Erik Lars-Olov Zetterström (born November 6, 1953) is a Swedish former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

player who spent many years with Färjestads BK of the Elitserien, and also played briefly in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

with the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...

Playing career

A smooth, mobile defender, Zetterström came up through the junior ranks at Färjestads and became a regular in 1972. He would become one of the club's top defenders, and represented Sweden at the 1977 and 1978

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

, winning a Silver medal in 1977. In 1978, Zetterström signed as a free agent with the NHL's Vancouver Canucks. Joining the team along with fellow Swedes

Thomas Gradin Thomas Kjell Gradin (born February 18, 1956) is a Swedish associate head scout for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL) and a former professional ice hockey centre who played in the NHL and the Swedish Elite League (SEL) fro ...

and Lars Lindgren, the trio were the first Europeans to suit up for the club in their history. While Gradin and Lindgren were successful and went on to solid NHL careers, Zetterström struggled. He played in only 14 games for the Canucks, recording one assist and a -10 rating, and spent most of the season in the

Central Hockey League The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...

with the

Dallas Black Hawks The Dallas Black Hawks were a minor-league professional ice hockey team in Dallas, in the U.S. state of Texas. It was a member of the Central Hockey League and played home games at State Fair Coliseum. Origins and relocation to Dallas The Blac ...

. Zetterström was claimed by the

Quebec Nordiques The Quebec Nordiques (, pronounced in Quebec French, in Canadian English; translated "Northmen" or "Northerners") were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association (1972–1979) an ...

in the

1979 NHL Expansion Draft The 1979 NHL expansion draft was held on June 13, 1979. The draft took place to fill the rosters of the National Hockey League's new teams for the 1979–80 season: the Edmonton Oilers, Hartford Whalers, Quebec Nordiques and Winnipeg Jets. These ...

, but returned to Sweden to once again suit up for Färjestads. He would play for them until 1983, helping them to the Swedish Championship in 1981. He then joined the third-division Hammarö HC club, and played for them until retiring in 1987.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

External links

* 1953 births Cincinnati Stingers (CHL) players Dallas Black Hawks players Färjestad BK players Living people Ice hockey people from Stockholm Swedish ice hockey defencemen Undrafted National Hockey League players Vancouver Canucks players {{Sweden-icehockey-defenceman-stub