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Pelle Lindbergh

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Swedish ice hockey player (1959–1985)

Ice hockey player
Pelle Lindbergh
Lindbergh with the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1980s
Born (1959-05-24)24 May 1959
Stockholm, Sweden
Died 11 November 1985(1985-11-11) (aged 26)
Stratford, New Jersey, U.S.
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 158 lb (72 kg; 11 st 4 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Left
Played for AIK IF
Philadelphia Flyers
National team  Sweden
NHL draft 35th overall, 1979
Philadelphia Flyers
Playing career 1978–1985
Medal record
Representing  Sweden
Men's Ice Hockey
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1980 Lake Placid Ice hockey
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1979 Soviet Union Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
Silver medal – second place 1978 Canada Ice hockey

Göran Per-Eric "Pelle" Lindbergh (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈpɛ̌lːɛ ˈlɪ̌nːdbærj]; 24 May 1959 – 11 November 1985) was a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender who played five seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was the first European-born goaltender to be drafted in the NHL Entry Draft and the first to achieve success in North America.

Lindbergh died at age 26 in a single-car accident five months after leading the Flyers to the 1985 Stanley Cup Finals and winning the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender.

Playing career

Having gained fame while playing for Hammarby in his youth, and while making his debut in the highest Swedish hockey league with AIK (Stockholm) leading him to the Swedish national team in the 1980 Winter Olympics, Lindbergh set his sights on the North American game. Lindbergh owns the distinction of being the goaltender on the only team that did not lose to the gold-medal-winning Team USA at the 1980 Olympics, as Team Sweden and Team USA played to a 2–2 tie in the first game of the tournament. Team Sweden would go on to win the bronze medal. After being drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft (second round, 35th overall), he started his North American career during the 1980–81 season by playing one and a half seasons for the Maine Mariners of the American Hockey League (AHL) before playing his first games for the Flyers in 1982. In 1983, he was named goaltender of the NHL All-Rookie Team. He led the National Hockey League (NHL) with 40 wins, and games played with 65, he was second in both shutouts (2) and save percentage (.899), and was third in goals against average (3.02) during the 1984–85 season and won the Vezina Trophy, becoming the first European goaltender to do so in NHL history. That same year, he was also named a First Team All-Star. In his final game on 7 November 1985, he made 18 saves while leading the Philadelphia Flyers to a 6–2 win over the Chicago Black Hawks.

Death

Gravestone of Pelle Lindbergh at Skogskyrkogården, Stockholm.

At 5:41 a.m. on 10 November 1985, Lindbergh lost control of his customized Porsche 930 Turbo and struck a wall in front of a Somerdale, New Jersey, elementary school, critically injuring himself and severely injuring his two passengers. He was hospitalized in Stratford, New Jersey, and declared brain dead a few hours later. His parents gave permission to end life-saving measures, and at 9:15 a.m. on 11 November, he was declared legally dead after all brain function had ceased. His parents also agreed to organ donation, and so his heart was kept beating until 12 November, when his vital organs were harvested and prepared for transplantation.

At the time of the accident, he had just left the Coliseum, the former practice center for the Flyers located in Voorhees Township, New Jersey, where he was attending a team party. He was intoxicated at the time of the accident, with a blood alcohol level of 0.24, well above New Jersey's legal limit (0.10) at that time.

Lindbergh topped the fan voting for the 1986 NHL All-Star Game. It would mark the first time that a player was chosen posthumously for an all-star team in a major North American team sport. Sean Taylor's selection to the 2008 Pro Bowl was the only other time this has happened. Although his number 31 was never officially retired by the Flyers, no Flyer has worn the number 31 since Lindbergh's death. Lindbergh is buried in Skogskyrkogården, a cemetery in southern Stockholm.

Pelle Circle, a residential street in Far Northeast Philadelphia, was named in his honor when it was constructed in 1986.

Swedish author Thomas Tynander wrote a biography, Pelle Lindbergh: bakom den vita masken, published in 2006. An English version, Pelle Lindbergh: Behind the White Mask, was translated by Bill Meltzer and published in 2009.

Awards and achievements

The Philadelphia Flyers named a team award, the Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy, in his honor. Since the 1993–94 season it has been annually awarded to the most improved player on the team.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
1977–78 Hammarby IF Swe-2 36 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
1978–79 Hammarby IF Swe-2 35 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
1978–79 AIK IF SEL 6 — — — 360 38 0 6.33 — — — — — — — — —
1979–80 AIK IF SEL 32 — — — 1,866 106 1 3.41 — — — — — — — — —
1980–81 Maine Mariners AHL 51 31 14 5 3,035 165 1 3.26 .893 20 10 7 1,120 66 0 3.54 —
1981–82 Maine Mariners AHL 25 17 7 2 1,505 83 0 3.31 .887 — — — — — — — —
1981–82 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 8 2 4 2 480 35 0 4.38 .881 — — — — — — — —
1982–83 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 40 23 13 3 2,333 116 3 2.98 .891 3 0 3 180 18 0 6.00 .788
1983–84 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 36 16 13 3 1,999 135 1 4.05 .860 2 0 1 26 3 0 6.92 .769
1983–84 Springfield Indians AHL 4 4 0 0 240 12 0 3.00 — — — — — — — — —
1984–85 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 65 40 17 7 3,858 194 2 3.02 .899 18 12 6 1,008 42 3 2.50 .914
1985–86 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 8 6 2 0 480 23 1 2.88 .884 — — — — — — — —
NHL totals 157 87 49 15 9,150 503 7 3.30 .886 23 12 10 1,214 63 3 3.11 .911

International

Year Team Event GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA
1976 Sweden EJC 3 — — — 180 4 0 1.33
1977 Sweden EJC 3 — — — 180 3 0 1.00
1978 Sweden WJC 4 — — — 240 10 0 2.50
1979 Sweden WC 6 1 4 1 360 38 0 6.33
1980 Sweden OG 5 2 1 2 300 18 0 3.60
1981 Sweden CC 2 0 0 0 92 9 0 5.87
1983 Sweden WC 9 4 4 1 540 27 0 3.00
Junior totals 10 — — — 600 17 0 1.70
Senior totals 22 7 9 4 1292 92 0 4.27

See also

References

  1. Yannis, Alex (11 November 1985). "Lindbergh is critically injured". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 23 November 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  2. ^ Duvoisin, Marc (13 November 1985). "Lindbergh organs removed; life support is switched off". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 1A, 16A.
  3. Egan, Chris, ed. (11 November 1985). "Flyers' Pelle Lindbergh critically injured in crash". The Evening News. Newburgh-Beacon, NY. p. 10B. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  4. Greenberg, Jay (29 November 2016). Full Spectrum: The Complete History of the Philadelphia Flyers Hockey Club. Triumph Books. ISBN 9781633198272.
  5. Seravalli, Frank (11 November 2010). "Pelle Lindbergh's spirit lives on, 25 years after fatal crash". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  6. Meltzer, Bill. "Pelle Lindbergh #31". flyershistory.com. Retrieved 11 November 2010.
  7. Tynander, Thomas (2006). Pelle Lindbergh: bakom den vita masken [Pelle Lindbergh: Behind the White Mask] (in Swedish). Västerås: Sportförlaget. ISBN 9-1853-1945-7. Retrieved 12 July 2024 – via Google Books.
  8. Tynander, Thomas (2009). Pelle Lindbergh: Behind the White Mask. Translated by Meltzer, Bill. Willmington: The Middle Atlantic Press. ISBN 978-0-91-26-0801-3. Retrieved 13 July 2024 – via Google Books.
  9. Ross, Sherry (31 January 1986). "Fans salute Pelle with one last start". The Record. Hackensack, New Jersey. p. 81.Free access icon; Ross, Sherry (31 January 1986). "Pelle a favorite with hockey fans (continued)". The Record. Hackensack, New Jersey. p. 85.Free access icon
  10. Konrad, Jim (3 February 1986). "The fans have first choice". The Record. Hackensack, New Jersey. p. 45.Free access icon

External links

Preceded byfirst recipient Winner of the Bobby Clarke Trophy
1985 		Succeeded byMark Howe
Preceded byTom Barrasso Winner of the Vezina Trophy
1985 		Succeeded byJohn Vanbiesbrouck
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