Growing up in a small town in Sweden, Erik Karlsson was inspired by the generation of Swedish hockey players that he watched on TV.
And seeing that group win gold at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy was a formative experience for the young defenseman.
“I watched Nicklas Lidstrom, Peter Forsberg, Mats Sundin, Daniel Alfredsson, Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen, guys like that. Pretty much anyone that was on the ’06 gold medal team,” Karlsson said.
“Back then, we didn't really have the coverage we do now, and the NHL wasn't really a thing for us. We read about it in the newspaper every once in a while. But when the national team was playing, that's when we were watching and that's what we aspired to grow up to be one day.”
Two years later, Karlsson was a first-round draft pick of the Senators, who traded up to get him. There, he became lifelong friends with Alfredsson – who served as the best man in his wedding. And in 2014, Karlsson did his part in inspiring young Swedish hockey players with his performance at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Then just 23 years old, Karlsson led all players with eight points (4G-4A) en route to a silver medal as the tournament’s ‘Best Defenseman.’ Karlsson had already won his first Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top blueliner in the 2011-12 season.
Carl Hagelin was his teammate on that squad, and those two actually go way back, as they have known each other since high school. After they spent some time catching up in Swedish after the 2016 Championship Reunion, I walked out of the Penguins locker room with Hagelin and asked what made Karlsson so impactful during that tournament.
“Because of who he is,” Hagelin said with a laugh. “Because of the player he is. Because of his poise, his hockey sense, the way he can control the pace of a game... He’s had an unbelievable career and he keeps going. Awesome guy.”
Posing that same question to Karlsson, at first, he responded with some of his usual humor.
“I don't know. I was a good hockey player, I guess,” Karlsson said with a laugh. “And we had a good team.”
Elaborating further, Karlsson said he likes those types of games where the stakes are high.
“You have to be at your best at all times and stay very focused,” he said. “Which, throughout an 82-game season, it's not the easiest thing to do. But come those tournaments where it's do or die every game, it makes it a little bit easier to really try and channel your best inner self.”
They topped Slovenia in the quarterfinals before beating Teemu Selanne (who was named Tournament MVP) and Team Finland, 2-1, in the semifinals. That set Sweden up for a meeting with Canada in the Gold Medal Game. Sweden was shorthanded, playing without Henrik Sedin, Franzen and their captain Zetterberg, and ended up losing by a score of 3-0.
“Very proud of the accomplishment that we had there,” Karlsson said. “I think looking back at it, we got the most out of everyone, and ended up getting a silver. Overall experience was amazing. And obviously, something that I’ve missed for the past 10-12 years.”
While Karlsson wasn’t one of the first six players named to Team Sweden’s preliminary roster in the summer, he never doubted he would be on the final roster.
“It’s a very important thing for me to represent Sweden, and especially at the Olympics, since it's been a while since we’ve had that opportunity,” Karlsson said during training camp. “So that's obviously a big motivator for me, same as it is a big motivator for me to come in here and show that I can be a top player in this league still, which I believe.”
The 34-year-old has been fantastic for the Penguins this season, getting his game back to a world-class level and being hugely impactful in all situations. Now, he’s looking forward to being around his countrymen for the next couple of weeks.
“I think just being around people that you've known for a very long time, speaking your native tongue on a regular basis,” Karlsson said. “I only have fond memories of playing on the national team, and even before that, watching that. So, I know how much it means for our country, and I'm very privileged to be able to have the opportunity to represent and happy to be back in in the Olympics again.”
