In the hockey world, Niklas Lindström is known as the first European to receive the NHL (National Hockey League) MVP. Born in Sweden, he built his entire sports career in the United States, playing for the Detroit Red Wings.
A fair-haired blue-eyed handsome man of a pronounced Scandinavian type, Niklas Lindstrom could decorate almost any bandy club with his appearance. In Sweden, where he was born and raised, the promising athlete did not stay long: at the age of 19 he was signed by the Detroit Red Wings from the United States. Niklas did not disappoint his employers: after two years of training, he went out on the ice, showed the best result among the newcomers of the 1991-92 season and entered the “gold” NHL squad among his peers.
After the success at the start, Lindström's career developed rapidly. Four years later, he played in the Stanley Cup final - and became its owner. Subsequently, the Cup, which is awarded annually to the winner of the NHL playoff series, was Niklas three more times, in 1998, 2002 and 2008. In total, the Detroit player at number 53 has 18 awards, including the Conn Smythe Trophy, the James Norris Trophy and the Clarence Campbell Prize. Ltndström is also the owner of a full set of medals at the World Bandy Championship: he has gold from Finland (1991), silver from the Czech Republic (2004) and bronze from Italy (1994).
Thanks to two significant victories, hockey player Niklas Lindström received the title of "legendary defender" among the fans. In 1998, he became the first among NHL defenders in the amount of goals scored and role-playing. And in 2006, as part of the Swedish national bandy team, he became the Olympic champion at the games in Turin.
In 2011, the 40-year-old sports veteran signed another contract for his twentieth playing season. However, in May 2012, Lindstrom announced his retirement. However, the official website of the National Hockey League assures that the legendary Swede has simply taken a break and can still return to the ice.
