Håkan Loob

Håkan Per Loob (born 3 July 1960) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey player for Färjestad BK of the Elitserien and the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is the head of European Scouting for the Calgary Flames after resigning as president of Hockey Operations for Färjestad. Considered one of the greatest Swedish hockey players of all time, he was inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame in 1998, and the Swedish ice hockey Hall of Fame in 2012. The Elitserien created the Håkan Loob Trophy, awarded to the league's top goal scorer, in his honour in 2005 and Färjestad has retired his jersey number 5.

Loob joined Färjestad in 1979 and was a member of the team that won the Swedish championship in 1981. He won the Guldpucken as Swedish player of the year in 1982–83 after setting single-season records of 42 goals and 76 points, which remain SHL records. He moved to North America following that season to join the Flames, who had selected him with a ninth-round pick at the 1980 NHL entry draft. Loob was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team in 1983–84 and in 1987–88 was named a first team All-Star after becoming the first Swedish player to score 50 goals in one NHL season. He won the Stanley Cup with Calgary in 1989, after which he chose to return to Sweden.

Rejoining Färjestad in 1989, Loob won consecutive Guldhjälmen awards in 1991 and 1992 as the Elitserien's most valuable player as selected by his fellow players. He retired in 1996 to become the club's general manager. He managed Färjestad to four Elitserien titles in 11 seasons before being elevated to team president. Internationally, Loob represented the Swedish national team on several occasions. He was one of the first three members of the Triple Gold Club, (with Sweden teammates Tomas Jonsson, and Mats Näslund) signifying that he has won the Stanley Cup (in 1989), the World Championship (in 1987 and 1991) and an Olympic gold medal (1994).

Early life Loob was born on 3 July 1960 on Gotland, where he grew up in the small town of Slite. Loob is of Estonian descent. Loob's grandparents, together with their children, including Loob's father, Paul, fled to Gotland in a small boat across the Baltic sea from the island Kihnu during the German occupation of Estonia in 1944. Loob started playing ice hockey at the age of five, when an artificially frozen rink was constructed near his home. and quit all other sports to focus on hockey.

Playing career

Färjestad BK Loob began with third division clubs IK Graip Slite and Roma IF Romakloster in 1975–76 and 1976–77 respectively before spending two seasons with second division club Karlskrona IK. He moved up to the Elitserien when he joined Färjestad BK, with whom he scored 15 goals and 19 points in 36 games in 1979–80. In 1982–83, Loob set Elitserien records by scoring 42 goals and 76 points. He continues to hold those records today. They were not able to convince him to join the club until the 1983–84 NHL season when, after his record setting season in the Elitserien, Flames' General Manager Cliff Fletcher referred to him as the "[Wayne] Gretzky of Sweden". Loob scored 30 goals and 55 points in his first NHL season, and was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team. He led the team outright in 1985–86 with 31 goals, and won the Molson Cup as the Flames player with the most three-star selections. He also set a Flames franchise record by scoring five hat tricks during the season. He finished sixth in league goal scoring, while his 106 points was ninth in that category.

During the 1989 Stanley Cup playoffs, Loob made it known that he was considering a return to Sweden. He later revealed that he and his wife had made the decision almost a year before and that he declined a large contract offer the team offered to entice him to stay. At 37 goals, Loob also led the league in goal scoring. He played another four seasons with Färjestad, retiring in 1996. He served in the role for 11 seasons, during which the team reached the final of the Elitersien playoffs eight times and won four championships. Two of the titles came in his first two seasons as general manager, 1996–97 and 1997–98. He added a third in 2001–02,

International

Internationally, Loob first skated for the Swedish junior team at the European Junior Hockey Championship in 1978. He finished third in tournament scoring in 1980 with nine points (seven goals, two assists) and was named an all-star. He debuted with the senior team in 1982, scoring three goals in eight games for the Swedish team that finished fourth in the World Championship, but won a silver medal in the European Championship, which counted results amongst only participating European nations. He scored two goals and two assists in the two game final series, which Sweden lost to Canada. A shoulder injury prevented Loob from playing in the 1987 Canada Cup, The shootout went seven rounds, until Peter Forsberg scored the winning goal for Sweden. By virtue of winning the Olympic gold, Loob joined teammates Mats Näslund and Tomas Jonsson to become the first three members of the Triple Gold Club as winners of a Stanley Cup championship, a World championship and an Olympic championship. Loob was inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame in 1998.

Playing style Standing five-foot, nine inches tall, and weighing 170 pounds, Loob arrived in Calgary facing skepticism about his ability to cope with the rougher style and smaller ice surface of the NHL compared to what he was used to in the Elitserien. International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame 1998

GuldpuckenPlayer of the year 1982–83 GuldhjälmenMost Valuable Player as voted by the players 1990–911991–92 Swedish World All-Star team 1982–831984–851989–901990–911991–92 Stanley Cup champion 1989

Molson CupMost three star selections 1985–86