Mats Näslund
| Mats Näslund | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Näslund in 2009 | |||
| Born |
31 October 1959 Timrå, Sweden | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) | ||
| Weight | 161 lb (73 kg; 11 st 7 lb) | ||
| Position | Left wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Timrå IK Brynäs IF Montreal Canadiens HC Lugano Malmö IF Boston Bruins | ||
| National team | Sweden | ||
| NHL draft |
37th overall, 1979 Montreal Canadiens | ||
| Playing career | 1975–1995 | ||
Mats Torsten Näslund (born 31 October 1959), nicknamed "Le Petit Viking", is a Swedish former ice hockey player. He played as a left winger. Despite his small size at only five feet and seven inches, Näslund is best known for being one of the top forwards with the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens from 1982 to 1990. In addition to the Canadiens, Näslund played for Timrå IK, Brynäs IF, and Malmö IF of the Swedish Elite League, and HC Lugano of the National League A between 1975 and 1994. He made a short NHL comeback attempt in 1995 with the Boston Bruins following the 1994–95 NHL lockout, and retired after the season's conclusion.
In 1986, he won the Stanley Cup with the Canadiens, and he won the Lady Byng Trophy in 1988. He is a three-time Le Mat Trophy champion, once with Brynäs in 1980, and leading Malmö to its only championship wins in 1992 and 1994. Internationally, he won gold medals at the 1991 World Championship in Finland and the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, making him a member of the prestigious Triple Gold Club. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2005.