Found this
interview of Ohlund by Carrie Serwetnyk. A nice article, but not too sure about those "two boys immersed in youth soccer" though.
ASIDE: If there's any news on Ohlie for the next few weeks, it won't be up on the blog because I'll have limited internet access while in europe. Ciao et a beintot!
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I kept hearing from
folks in Vancouver about how nice of a guy Mattias Öhlund is. I was not disappointed. Gracious with his time and humble in speech, the longest-standing Canuck and I met to talk about the world game that rivals his hockey passion. With his two boys immersed in youth soccer and his ancestral links to Europe, it is natural for him to be intimately connected to the beautiful game.
I assume you are a big football fan coming from Sweden. What are your roots or inspiration as a football player?Well, football has been so huge back in Europe...I played from age seven to fifteen and at fifteen I had to stop because hockey took too much time. I was never a great great player but I loved playing and it's a great sport. I played midfielder most of the time and then when I got older, around fourteen or fifteen, I got slower, so they put me back on defense.
Did that happen in hockey too?No (he laughs). I am defense but I don't know if that's what happened, too. We all played, all my buddies played.
Did you dream of becoming a professional player?
Absolutely. When I grew up, I dreamt as much about soccer as I did about hockey. I dreamt that one day I am a good or decent player. I watched all the big leagues over the years when I was younger. Even today, I follow it a lot. In Sweden we have a lot of great players.
Did you have a favourite player?
I am a big Man United fan, I watched them a ton before I came over here between the ages seventeen and twenty. I have been to Old Trafford to watch a game, walked around there for a while. My favourite? I loved Maradona. In Sweden, we had a guy named Thomas Brolin who played a number of years in Italy. He stopped playing when he was 28, but he was the number one guy in Sweden.
Your kids play?Absolutely. It's a great sport. I love the fact that it's outdoors and they are outdoors and it's easy - you put on a pair of shoes or go barefeet in the summer time. We play all the time. We go back to Europe and we have a nice big grass backyard at our summer home. We have nets sets up. Me and my buddies play all the time.
If your kids had the same athletic ability you have, which sport would you like them to choose?I don't know. They can do whatever they want. I know that obviously I love my sport but I love soccer, it's so easy. Kids spend a lot more time indoors way more than we did so I love that they are outside.
We talk about the World Cup in 1994 when Sweden lost in the semi finals to Brazil?Everything stopped that summer for a couple of weeks. I remember it like it was yesterday. Those games they played were unbelievable.
You are the longest-lasting Canuck. Are you planning to stay?I have no idea what is going to happen. We will see. I have been here for a long time and it's a great city. And maybe it's time to go see something else strictly from a hockey standpoint. We will see what happens in the next few weeks. We will figure it out.
Would you keep your family here?No. In our business, I have been lucky to be in one place for so many years, especially with young kids. I probably have one move in me and then it's done.
Do you think you will play in the Olympics this year?I sure hope so. I have played three times before and it's a fantastic experience. Especially over here in Vancouver where I have so many friends, so many good years...it will be a special special thing.
I read about the your experience with the gold medal where you were hurt for the final in Turin. The Sedin twins offered their medal if the Olympic committee didn't give you one. You must have really felt like brothers after such an offer?Absolutely ... at the end I did get the medal. We have a great group of guys and we always do when we play with the national team. I did feel like I was a part of that team, even though it ended in a sour way not to play. But that's part of getting injured and that's part of sport. I guess you have to learn to accept that.
Zidane is coming to town on July 4th for a charity match. Would you like to play?Oh, I would love to but I don't think I can run with him. I have watched him over the years and he is obviously one of the best that has ever played and yes it would be fun. Most of us Canucks would be concerned about hurting ourselves. Most guys are really careful in the off season with what they do.
Are you not allowed to play?I would be surprised if they got Canuck players because of the injury factor -if you hurt yourself or blow your ACL. We are not allowed to ski, for example, or do water sports. Guys obviously do at times but you have to be careful.
Cross training ... as a soccer player what do you think the benefits are from playing hockey?Hockey players today have done so many weights. I am 230 today. I think there are few soccer players so heavy, they are obviously way quicker and the endurance is way better than ours. Our game is very different. Even though both sports have very good athletes, we are built really different. Soccer training would be more beneficial for us for quickness.
If you do leave Vancouver, how would you like people to remember you?Oh I don't know. I haven't really thought about it - just an honest hard working guy, I am not that complicated. Luckily if I move, I am excited about the future. Who knows I might be back one day. You never know.
Labels: interview, mattias ohlund
