Ice hockey player
Inge Hammarström | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born |
(1948-01-20) 20 January 1948 (age 76) Timrå, Sweden | ||
Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
Weight | 182 lb (83 kg; 13 st 0 lb) | ||
Position | Left Wing | ||
Shot | Left | ||
Played for |
Wifsta/Östrands IF Timrå IK Brynäs IF Toronto Maple Leafs St. Louis Blues | ||
National team | Sweden | ||
Playing career | 1964–1982 |
Hans Inge Hammarström (born 20 January 1948) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey left winger. He played six seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Toronto Maple Leafs and St. Louis Blues between 1973 and 1979. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1964 to 1982, was spent in the Swedish Division 1 and Elitserien, the top leagues at the time. Internationally Hammarström played for the Swedish national team at several tournaments, including the 1972 Winter Olympics and five World Championships. After retiring Hammarström worked as a scout.
Playing career
Hammarström played his first ice hockey games at the top national league level in 1963 for Timrå IK, at the age of 15. The 1968–69 season he left for Brynäs IF where he would win the Swedish Championship four times (1970, 1971, 1972 and later in 1980).
In 1973, Hammarström became the first player from Timrå IK ever to play in the NHL. Along with Börje Salming, he was also one of the first two Europeans to play with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Both Hammarström and Salming had to debunk the misconception among Canadians in the NHL of the "chicken Swede." An example came from Maple Leafs team owner Harold Ballard who once complained, "Hammarstrom could go into the corner with a dozen eggs in his pocket and not break one of them." He went on to spend four seasons with the Maple Leafs and two for the St. Louis Blues. He had been traded from the Maple Leafs to the Blues for Jerry Butler on 1 November 1977. His career ended in 1982, aged 35, after another three seasons with Brynäs IF.
Olympics
He competed as a member of the Sweden men's national ice hockey team at the 1972 Winter Olympics held in Japan.
After retirement
After his playing career ended, Hammarström began working as a European-based ice hockey scout, including a stint with Central Scouting. From 1990 to 2008, he was the chief European scout for the Philadelphia Flyers. He also worked with the Vancouver Canucks from 2008 to 2018.
Hammarström is credited with being the scout who pushed the hardest for Philadelphia to select Peter Forsberg with the sixth overall pick of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. At the time, the pick was considered a surprise. Forsberg had been ranked considerably lower by The Hockey News in its 1991 Draft Preview, and most observers expected the player to be taken late in the first round or early in the second round of the draft.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
1963–64 | Wifsta/Östrand-Fagerviks IF | SWE | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1964–65 | Wifsta/Östrand-Fagerviks IF | SWE | 20 | 12 | 5 | 17 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1965–66 | Wifsta/Östrand-Fagerviks IF | SWE | 21 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
1966–67 | Timrå IK | SWE | 19 | 14 | 11 | 25 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1967–68 | Timrå IK | SWE | 21 | 14 | 10 | 24 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1968–69 | Brynäs IF | SWE | 6 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1969–70 | Brynäs IF | SWE | 28 | 14 | 5 | 19 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1970–71 | Brynäs IF | SWE | 28 | 10 | 13 | 23 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1971–72 | Brynäs IF | SWE | 28 | 19 | 10 | 29 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1972–73 | Brynäs IF | SWE | 28 | 18 | 11 | 29 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1973–74 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 66 | 20 | 23 | 43 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
1974–75 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 69 | 21 | 20 | 41 | 23 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ||
1975–76 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 76 | 19 | 21 | 40 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1976–77 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 78 | 24 | 17 | 41 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
1977–78 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1977–78 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 70 | 19 | 19 | 38 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1978–79 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 65 | 12 | 22 | 34 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1979–80 | Brynäs IF | SWE | 34 | 16 | 11 | 27 | 32 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 6 | ||
1980–81 | Brynäs IF | SWE | 29 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1981–82 | Brynäs IF | SWE | 34 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
SWE totals | 300 | 153 | 105 | 258 | 124 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 6 | ||||
NHL totals | 427 | 116 | 123 | 239 | 86 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
International
Medal record | ||
---|---|---|
Representing Sweden | ||
World Championships | ||
1973 Soviet Union | ||
1981 Sweden | ||
1971 Switzerland | ||
1972 Czechoslovakia | ||
1979 Soviet Union |
Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1971 | Sweden | WC | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
1972 | Sweden | OLY | 6 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 | |
1972 | Sweden | WC | 10 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 6 | |
1973 | Sweden | WC | 10 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 2 | |
1976 | Sweden | CC | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |
1979 | Sweden | WC | 8 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 | |
1981 | Sweden | WC | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
Senior totals | 52 | 24 | 10 | 34 | 18 |
References
- ^ Inge Hammarström. Swedish Olympic Committee
- Mulvoy, Mark. "New immigration policy: sign a Swede," Sports Illustrated, October 29, 1973. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
- Gammons, Peter. "The Swedish invasion," Sports Illustrated, October 18, 1976. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
- The Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club, Official Centennial Publication, 1917–2017. Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart Limited, 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
- "Inge Hammarström Bio, Stats, and Results | Olympics at Sports-Reference.com". Archived from the original on 31 October 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
- Pelletier, Joe. "Inge Hammarstrom". mapleleafslegends.blogspot.ca. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
- "Canucks send Dave Gagner to Finland, to make sure Forsberg gamble is worth taking". 6 November 2009. Archived from the original on 8 November 2009. Retrieved 6 November 2009.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- "Inge Hammarström" (in Swedish). Timrå IK Supporter's club. Archived from the original on 15 January 2004. Retrieved 24 January 2007.
- 1948 births
- Living people
- Brynäs IF players
- Ice hockey players at the 1972 Winter Olympics
- Olympic ice hockey players for Sweden
- Ice hockey people from Sundsvall
- Philadelphia Flyers scouts
- St. Louis Blues players
- Swedish ice hockey left wingers
- Timrå IK players
- Toronto Maple Leafs players
- Vancouver Canucks scouts