Mats Naslund

Mats Näslund (born October 31, 1959), nicknamed "Le Petit Viking", is a retired Swedish player. He played as a left wing.

NHL career
Näslund was selected 37th overall in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft. He was the second choice that year of the Montreal Canadiens. After three more years of playing hockey in Sweden, he joined the Canadiens for the 1982–83 NHL season. He was the first European-born player to ever play for the Montreal Canadiens.

In his rookie season of 1982–83, Näslund recorded 71 points in 74 games, finishing third on the team in scoring behind Guy Lafleur and Ryan Walter. 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 diminutive stature.

Näslund's best NHL season came in 1985–86. He recorded 43 goals and 67 assists for 110 points, the first Montreal player to top 100 points since Lafleur in 1979–80, and the last Canadien to reach 100 points as of the 2008–09 season. His 67 assists were an NHL record for a left winger until Kevin Stevens of the Pittsburgh Penguins recorded 69 in 1991–92. Joé Juneau of the Boston Bruins subsequently recorded 70 assists in 1992–93. In the 1986 Stanley Cup playoffs, the speedy Näslund led all Montreal scorers with 19 points as the Canadiens won their 23rd Stanley Cup championship, their first since 1979. He continued to lead the Montreal Canadiens in scoring through the 1986–87 season, however his output was lower than the that of the preceding season.

During his NHL career, Näslund was an infrequent visitor to the penalty box. Never logging more than 19 penalty minutes in any season during his career, his gentlemanly play was recognized when he was voted the winner of the 1988 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, beating Wayne Gretzky in the voting. During the 1988 NHL All-Star Game, his five assists established a record, and he was instrumental in helping Mario Lemieux set the All-Star Game record with six points.

After a sub-par 1989–90 season, worn down by the relatively long NHL seasons, Näslund left the Canadiens to return to Europe. He played one year in Switzerland, followed by three seasons in his native Sweden. He returned to the NHL to play for the Boston Bruins in the lockout shortened 1994–95 season, and retired from hockey thereafter.

Näslund ranks eleventh on the Canadiens all-time scoring list, with 612 points in 617 regular season games.

He is not related to former NHL player Markus Näslund.

International career
Näslund is one of Swedish hockey's all-time great players, and as such represented his country at numerous international tournaments. As a junior, he represented Sweden at the 1978 and 1979 World Junior Hockey Championship, winning a silver medal in 1978 and a bronze medal the following year.

Näslund would go on to participate in five World Hockey Championships, winning a bronze in 1979, a silver in 1981 and a gold in 1991, his last appearance at the event. Because the World Championships occur at the same time as the Stanley Cup playoffs, Näslund was often not available for the event during his best years in Montreal. His sole appearance as an active NHL player came in 1983.

Näslund did get the chance to play for Sweden against the NHL's best players at the 1984, 1987 and 1991 Canada Cup, the forerunner to the World Cup. The Swedes lost to Canada in the finals of the 1984 event. They reached the semifinal game in both 1987 and 1991, losing to the USSR and Canada respectively.

Näslund also participated in two Winter Olympics, in 1980 and 1994. Sweden won the bronze medal in 1980 and the gold medal in 1994, that year defeating Canada in a memorable shootout. The gold medal in 1994 gave Näslund the distinction of having won the Stanley Cup, World Championship and Olympic Championship in his career, and (along with Håkan Loob and Tomas Jonsson) becoming the first member(s) of the Triple Gold Club.

As general manager for the Swedish national men's ice hockey team, Näslund helped construct the gold medal-winning team at the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Awards, honors and championships

 * World Junior Championship All-Star Team, 1978
 * Swedish Player of the Year, 1980
 * Swedish league Champion, 1980, 1992, 1994
 * NHL All-Rookie Team, 1983
 * Played in NHL All-Star Game, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989(injured, did not play)
 * NHL Second All-Star Team, 1986
 * Stanley Cup Champion, 1986
 * Lady Byng Trophy, 1988
 * World Champion, 1991
 * Olympic Gold, 1994