdev also got married recently.

"Yeah, I'm a family man now. We didn't have a big wedding, there were only family and friends. My wife is now also preparing to move to Philadelphia."

"We haven't sought a house there yet. But it's not a problem. I think we can find a place to live."


Source: LS

Simon Bertilsson excels at international level

Simon Bertilsson is back in Sweden after the four team U20 tournament that was held in Lake Placid in the beginning of August. Bertilsson thinks the tournament was tough, but a useful experience.

"We trained real hard", he sums up.

Bertilsson was also considered one of the best players not only on team Sweden, but in the whole tournament. Only Adam Larsson, the possible 1st overall draft pick in 2011, was thought to have played at Bertilsson's level.

"It felt really good, especially in the last game (4-1 win vs USA). I've become stronger during the summer and my shoulder isn't bothering me anymore."

Last year it was the injuries that prevented Bertilsson from playing at the World Junior Championships. He had already been named on the team, so it wasn't easy having to stay home instead.

"It was really tough. Now my goal is to be there this winter. But it won't be easy. I don't take anything for granted."

Source: AB

Gustafsson defends the American route

The Swedish hockey federation is trying to stop 15-20 year old Swedish players from leaving the country to play in North American junior leagues by threatening to fine the players who leave before turning 22. Only leaving to play in the NHL would not be punished.

Erik Gustafsson says he's not a fan of the restriction and reminds that he wouldn't have an NHL contract now if he hadn't been allowed to go play in North America a few years ago.

"The federation is trying to work things so that the players would want to stay in Sweden instead. But it seems more like a threat", Gustafsson says.

"I can understand that the federation wants to keep the players in Sweden, but I never would've signed such a contract [with the Flyers]. It would be better if they could grow the interest towards junior hockey in Sweden instead."

"In the USA the interest is bigger, there can be 3000-4000 people in a game in the USHL, the league where most of the college teams take their players from. The level in that league is about as good, or a little better, than the J20 Superelit in Sweden."

"Maybe it's easier to get more people in games in the USA since there are more people there in general, but the junior and college teams there also have their own organizations. NHL organizations don't have their own junior teams there like Elitserien teams have their own J20 teams in Sweden. And the teams are often in other cities than the NHL teams and not competing for fans with them."

Gustafsson has noticed that he's not the only Swede who has taken the unusual road through North American junior leagues.

"There are more and more of those who do that. And it's not that stupid to go from that backdoor. Everyone is not ready for the Elitserien when they are 18-19 years old and finished playing in J20. Then it can be a good thing to play at a good level in North America and in college you have four years for yourself to develop."

"The college level is not better than the Allsvenskan, but not so much worse either. But it's better to be there because you're much closer to the NHL and you get noticed more easily. There are at least three NHL scouts in each game and all the organizations are there watching. If you play in the Allsvenskan it feels like you have to be up in the Elitserien first before you have a chance to get to the NHL."

Erik Gustafsson not in a hurry

Erik Gustafsson says it was a valuable experience for him to play with the Adirondack Phantoms at the end of last season. His instant success with the Phantoms caught him by surprise.

"Ha ha. I think I had scored seven goals total in three seasons before that. It was damn cool to be there and play and everyone was nice. I got to know them a little bit before this season and I also learned a little how some of them play."

Gustafsson was also given a chance to practice with the Flyers during the playoffs.

"I was totally nervous, and in the locker room I sat right next to Chris Pronger. I felt myself pretty small there then. But it was a lot of fun to be there."

Gustafsson says his training program has changed and looks a little different now that he's signed with the Flyers.

"There's a bunch of different training programs and other stuff. It's a little different to what I've been doing before so it's been cool to have some variation."

Gustafsson says his prospect camp was successful.

"The prospect camp went well and they were pleased. Now I'll be going over there and do my best. Then we'll see how far I can go. Hopefully I'll get to play in the NHL in a few years."

Gustafsson will likely play on the Phantoms, but he doesn't see it being a problem.

"That's not important. It's still a step forward for me compared to where I've played before. I also believe that it's a good thing to get to play a lot and gain experience rather than just play a few minutes in the NHL. Naturally I want to play at the highest level possible, but I'm not in a hurry."

Gustafsson signed with the Flyers in March, but he says it's still hard to believe it.

"It's totally surreal. Of course I'm happy, but the best thing in the end is that I can do what I love to do the most. I'm going to go as far as I can and then hopefully some day I will play in the NHL."

Source: ST

Andrei Popov getting ready for new season

Traktor Chelyabinsk returned home after training camp that was held in Pinsk, Belarus. Andrei Popov admits it was a tough camp.

"The practices we had in Belarus were quite severe, though I can be pretty confident in saying that every single one of us could handle the load. So everything is fine. Besides, after returning from Pinsk the team was given two days off. It was possible to spend that time with just relaxing and recovering. Two days was enough to rest."

"I was definitely satisfied with the conditions there. Everything was at hand and we didn't have to take the bus to go anywhere. We went to the pool and the sauna every day."

Traktor has a new coach for this season and Popov says the difference is noticeable already now after a couple practices.

"Yeah, the differences are visible. Every coach has their own approach in principle, as usual."

Traktor didn't only switch coaches, but rebuilt their whole team by adding a lot of key veteran players, such as the Czech world champion Petr Vampola, Slovakian Roman Kukumberg and ex-NHLer Vitali Yachmenev. Popov isn't afraid of the competition, but just happy that the team seems strengthened.

"The players we added are all good and well known. They all came from good teams where they had big roles. I'm confident that every one of them will strengthen the team."

Traktor starts playing preseason games on August 13th.

"First and foremost these games are important for coaches where they can test their tactics and try different line combinations for the season."

Popov is careful with his expectations for this season when the team has changed so much.

"It's difficult to draw any conclusions. We have another month of training, to reach the ideal condition, so let's wait for September."

Source: Traktor Chelyabinsk

Backlund recovering slowly

Johan Backlund is still walking with crutches.

"They took an MRI from my hip and I was told that I had a cartilage in my hip joint and that I needed an operation after the season", Backlund explains. "But I was forced to keep playing because our other goalies also had injuries and it ended up making my injury worse."

The operation that was done in Nashville earlier this summer was successful. Backlund has to use crutches for five to eight weeks.

"I'm glad that everything went well, but it took a little longer than I had counted. First I was told that I could go home and be two weeks in Sweden. I was supposed to use crutches for two weeks and then go back to Philadelphia. But now it became eight weeks and I've been over there almost the whole time. Eight weeks was a little setback, it was a short summer in Sweden, but there will be more summers."

Backlund flies back to Philadelphia tonight.

"I'm going back and start rehabilitating together with our physical trainer, so I'm going to get a lot of help from him."

Backlund isn't sure how much the injury slows down his preseason training.

"I don't really know, we'll see. Teams in Sweden hit the ice right now and I would've liked to join them and play a little. At the same time, the season starts later in North America so there is time, but I would've liked to get some ice time already now."

Backlund's goal is to be back in practice when the Flyers training camp starts.

"It depends on what the doctors say, but the camp starts on September 11th and I hope to be there then. But I can't effect my recovery that much. The most important thing is to not stress about it, it won't be good then. I know some people who have gone through the same operation and then come back too early and have setbacks. The most important thing is to become healthy."

Backlund says he has good memories from his first season with the Flyers.

"I got my chance, but then I got hurt. But it was a lot of fun to be up there and I also got to stay up with the team during the playoffs. I look forward to this season since now I know what waits for me and what is demanded."

According to some other Phantoms, Backlund was a popular player on the team.

"Yeah, haha. I got some recognition there, but I was up with the Flyers then so I wasn't there, but it was really nice."

Backlund says there were some Swedish teams interested in signing him this summer, but his first choice was to remain in North America.

"Yeah, I heard from my agent that there were some inquiries. But it never became anything concrete. I told my agent that my goal is to stay in North America and give it one more chance. But I had to make a quick decision since Swedish teams want to sign their goaltenders early and in the NHL you can wait a little longer. I'm really glad that the Flyers wanted me to stay."

Source: DB

Meszároš trains with national team

Andrej Meszároš says the idea of him training with the Slovakian national team this week came from himself. Head coach, ex-NHL coach Glen Hanlon had named a young team consisting mostly of Slovakian league players to train for a tournament in Switzerland held later in the week. When Meszároš approached him, he had nothing against adding the NHL veteran on the team to show example for the younger guys.

"Andrej asked us politely if he could come to the camp in Piešťany with us", assistant coach Ľubomír Pokovič confirms. "Of course, we're happy to have him."

"I was in Trenčín last week and went on the ice with some of these young guys on the team and I met Hanlon and the other coaches", Meszároš recalls. "They told me they have a camp in Piešťany on Monday. I asked if I could come. They had nothing against it."

"They go to Switzerland for a tournament on Wednesday, but I thought I could come to Piešťany. It's good training and it's nice to talk with the guys I know."

Meszároš says it doesn't matter that the players on the team are inexperienced.

"It's not about that at all in this case. First and foremost I take it as summer training. It's about spending a lot of time on the ice. I take it from the standpoint that it improves my preparatory period before a long season."

Meszároš says he doesn't have a Flyers jersey yet.

"No, not yet. I don't have a Flyers logo anywhere yet. I'm going to Tampa at the end of August to take all the stuff I left there and then move to Philadelphia. We'll see about it then. Now I'm still trying to enjoy the summer and train the best I can."

Ice time and team success are the goals Meszároš have set for next season.

"It depends on which pairing I will play on, but naturally I'd like to be on the ice as often as possible and that I could help the team. When the team does well, I'll be happy, too."

Source: DS

Kovář's battle for ice time begins today

České Budějovice will play a total of sixteen preseason games before the Czech Extraliga starts. Jakub Kovář isn't complaining about the amount of games. It only means more chances for him to show what he can do.

"There are a lot of games, but it's good. There will definitely be enough time for us as a team to try everything we need."

Kovář is expected to start the first game today in Písek.

"I should play the first half of the game. So I'll have a chance to give the coaches a reason to play me first."

Kovář enjoys the fact that the first preseason game is in Písek where he has many friends and former teammates.

"It's quite interesting", he admits. "Games are always more enjoyable after a long training period, but this means even more. I feel like home in the town where I grew up and started playing hockey. I can show them what I can do."

At the same time, Kovář keeps his expectations low.

"But after eight days on the ice, it probably won't be much of anything. I got new goalie gear and it will take more than just sitting down in them to get accustomed to them."

Even then, games are games and training is training.

"Every game is better than training and it's good to catch the rhythm before the season starts."

This year Kovář is expected to have a bigger role on the team, splitting time with NHL veteran Roman Turek. There have been whispers about an evenly shared work load through the season.

"Last season I talked a lot about our position in interviews. Who's the starter, who's the backup, who's playing now. Coaches will decide who will play the first game on September 17th. Us goalies will decide what kind of a rotation we will have. It will depend on just us as we play. I don't think we'll have any problems with who's going to play."

Remembering Dmitri Tertyshny

Last week was the anniversary of the tragic passing of the young Flyers defenseman Dmitri Tertyshny. His cousin Alexei shares his memories eleven years after.

"Only good things come to mind", Alexei Tertyshny says. "I don't even remember anything bad."

"Dima became a father in America, a kid he didn't even have time to see. When his wife comes to visit and I look at the kid, he looks exactly like Dima - all his facial expressions, even his hair is the same. It's a small comfort, but he left something of himself behind."

Alexei says he was good friends with his cousin.

"Yeah. We went to school together. He went to school later, not with his class mates, but with us. We spent most of the time together, had sleepovers... we were inseparable."

Alexei thinks the tragic accident was fate.

"Of course it's hard to recall everything and try not to think about it. It was a harmless situation on a yacht. It was the offseason, they were on vacation. What else could it be called but fate?"

"It was definitely a shock to me. I was at a training camp in Finland and his brother Sergei was in Magnitogorsk. Cell phones were not so common back then. Some of the guys I was with had one and I called home and I was told about it. I didn't believe it at first. It would be a shock to anyone to lose a loved one."

Alexei says the Flyers organization offered help to Dmitri's family.

"They supported his parents and his wife and gave them logistical help."

"His wife and son live in America and thank God everything is fine with them."

Dmitri's son also plays hockey.

"Yeah, he plays and as they say, he's good at it. This year he went to a junior team in Philadelphia."

Alexei believes his cousin would've become a good player in the NHL.

"He would because he had managed to spend the season on a very strong Flyers team where Russians weren't really accepted."

"His brother Sergei played in North America and I knew he was good, but I didn't expect Dima to follow. It was a pleasant surprise. He spent the entire season up in the NHL, played almost every game including the playoffs and everyone had only good things to say about him. Impressive, I must say."

"Dima managed to write his name in the history of hockey. He is the only one of the brothers who could play in the NHL all season."

Quiz with Zherdev

Nikolai Zherdev is said to be an enigma that no one really knows. Now we know something as he answers a bunch of non-hockey related random quick questions.

If you're not a hockey player you're a...
"Soccer player"

Three wishes?
"To be healthy, to have success in sports and personal life"

Favorite color?
"White, cyan and blue"

Clothes?
"Jeans and tee shirt"

Perfume?
"Eau de Cologne"

Watches?
"Not wearing watches much"

Movies?
"Drama"

Actress?
"Pamela Anderson"

Actor?
"Arnold Schwarzenegger"

Music?
"Any. Whatever comes from the radio"

Instrument?
"Balalaika"

What do you not accept in people?
"Insolence"

What do you think of extreme sports?
"I'm positive about them. I don't do them, but I have nothing against them"

Do you have an idol?
"There's no one I've tried to be like"

Businesswoman or housewife?
"She can be in some business"

What kind of women do you respect?
"Independent"

What could you never forgive?
"Treason"

Are you a vulnerable person?
"Sometimes"

Which kind of injury is tougher, physical or mental?
"Mental"

Greatest athlete?
"Valeri Kharlamov"

Holiday?
"Birthday"

Is hockey a work, game or life to you?
"Work first"

Is hockey more physical or mental?
"Both"

Most stylish and fashionable hockey player?
"Albert Leshchev"

Country?
"Ukraine"

City?
"Kiev"

Which country would you like to visit?
"France"

What would you take with you to space or a desert island?
"A woman"

Favorite season?
"Summer"

Time of day?
"Depends on the day of the week"

What did you buy with your first salary?
"I dreamed about a car. When I came to CSKA I bought it"

Best gift?
"A rubber woman I got for Birthday"

Do you consider yourself a star?
"Probably not"

What quality of your character helps you in your work?
"Diligence"

Who would you like to better in your career?
"Myself"

What would you not want to talk about?
"I hate to talk about politics"

Favorite subject in school?
"Music"

Drink?
"Green tea and Czech beer"

Food?
"Pasta"

What languages do you speak?
"Russian, Ukrainian and a little English"

Are you a hippy or a geek?
"Probably the first"

Do you believe in God?
"Yes"

Dream?
"Win the Stanley Cup and Olympic gold"

What is happiness?
"Family and children"

Source: SD

Bobrovsky ready to conquer America

Sergei Bobrovsky says he didn't consult other NHL players before deciding to sign with the Flyers. Talking with his agent and parents was enough.

He doesn't know when or where the Flyers noticed him.

"They came to talk to me during last season. I had a long thought about it."

Bobrovsky isn't bothered by the fact that he wasn't a drafted junior star like Semyon Varlamov, another young goalie that Bobrovsky is often compared to.

"The junior level is a past level", Bobrovsky explains. "You can shine at that level and then fade. Everyone has their own life. Semyon has simply shown that nothing is impossible. I'm not comparing myself to him."

Bobrovsky isn't afraid of the competition in goal.

"What should I say? Why would I go if I was scared? I repeat: nothing is impossible. I'm going to work and do my best. It's no use to guess how it pans out."

Bobrovsky says he doesn't mind playing in the minor leagues and that he has to adjust to the differences of the North American game.

"It's very rare for European goalies to avoid the AHL. It's a part of your climb to the top. You get used to the rinks and the game. They shoot more and pass less than in Europe. And I have to get used to that. If a goalie makes one mistake there, it's a goal."

"I've signed a two-way contract for three years. So if they send me to the AHL or whatever other league, I'm ready."

Bobrovsky also notes that three years is not a deadline to him.

"I don't set deadlines. The goal is to play in the NHL. I'm going to hunt for my dream."

Bobrovsky says he's not speaking much English yet.

"I'm dealing with it, but I don't feel pressure to communicate. Well, at least now they signed Nikolai Zherdev. So I have someone I can talk with. There's also Oskars Bartulis. On the other hand, when you're with foreigners, you adjust faster to the environment and the language."

Bobrovsky says his first impressions of the Flyers are very good.

"Great organization. It's very comfortable for the players, you just go and play. There's a great atmosphere in the locker room, people are friendly."

Bobrovsky doesn't know where he's going to live yet.

"It depends on which team I'll play on. I'll have a rented apartment first in any case. It wouldn't make sense to buy something now."

Bobrovsky had a financially better offer from SKA that eventually ended up signing Evgeni Nabokov. Money is not important to Bobrovsky.

"You could say that. NHL is the league where the best players are. It's been my childhood dream up to this day to play there. So money wasn't the deciding factor."

Bobrovsky gets philosophical when he talks about goaltending.

"Goaltender is a separate character in the game. There are many skaters, but just one goalie. We definitely need inner peace and psychological balance for the game. Nothing must disturb and distract us."

Sometimes it's not easy when there's heavy traffic in the crease.

"Certainly. But it's human nature to get used to everything. Therefore, over time, all those hits lose their importance. I, for example, concentrate exclusively on the game and the goals. I don't pay attention to the rest."

"I'm very calm in life in general. It's very hard to ruffle me."

Bobrovsky also graduated recently from a Pedagogical Academy. Hockey players aren't known for their high education, but Bobrovsky doesn't see anything special about it.

"It seems natural that after school a man goes for higher education..."

Bobrovsky denies the education being a backup plan for himself.

"I've played for a long time and set the bar high for myself. Education is just education."

Becoming a coach could be an option later.

"Why not... But I also have other ideas. And that's all after my career is over, not now."

But let's come back from the future. Bobrovsky says he's been enjoying his vacation.

"I went to the Maldives and the Emirates after the season, a total of 25 days. Once I came back to Novokuznetsk I started going to the rink again and did some athletic training, then went to the Flyers prospect camp."

"Now I'm waiting for Metallurg to come out of vacation. I rather train with the guys."

"Then I'll be going to the Flyers training camp and conquer America", he finishes with a laugh.

Quotes from today's Sports Daily

Offseason talk with Timonen

The Kime 4 Kids fundraising event that Kimmo Timonen organized for a children's hospital in Kuopio was a success. The whole profit of the event was 36100 euros (46700 USD).

"I'm very happy", Timonen says. "The event brought a lot more money to an important cause than I dared to hope."

Timonen says helping sick children is close to his heart also because of personal reasons. His niece is one example.

"When I've closely followed how hard the life is for the parents, I want things to become easier for them."

Among the Finnish players who took part in helping the event become successful were also Valtteri Filppula, Tuukka Rask, Teemu Selänne, Saku Koivu and Tuomo Ruutu.

Among the auctioned items, one prize was a VIP trip to a Flyers game next season. Safe to say, none of the players wanted to win that prize.

After the successful event, Timonen says it's time to start moving the focus towards next season again. He's already practicing, but won't return to Philadelphia until late August.

"I practice in the morning and do other stuff the rest of the day. The older you get, the better you have to train in the summer, too. Otherwise the young guys leave you behind fast."

Timonen says it's really important to get some time off from hockey at his summer cabin by the lake in Kuopio.

"You're tied to hockey for ten months in a year. To get out of that environment is very important mentally. Here you get to rest mentally and physically."

Now Timonen has gotten over last season.

"It took a couple weeks to get over it. Losing in the finals was the biggest disappointment in my career afterall. I couldn't even sleep well at first."

Timonen says he doesn't have many tries left to win and hints that he will retire after his current contract is up.

"I still haven't won the Stanley Cup. I have three years left in my contract and it's very likely that that's my limit. I'm having less years, but I still have chances [to win]."

When the long career is over, don't expect to see Timonen keep working in hockey.

"I'm more interested in other things than being involved in hockey for the next twenty years. Now I have a few years to think what I'm really going to do when I grow up. I have some ideas, but time will tell."

Kime 4 Kids

Kimmo Timonen says he saw a TV document in January about children battling against cancer and thought he had to do more to help. He had been helping a local hospital in his hometown Kuopio financially for many years, but it was time to do even more. This summer he organizes a fundraising event called Kime 4 Kids in Siilinjärvi, Finland. There will be a hockey related auction and Timonen challenges some other hockey players in a golf tournament this Saturday.

Guests include Finnish NHL players such as Valtteri Filppula and Tuukka Rask. Also ex-Flyers Ossi Väänänen and Kimmo's brother Jussi Timonen will be present. Kimmo will also get one of his current teammates on board as Scott Hartnell also agreed to join the event. Hartnell arrived in Siilinjärvi yesterday.

"We've been good friends with Scott since our days in Nashville", Timonen tells. "He's psyched."

Timonen also plans on giving Hartnell a quick look at the Kalpa organization where they both act as part owners. Ex-teammate Sami Kapanen is the GM and main owner of the SM-Liiga team.

"We'll at least drive by the office and tell Scott that here's where your money has gone", Timonen laughs.

Timonen isn't willing to reveal yet what sort of items will be auctioned at the event, but hints that hockey fans should pay attention.

"There's going to be stuff there that many people don't have. Precious stuff."

Thoresen keeps door open for Russia

Patrick Thoresen says he's not going to sign a two-way contract in the NHL anymore.

"I'm not going to sign an NHL contract at all costs. Of course I want to play in the best league in the world, but I'm not going to sign a bad contract this time. If you do it and play a couple bad games, you're quickly in the AHL. I'm not going back to that."

Thoresen says playing in Russia is his backup plan.

"As I've said, me and my agent are working to get to the NHL, but I won't write off Russia either."

"I had a fantastic year in Russia. But my team Salavat understood that I wanted to return to the NHL and I'm grateful for that. I know that if I don't sign in the NHL this year, I have some Russian alternatives."

"I've gotten myself a name in the hockey community now and there will never be a problem to get a job in Europe."

But the NHL remains Thoresen's goal.

"Yeah. I know I can go there and produce a lot of points in addition to being a role player. So now we'll just see."

Bodrov back in the mess

Denis Bodrov was expected to re-sign with the Flyers, but changed his mind and signed with the Moscow Spartak instead. Now he will enter the mess he left behind this past winter. The KHL gave him a 10 game suspension and a fine for over 5.6 million rubles at the time he signed with the Flyers. The reason for the punishment was the secret double contract Bodrov had signed with Lada Togliatti in 2008. The additional contract that paid Bodrov millions of rubles under the table was deemed illegal by the league.

As was reported earlier this season, the KHLPA leader, ex-NHLer Andrei Kovalenko is working hard to help Bodrov.

"The league has sent us a copy of their decision about the punishment on Denis. We will study the document and think how we can help the player to continue his career. I will meet with the representatives of the leadership of the league. There was a decision to disqualify Bodrov, but he was not officially informed about it. Therefore, even the player himself didn't know about the punishment and signed a new contract."

Bodrov himself refuses to comment on the situation.

The Spartak GM Andrei Yakovenko also claims they were not aware of the punishment.

"We signed Denis Bodrov. There is no mention about suspension or fines. No one has told us."

Bodrov's agent Viktor Artemkin says there are no official documents about the punishment.

"I don't underestimate the professional people of the league, but nonetheless, we have no documents about the suspension."

"The league should have informed the players union, me and Denis on their decision already in January. Then we would have filed an appeal immediately. However, we never got any documents."

League official Dmitry Kurbatov says Bodrov's contract has not been registered yet.

"No team has submitted a contract with Denis Bodrov to registration. As soon as that happens, we will register the contract. And the penalties, the suspension and the fine, will become valid. The team that signs Bodrov should understand this clearly: Bodrov will sit on the bench for the first ten games."

Kurbatov says it's too late to file an appeal now.

"He had that opportunity. But all the deadlines for this are long gone and the decision holds."

Kurbatov refused to comment anything about a possible miscommunication or misinformation between the league, the agent and the players union.

Quotes from today's Sovietsky Sport

Thoresen to Anaheim?

The Flyers have given Patrick Thoresen's agent the permission to talk to other teams.

"But it doesn't help much. The Flyers still control my future", Thoresen says.

The Flyers still own Thoresen's rights, so it's up to them what's going to happen with the Norwegian winger.

Thoresen's agent, Patrick Carnbäck, is certain that his client will end up in the NHL.

"He was the best player in Russia", Carnbäck claims. "He had a very good year there. He's going to the NHL. It's clear."

One team specifically is after Thoresen.

"The Anaheim Ducks. They've been calling for a while and they're still interested. If things don't work out with the Flyers, there are opportunities there."

There's no time frame on things working out for Thoresen.

"Of course we want a clarification from the Flyers, but NHL teams build their rosters til September. So if some team is interested enough, it's not urgent."

Carnbäck expects Thoresen to get something between a half a million and a million in an NHL contract.

"A million is realistic. But as long as the market is quiet it's hard to have any idea on how much any contracts may be on. We can end up with anything between a half a million and a million."

Thoresen wouldn't mind joining the Ducks.

"They're one of the teams that have been interested and they're also a team that's good enough to win. They won three years ago and can win again."

"But as I said, I can't do anything but wait in this situation. It's up to the Flyers. I would've liked to see this thing get worked out three weeks ago, but this is how it is. I can be an NHL player tomorrow or in two weeks."

No news for Thoresen

Patrick Thoresen remains unsigned.

"I haven't signed any contract", Thoresen confirms.

But he's confident that he will sign in the NHL next season.

"I'm 99% sure."

The name of the team is still up in the air. Thoresen hasn't heard anything from the Flyers.

"I'm waiting to hear back from Philadelphia. I really enjoyed playing for the Flyers, but I'm open to all teams."

"It's the NHL that I want. It's the best league in the world and I feel that I have unfinished business over there."

Playing in North America would also be a better choice for Thoresen's family than playing in Russia.

"I didn't see my family that much when I played in Russia, but they will be able to come with me to North America."

Meszároš the goal scorer

Andrej Meszároš says he played through injuries last season and has gone through some conditioning in the offseason.

"I had injuries throughout the season. I rehabilitated five weeks with physiotherapists after the season. I've done more training than previous years now. I also did some simulator training. I hope it helped me train everything I need."

"Putting the skates on after seven weeks was the best feeling."

Now Meszároš is done with his extra conditioning and can focus on more comfortable ways to train. Slovakian hockey players organized a soccer game and not only was Meszároš able to join the game, he stole the spotlight. He scored four of his team's five goals, but it wasn't enough as his team lost in the penalty shootout.

"I played soccer for fifteen years. I was a forward", Meszároš explains, smiling. "I remember a game where I scored eight goals."

"So I played forward again. I play enough defense during the season."

Interestingly Meszároš wasn't the only one switching positions for the game as for example Rangers winger Marián Gáborík played in goal, making several huge stops.

The oft injured Gáborík admitted it was a risk to play the game and stated that he was thankful that everyone played carefully.

Leino recovering

Ville Leino is back home in Savonlinna, holding his own hockey school for children and recovering from the hip surgery that was done during the draft weekend.

"We've been cleaning up the hip a bit and fixed it", Leino explains. "When the whole recovery process is done, I should be in a pretty good shape. The hip should be good in time."

"The injury came in time. The hip got worse after I had played a certain amount of time. Now it was time to do something about it."

"I'll start some rough conditioning after two weeks, working it about four hours a day. Of course I try to enjoy the summer in Philadelphia, too. It's hot there; it's been about +40C there this week. It's a good week to come to Finland and relax at +27C."

The skinny Leino jokes he's not able to show off even after a successful season.

"Even if I've been working out now, I still can't go walk around shirtless on the streets here."

"But the spring is a warm memory. Of course it would've been great to win. They don't give silver medals there for second place. It does bother when it's so close, but still so far away. The Cup is the only thing I'm trying to get there."

"There was good and bad in the season. It started pretty well, but then I went down in the hole. It was a tough season, but it got better again in the end."

"Now I have a good feeling to start next season when I could show that I could play. I think the front office has faith in me and I have confidence in myself, too."

The Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Antti Niemi also returned to Finland recently and went on to praise the atmosphere at the games in Philadelphia.

"I think the crowd in Philadelphia was probably even louder than in our place", Niemi recalls. "The fans there gathered around to grill outside the arena already in the morning. It was totally amazing."

Niemi thinks the Flyers just ran out of gas in the finals.

"They are a good team, but they probably ran out of gas. They played the same players a lot."

Niemi says he hasn't talked to Leino or Kimmo Timonen in the summer.

"I didn't really talk to them after the finals. I just told them they played good games. There wasn't much more to it, really."

Flyers offered Kovalchuk $7 M

Various sources in Russia talked about the Flyers being in on Ilya Kovalchuk this past weekend and today Igor Larin and Slava Malamud at Sport Express not only confirmed this, but also revealed some details.

As it looks right now, Kovalchuk will decide between the offers by SKA St.Petersburg of the KHL and the New Jersey Devils.

The offer by SKA became the most preferred option to Kovalchuk after the past weekend when the NHL teams came up with their own proposals. The Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings were prepared to pay Kovalchuk about seven million dollars a year, the New Jersey Devils eight million dollars. If we talk about the money after taxes, the NHL offers would guarantee Kovalchuk about half the money SKA is offering. The actual numbers of the offer by the New York Islanders - reported 100 million dollars over 10 years - were more modest than reported and caused them falling out of the race.

Meszároš on the right side

A couple days after, Andrej Meszároš says he's getting over the shock of being traded.

"It certainly was a shock. But that's life in hockey. One day you're there and the next day you're here. I'm already looking forward."

Meszároš admits he wasn't happy with his game in Tampa.

"I'm not going to lie, they were not my best two seasons. I can't say anything bad about the organization and hockey in Florida, I had two beautiful years there. But personally, I wasn't that good and neither was the team, not being able to make the playoffs even once. But now I will focus on the Flyers."

Meszároš is willing to work his way up in the Flyers lineup.

"Naturally I'd like to play on the first pairing, but they have four great defensemen. I'll have to try to get as good of a spot as possible."

Meszároš says he's not familiar with his new team mates on a personal level.

"I played with Matt Carle for a while in Tampa, but then he got traded to the Flyers. Last season Lukáš Krajíček was in Philadelphia, but he's yet to sign a new contract."

The Flyers as a hockey team is more familiar to Meszároš.

"They play an aggressive style of hockey, everyone knows that. They fight until the last seconds and they skate hard. I like their style of play, it's impressive."

Meszároš doesn't have good memories about having to play against the Flyers.

"Not very good. We always had tough games against them, so I'm just glad I can be on their side now. Really, I never played well against the Flyers."

Next season Meszároš will be on the Flyers side and if it was up to him, the season could start tomorrow.

"Really, I can't wait for the start of the season."

New beginning for Meszároš

Andrej Meszároš says he was shocked to be traded.

"I was surprised when I was told that there was a chance that I would get traded. Everything happened in minutes. The Lightning general manager called me and said I was traded. I was in shock."

The shock also meant a new beginning and a new chance.

"The Flyers are a great team again, they played in the finals last season. It's a new beginning for me, which I look forward to and hope I do better than I did in Tampa."

Meszároš says the press conference alone gave him a good feeling about the future.

"I enjoyed myself talking with the media, I felt welcome. The Flyers general manager was there, too. They asked me about my expectations and if I watched the finals."

"I'm familiar with the team and I know what the expectations are for us."

Sergei Bobrovsky graduated

Bobrovsky hasn't now only finished his hockey season, he has also graduated from the local Pedagogical Academy at the Faculty of Physical Culture, Sport and Tourism. He graduated today.

Now Bobrovsky will focus on hockey again and his future with the Flyers.

"I'm preparing to go to North America. We have a rookie camp in July there. Then I come back to Novokuznetsk where I'll continue my independent training and then in September I'll go to the Flyers training camp."

Jakub Kovář getting healthy again

Jakub Kovář hopes to have gotten over his injuries and is getting ready to prepare for a new season with České Budějovice, sharing goaltending duties with NHL veteran Roman Turek, 40.

"It's been five weeks since the [knee] surgery now and I'm finally getting into full practice soon", Kovář says.

This season Kovář tried to play through a ruptured joint and meniscus in his knee, but finally the team management put an end to his desperate battle.

"I hurt my knee at the end of last season. They took an MRI of it, but I started the season anyway. The doctors found something in my knee, but they decided not to operate it. I wanted to avoid the operation and go into the season and see how it would hold up. Then eventually, the team management decided that it would be better for me to undergo surgery."

"It was a simple surgery, but I still have to be careful. I shouldn't hurry my training because I don't want any setbacks."

"The doctor told me it's a birth defect. So I must be very careful."

"I had a similar surgery last year. But it looks like something in the knee reopened this season and they had to sew it together again. Maybe that was the last setback and now everything is sorted out."

"Right now I'm trying to put some weight on the knee and make straight moves, but nothing complicated. So I ride the bike and don't put too much weight on the knee. I'm also starting to run carefully, not fast. As I said, I have to go slowly and carefully, but by July 19 when we go on the ice I should be 100%."

"It's too bad I have to skip some team exercises and have to train by myself a lot. But I still work a lot with Ed [Roman Turek's nickname], we prepare together. Ed has his own training plan and I can't do everything the team does because of my knee, so sometimes we hold our own training together with him."

Kovář expects to get a fair shot at challenging Turek in goal next season.

"I don't know yet how much we're going to play. Neither do the coaches. Starting from July 19 we go on the ice and play a lot of preseason games and those games will show us. Then the coaches will decide by our performances."

Thoughts on Mario Kempe

Mario Kempe declined the Flyers contract offer and signed a two year contract with Djurgården instead.

"I've always liked Djurgården and to play there has been a dream of mine. It's the all time best hockey club in Sweden. I feel like I'm going to fit in well in the type of game they play."

Kempe isn't thinking about the NHL right now.

"It's not something I think about anymore. I focus on doing well in Elitserien."

The quick change of mind came as a surprise as Kempe had been talking about how eager he is to join the Flyers organization before. His willingness to play in the AHL was well documented as well as his desire to play the North American game in the smaller rinks. He has often said how he enjoys the North American game more than the European and how the fast paced game in the smaller rinks fits his own game better. One of his quotes that sticks out to me was when he said his dream is to play in the NHL and he would be closer to his dream if he chose to play in the AHL instead of Sweden. I also asked him about his willingness to go to North America a couple weeks before the Flyers offered him the contract and he said he had an on-going dialogue with the Flyers and that both parties were interested in having him play in North America next season.

So why change his mind when the offer he was eagerly waiting for, was finally on the table? As the Flyers went on in their deep playoff run, Kempe realized how good that team is and how hard it would be for him to crack that lineup. He would've been willing to start the season in the AHL, but it seems that he wouldn't have been ready to spend a whole year there.

Obviously it is possible that he simply had second thoughts and decided that Elitserien is better for his long term development than the AHL would be. That's his official reasoning.

In the end, it could all be about money. If Kempe expected to be stuck in the AHL, he wouldn't be making big bucks. At the very same moment, "the all time greatest hockey club in Sweden" enters the stage with their own offer. We can be sure the money is better than it would be in the AHL.

Kempe is known to be a player who puts his own career above everything else. When he's unhappy with ice time, he leaves the team. We've seen it happen a couple times before, whether it's Rögle or the Phantoms. When he chooses his team as a free agent, he wants a team that can offer him an offensive role with big minutes. It's very likely that Djurgården could give him better guarantees on that than the Flyers could.

Choosing Djurgården over the Flyers offer seems like a combination of a lot of reasons. Djurgården is the safe choice for his career. But will it take him closer to his NHL dream? It remains to be seen, but turning down an NHL offer is often a red flag for all general managers in the NHL.

Word with Joacim Eriksson

Catching up with Flyers goalie prospect Joacim Eriksson.

What kind of a person is Joacim Eriksson off the ice?

"Oh, I'm a laid back type person. I like to be at home, watch movies, hang out with my dog. I have a German Shepherd."

Eriksson is happy with how his season turned out.

"It felt really good the whole season. I developed so much in all areas and got a lot of confidence, so it's been great."

"The game is a lot faster in men compared to juniors. It felt really fast in the beginning and it took some time to get used to it. Then I went down to play a couple junior games and they felt slow."

Strengths as a goalie?

"I stay calm in all situations. I try to cover the net and use my size to my advantage."

Weaknesses?

"Haha, none. Everything, really. I want to be quicker, more explosive, get in better condition, get more strength..."

Eriksson confirms that his new two year contract with Skellefteå has the NHL outclause that allows him to move to North America by certain date in the summer. It's not going to happen this summer.

"The Flyers told me that they want to see me in Elitserien, so I'm not thinking much about going to North America."

Eriksson drew a lot of interest in the free agent market in Sweden. Many teams were going hard after him.

"Yeah, there were some. Brynäs, Timrå, Södertälje, AIK, Rögle and Skellefteå. There were a few teams, but Skellefteå felt best. They had been positive about me the whole time. They showed a lot of interest, they have good guys on the team, the goalie coach is really good, the head coach is really good. They were also interested in me already last season."

Eriksson has set simple goals for himself for next season.

"Obviously I want to play as much as possible. I want to keep developing in all areas. Give it my all in every practice."

Eriksson thinks it's positive to have a veteran goalie to share the load with him in Andreas Hadelöv, 34.

"Yeah, definitely. I've also heard only good things about him as a person."

Kempe declines Flyers offer

It sounds like Mario Kempe has made his decision on where he will play next season. It doesn't seem to be in North America.

"The Flyers have given me a contract offer, but I believe I develop better in Elitserien than in the AHL", he says.

"If I'm good enough, I'll end up in North America eventually anyway. Right now I think Elitserien is better for my development."

Djurgården is said to be the team most interested in Kempe's services.

"I know that Djurgården is interested and I've met with them. But there are several other teams as well."

Backlund happy to stay

Johan Backlund is happy to re-sign with the Flyers.

"It feels really good", he says. "I've been determined to stay and take a spot in the NHL. It's been my goal, so it feels good to get the extension here."

There were many teams in Sweden interested in signing him as well.

"There was some interest", he confirms. "My agent got some inquiries on if I had interest in coming back. But the season went on for so long and my goal was to stay here, so no negotiations or deeper discussions ever took place."

"It's been a great learning experience. It's been up and down, I was assigned to the AHL and I got to play there. Then I got to be up with the Flyers in the end, but unfortunately I got injured when I got my chance. But it's been a very nice season. To be around in the playoffs was a great experience. Everything overall has been awesome."

Backlund's NHL debut was the most memorable moment for him, despite his injury.

"Even if it was just two periods, it's a memory that I will always have with me. The whole playoffs were also really great with all that happened. But when I got my debut, that's the memory I'm going to have with me for a long time."

Even if Backlund didn't get to play, the finals were an experience to remember.

"I was in all the practices and trips during the finals. I did a little extra by myself between the games. I wasn't in the lineup for the games."

"You have to be there to understand it. It's amazing. 20 000 people in the crowd, all dressed in orange. It's like just one big party during the finals."

Backlund says it's easier to start his second season in North America.

"It feels like I have better circumstances now", Backlund compares his current situation to last summer. "Last season I had no idea what was waiting for me. Now you know how everything works and I can focus my energy on hockey. I'm better prepared and hopefully I can perform better now when I feel safer. I know I can end up in the AHL, but I've gone through everything about my decision and I see no problems with that."

Forsberg declined Flyers offer

Paul Holmgren asked Peter Forsberg to come and help the Flyers in the end of the regular season when both Jeff Carter and Simon Gagné were battling with injuries. Forsberg says he received a contract offer to play out the regular season in Philadelphia.

"Yeah, it's true", Forsberg says. "But I felt that I wasn't in good enough shape to go."

"They also had my old linemate Simon Gagné out with an injury and they were in a desperate fight for a playoff spot. They had eight games left in the regular season when I got the offer."

"I had been so bad in Modo at the end of the season, that I decided not to go. I had problems with the foot again. I thought I simply wasn't good enough."

"Obviously it would've been cool since I know so many of those guys from my time with the team."

Forsberg doesn't want to comment about the Flyers being an option for him next season.

"It's way too early to start speculating about teams when I still don't even know if I can come back and play hockey again."

Source: Expressen

Mario Kempe undecided

"I have received a contract offer from Philadelphia and I'm considering it", Kempe says. "I go back and forth with it. Right now they have an incredibly good team, so if I go over there I'm going to play in the AHL."

Staying in Rögle is not an option for him.

"It's not an option because I want to play in Elitserien. Many teams have much more interest in me than I thought."

"Djurgården have expressed that they want to have me and obviously that's a good option. Modo is also an option."

"Luleå have also shown interest, but I think their roster is full now."

Kempe says he won't be going to Flyers camp this summer, if he chooses not to sign with them.

Unlucky speedway for Bartulis

Oskars Bartulis thinks the Blackhawks were just the luckier team.

"We didn't have any problems with getting in the right mood before such an important game. And the game showed that. It could've gone either way and the Blackhawks were luckier in the overtime. Both teams tried to play a bit carefully in the beginning, but then there were chances in both ends. So either team could've won."

The speed of the game left Bartulis in awe.

"I have never played in such a fast-paced hockey game", he says. "Never in my life."

"You don't think about making mistakes, because if you do, the mistakes will come. I usually try to think positively."

If the pace of the game was fast, so was the puck in that Patrick Kane shot that decided the game in overtime. Bartulis was one of many who had trouble realizing the game was over after that shot.

"I didn't even see the puck go in", he says. "I thought it didn't go in."

"But unfortunately in sports, the other team has to lose."

Post game 6 with Timonen & Leino

Kimmo Timonen was disappointed and tired after the final game of the season.

"It's a huge disappointment", he says. "It feels like we threw ten months down the drain."

Timonen wanted to get his hands on the Cup, but got something else.

"All we got was shit in our hands."

"We didn't play at our own level today. We were probably a little tired. We had 12 shots after two periods, you can't win these games that way. I don't know what was wrong. We hung in afterall, but they got the gamewinner."

"You could say we ran out of gas. If you get just 12 shots in two periods, it's not just about being nervous anymore. Head wanted to go to work, but legs couldn't follow."

Timonen refused to blame goalie Michael Leighton.

"We lose as a team and we win as a team. Of course they could always get a shutout on their perfect day, but it didn't go like that this time. It's no use to blame anyone."

Timonen says the line of Scott Hartnell, Daniel Brière and Ville Leino was the only one that succeeded in the finals.

"It was clearly our best line. Of course you hope the other lines could've succeded, too."

Timonen says it's tough to get over the loss - both mentally and physically.

"I could've played for one more game, but no more than that."

"You can't describe this feeling. We didn't reach our dream, so we can't really jump in the air. We've built this for ten months, and when it hits a wall like this, you can't describe how it feels. It will be tough to get over this. It's going to take a long time for sure. It's going to be in my head for weeks."

"I'm here only to win the Stanley Cup and everything else is just a sidenote."

"You never know if you get to the finals again. I don't have many years left. I've played so many years without getting this far. Time will tell, you never know."

"Now we'll rest for 2-3 weeks. It's just a game afterall. Of course it bugs me, but there are other important things in life, too."

Ville Leino says the margins were small, once again.

"We tried in the overtime, but it just didn't go in. We did have a chance. If we could've gone on for a little longer, something could've happened."

Leino agrees the Flyers were tired.

"Obviously it doesn't feel good. We were so close, but so far away. The better team won and maybe we were a little tired."

"I guess we got something positive out of this, but I can't really say what it is right now."

"It was a big chance. I'm proud of this whole team even if it didn't go all the way. You never know if you'll get another chance."

Leino dodges the infamous blame game.

"Neither goalie wasn't at their best. It's a tough spot, goalies have a lot of pressure."

Leino says his individual success wasn't much of a comfort right now.

"It doesn't feel much right now, but I guess it starts to feel better later in the summer. A tough season got a happy ending in a way. I guess you can't really prove yourself much better than that."

Leino shows the Red Wings, enjoys Philly

Ville Leino recalls the trade that sent him to Philadelphia and says he knew to expect a trade.

"I knew it was going to happen, but you can't be sure until it happens", he says. "There were speculations about it, but it's a shock when it happens. That's how it goes here."

Leino admits he wants to show the Red Wings what kind of a player they lost.

"I've been wanting to show the Red Wings and also everybody else. The expectations were high for this season and the regular season didn't go well. Obviously the playoffs have saved my regular season and I still have the chance to win the Cup on top of that."

Leino has nothing but positive things to say about his time in Philadelphia.

"This is a great time that I will remember for the rest of my life. We have a good group of guys here, good environment and good people. I've enjoyed everything. It's been the best time of my career."

Pre-game 6 with Timonen & Leino

"One game and we have to win it", Kimmo Timonen sums up. "We don't think further than that and it would be useless to think further because it's not helping anyone. We focus on this home game and try to win it. We'll think what to do next after the game. Everyone has to give it their all if we want to do well and win."

"We've been in this situation many times before during the last two months. There's no panic. We have a big game coming up and we try to win it."

"We had a pretty heated conversation about the previous game. We tried to find a reason for what was wrong, but we couldn't really find one. Everyone felt good before the game, but it didn't translate onto the ice. We did get over the loss pretty quickly. We went through the game video, so we'll know what to do better. We lost that game and we can't help it. We learn from it and try to win the next one."

"Each game starts with your individual preparation. Everyone has to come to the rink with the mentality that 'we'll win now'. You have to go to the net and win the puck battles. You can't effect anyone's preparation at this level since it's everyone's personal matter. The only thing us more experienced players can effect on is to calm down the team before the game."

Antti Niemi has a weakness and the Flyers know what it is.

"Antti gives a lot of rebounds and that's what we have to use to our advantage. Lots of shots and get into the rebounds. We can get those ugly goals from the rebounds. Antti has played well, but there are a lot of rebounds and that will be our weapon."

The playoff run has been an amazing experience, even for a veteran like Timonen.

"It's been a fast pace the last two months when we've had a game every other day. It's been quite an experience for a veteran player. It's one of the best experiences in my career. The playoff atmosphere is the best time for a hockey player. This is why we've worked in the summer. You will remember the little things that stand out in the playoffs."

"Sometimes I've wondered if I still have a family anymore when I haven't seen them much. It's been a long spring, but the dream is so close. I still have the energy to play this week with just left foot if I had to."

"We need to learn from the mistakes we made in the previous game", Ville Leino says. "We just have to play the same way we've played at home before. It's not the first time we have our backs against the wall."

"I don't really know what happened in the fifth game, but somehow we were too nervous. The puck bounced in my stick too and everyone avoided the puck a little."

Things need to change for Game 6.

"We need to get that work ethic back, because it's going to be the toughest game so far. The Hawks know that this is their chance and we have to win. There's going to be a lot of speed and emotions in the game."

Like Timonen, Leino says that Niemi leaves a lot of rebounds.

"You get pretty good rebounds even from low quality shots. We need to go to the net and get the shots high. We've gotten pucks past him pretty well. Last game we had four goals and that should be enough to win."

Leino welcomed the little extra rest during the games.

"It's been tough", he admits. "We got a break in a good spot when we've played every other day for so long."

Leino says the Stanley Cup finals are incomparable to the SM-Liiga finals.

"This is a totally different game. The difference in physicality is huge."

"The Stanley Cup must be the hardest trophy to win."

Erik Gustafsson - the new Timonen?

The newly signed Swedish defenseman Erik Gustafsson has come a long way despite his young age, switching Swedish junior hockey to American college hockey. His journey was rewarded with an NHL contract in the end, but the start wasn't easy.

"I wasn't happy during the first months there", he says. "I hadn't decided what I would study and I hadn't chosen any classes. At the same time I had difficulties with the language."

"But I had decided that no matter how tough it is, I would stay for a year. I hung out a lot with Greger Hanson. He had a similar background."

Gustafsson and Hanson might have a similar near future as well as also Hanson has been invited to Flyers camp this summer.

Staying through the difficulties was rewarded this spring.

"Day after the last game of the season I got a contract offer from Philadelphia", Gustafsson recalls. "They wanted me to come and play the last regular season games for their AHL team."

Gustafsson was an instant success at the AHL level, adding seven points in five games.

"It was totally unbelievable. I never expected that to happen. But I got to play on both penaltykill and powerplay and got confidence."

Gustafsson also had the chance to practice with the Flyers during their first round playoff series against the New Jersey Devils. The experience was unforgettable.

"I had my chin down the whole time and just hung around. Then I sat next to Chris Pronger in the locker room. That was really unbelievable."

Signing the three year contract with the Flyers was another moment hard to believe.

"It feels sick when I look at the numbers in the contract", he says. "But it's important not to lose your perspective because of the money as it doesn't make you any happier. It's all about hockey."

Gustafsson isn't stressing about next year.

"Even if a lot has happened, I haven't stressed about anything. I'm not stressing now either, I take everything as it comes. You don't want to think too much, just do your best and prepare yourself when the chance comes. Obviously I dream about my first shift in the NHL, but I need to get more routine first and foremost. They play 82 games in the AHL compared to the 40 I played in school."

There was another Swede on the Phantoms this season, goalie Johan Backlund.

"Yeah, we chatted a lot. We went to the movies once. He's very popular in Adirondack, he's the star of the team. He's the idol of the fans and really helped the team a lot."

Gustafsson will be back in Philadelphia on July 4 when the summer camps start. The Flyers have high hopes for him and have also told him so.

"They say they see me as their new Kimmo Timonen. I don't know what to say... laugh a little and shrug. Of course it would be cool if that happened."

Gustafsson is now closer to his NHL dream, but knows there's still work to do.

"Yeah, I'm much closer now than I was two months ago. But I know I need to get better at everything. I need to be faster and stronger, play at a higher level and get routine. I'm not stressing, but I'll be ready the day I get the chance."