Tomas Holmström



Tomas Holmström (born January 23, 1973, in Piteå, Sweden) is a retiredSwedish ice hockey winger, he played with the Detroit Red Wings in NHL.

Playing career
Holmström was drafted 257th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft and has played for the Red Wings since 1996 with the exception of the season lost due to the 2004-05 NHL lockout where Holmström returned to Sweden to play for his old team, Luleå HF in the Swedish elite league Elitserien.

He won the Stanley Cup in 1997, 1998 and 2002. He was inducted into the Piteå Wall of Fame in 2006.

Holmström is known for standing in front of goal to screen the opposing goaltender to try to tip in goals. Because he has to withstand hits from pucks as well as his opponents in this position, he wears several extra pads to protect his body. Holmström is known to many fans in Detroit by the nickname of "Homer." He acquired the nickname "Demolition Man" while playing in Sweden (where he was also called "Holma").

On April 7, 2007, Holmström scored his 30th goal of the 2006-07 season against Chicago Blackhawks, achieving the first 30 goal season of his career.

Trivia
In a recent issue of Sports Illustrated, Holmström said that he wears three similar gray shirts (one before warm-ups, one during warm-ups, and one during the game), but says that he cannot mix them up because of their purposes.

Awards

 * Named to the Swedish All-Star Team in 1996.
 * Gold medal at the Winter Olympics in 2006.

International play
Holmström has played for Sweden in the following competitions:


 * 1996 World Championships
 * 2002 Winter Olympics
 * 2004 World Cup of Hockey
 * 2006 Winter Olympics (gold medal)

International statistics
Statistics as of May 25, 2007