Anders Hedberg

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Anders Hedberg (born February 25, 1951 in Ornskoldsvik, 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. 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) 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 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.