Anders Hedberg

Anders Hedberg
Born	February 25, 1951 (1951-02-25) Örnsköldsvik, SWE
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight	175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb)
Position	Right Wing
Shot	Left
Played for	Modo AIK Djurgårdens IF Winnipeg Jets New York Rangers
NHL Draft	Undrafted
Playing career	1967–1985

Anders Hedberg (born February 25, 1951 in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden) is a retired former professional ice hockey player who was one of the first European-born players to make an impact in North America. Along with countryman Ulf Nilsson, Hedberg signed a contract to come over to play for the Winnipeg Jets in the World Hockey Association in 1974, after having represented both Modo Hockey and Djurgårdens IF in his native Sweden. He was twice voted best junior in Sweden and as such the only one (1969+1970) and is a graduate from the Stockholm School of Physical Education (GIH).

Prior to the mid-seventies, Europeans generally did not come to play in the National Hockey League, as the cartel of NHL owners had poor (some would say xenophobic)^{[citation needed]} opinions of Europeans and European hockey. Players such as the Slovak-born but Canadian-raised Stan Mikita were the exception. Hedberg was an instant sensation in the WHA, recording 100 points in 65 games in his first season, and playing alongside established superstar Bobby Hull.

Hedberg played a starring role as the Jets won the Avco World Trophy titles in 1976 and 1978. In the summer of 1978, Nilsson and Hedberg signed with the NHL's New York Rangers for $2.4 million, further weakening the struggling WHA which would cease operations after just one more season. Hedberg recorded 856 professional points in North American hockey over 751 games, and would retire from the Rangers in 1985.

After his active career, Hedberg has among other things worked as an assistant to general manager Craig Patrick of the New York Rangers. Between 1991-1997 he worked as a scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs before moving up to the position as assistant general manager in 1997-1999. In 2000 he was appointed general manager of the Swedish national ice hockey team and joined the Ottawa Senators as Director of Player Personnel in 2002-2007. In August 2007, he returned to the New York Rangers as the Head Professional European Scout.

Awards and achievements

• Swedish Junior Player of the Year (1969 and 1970)
• Named Best Forward at EJC-A (1970)
• Lou Kaplan Trophy winner (1975)
• WHA Second All-Star Team (1975 and 1978)
• WHA First All-Star Team (1976 and 1977)
• Avco Cup championships (1976 and 1978)
• Played in the 1976 Canada Cup and 1981 Canada Cup tournament
• Bill Masterton Trophy winner (1985)
• Played in NHL All-Star Game (1985)
• Inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1997
• “Honoured Member” of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
• Ranked No. 36 on the all-time list of New York Rangers in the book 100 Ranger Greats (John Wiley & Sons, 2009).

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1974–75	Winnipeg Jets	WHA		65	53	47	100	45		—	—	—	—	—
1975–76	Winnipeg Jets	WHA		76	50	55	105	48		13	13	6	19	15
1976–77	Winnipeg Jets	WHA		68	70	61	131	48		20	13	16	29	13
1977–78	Winnipeg Jets	WHA		77	63	59	122	60		9	9	6	15	2
1978–79	New York Rangers	NHL		80	33	46	79	33		18	5	4	9	12
1979–80	New York Rangers	NHL		80	32	39	71	21		9	3	2	5	7
1980–81	New York Rangers	NHL		80	30	40	70	52		14	8	8	16	6
1981–82	New York Rangers	NHL		4	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
1982–83	New York Rangers	NHL		78	25	34	59	12		9	4	8	12	4
1983–84	New York Rangers	NHL		79	32	35	67	16		5	1	0	1	0
1984–85	New York Rangers	NHL		64	20	31	51	10		3	2	1	3	2
NHL totals				465	172	226	398	144		58	22	24	46	31
WHA totals				286	236	222	458	201		42	35	28	63	30

External links

• Anders Hedberg's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Anders Hedberg's biography at Legends of Hockey
• Anders Hedberg – player profile and career stats at European Hockey.Net
• Anders Hedberg's biography at Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame

Preceded by Brad Park

Bill Masterton Trophy winner 1985

Succeeded by Charlie Simmer