Mats Naslund
| Mats Näslund | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
31 October 1959 Timrå, Sweden |
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| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) | ||
| Weight | 161 lb (73 kg; 11 st 7 lb) | ||
| Position | Left Wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
SEL Timrå IK Brynäs IF Malmö IF NHL Montreal Canadiens Boston Bruins Nationalliga A HC Lugano |
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| National team |
 Sweden
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| NHL Draft | 37th overall, 1979 Montreal Canadiens |
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| Playing career | 1975–1995 | ||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's ice hockey | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Men's Ice hockey | ||
 |
1994 Lillehammer | Sweden |
 |
1980 Lake Placid | Sweden |
| World Championships | ||
|
1991 Finland | Sweden |
 |
1981 Sweden | Sweden |
|
1979 Soviet Union | Sweden |
Mats Torsten Näslund (born 31 October 1959), nicknamed "Le Petit Viking", is a retired Swedish ice hockey player. He played as a left wing.
Näslund was selected in the second round as the 37th overall pick in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft, by the Montreal Canadiens. After playing for three more years in Sweden, he joined the Canadiens for the 1982–83 NHL season. He was the first European-born player to play for the Canadiens.
In his rookie season of 1982–83, Näslund scored 71 points in 74 games, becoming the Canadiens' third leading scorer behind Guy Lafleur and Ryan Walter, who had 76 and 75 points respectively. That year, he was recognized as the left winger on the NHL All-Rookie Team.
His offensive abilities quickly endeared him to Montreal fans, and he was given the nickname of "Le Petit Viking" (The Little Viking), a reference to his Nordic heritage and his short stature. Teammate Mario Tremblay jokingly said when Näslund arrived that the Habs only received half of a player and the other half would arrive later.
Näslund had his best NHL season in 1985–86. He scored 43 goals and 67 assists (110 points, eighth in the NHL that season), the first Montreal player to top 100 points since Lafleur had 125 in 1979–80, and the last Canadien to reach 100 points or finish among the league's top ten scorers as of 2014–15. His 67 assists were an NHL record for a left winger until Kevin Stevens of the Pittsburgh Penguins scored 69 in 1991–92. In the 1986 Stanley Cup playoffs, the speedy Näslund was Montreal's top point-getter (with 19), as the Canadiens won their twenty-third Stanley Cup, their first since 1979. He also led the Montreal Canadiens in scoring in 1986–87, albeit with 30 points fewer than he had the preceding season.
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