Pelle Lindbergh

Göran Per-Eric "Pelle" Lindbergh (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈpɛ̌lːɛ ˈlɪ̌nːdbærj]; May 24, 1959 – November 11, 1985) was a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender who played parts of five seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers. Lindbergh died at age 26 in a single-car accident five months after leading the Flyers to the 1985 Stanley Cup Finals and winning the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender.

Pelle Lindbergh
Lindbergh with the Philadelphia Flyers
Born (1959-05-24)May 24, 1959
Stockholm, Sweden
Died November 11, 1985(1985-11-11) (aged 26)
Somerdale, New Jersey, U.S.
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 158 lb (72 kg; 11 st 4 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Left
Played for AIK IF
Philadelphia Flyers
National team  Sweden
NHL Draft 35th overall, 1979
Philadelphia Flyers
Playing career 1978–1985

Playing career

Having gained fame while playing for Hammarby in his youth, and while making his debut in the highest Swedish hockey league with AIK (Stockholm) leading him to the Swedish national team in the 1980 Winter Olympics, Lindbergh set his sights on the North American game. Lindbergh owns the distinction of being the goaltender on the only team that did not lose to the gold-medal-winning Team USA at the 1980 Olympics, as Team Sweden and Team USA played to a 2–2 tie in the first game of the tournament. Team Sweden would go on to win the bronze medal. After being drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft (second round, 35th overall), he started his North American career during the 1980–81 season by playing one and a half seasons for the Maine Mariners of the American Hockey League (AHL) before playing his first games for the Flyers in 1982. In 1983, he was named goaltender of the NHL All-Rookie Team. He led the National Hockey League (NHL) with 40 wins, and games played with 65, he was second in both shutouts (2) and save percentage (.899), and was third in goals against average (3.02) during the 1984–85 season and won the Vezina Trophy, becoming the first European goaltender to do so in NHL history. That same year, he was also named a First Team All-Star. In his final game on November 7, 1985 he made 18 saves in leading the Philadelphia Flyers to 6-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. As irony would have it that would also be Lindbergh's final season record 6-2. Lindbergh was the first goalie to bring a water bottle on ice with him during NHL games. Lindbergh did this to combat severe dehydration he commonly suffered from. This practice first drew criticism from opponents and coaches alike, but is now the norm for NHL goaltenders.

Death

In the early morning hours of Sunday, November 10, 1985, Lindbergh lost control of his customized Porsche 930 Turbo and struck a wall in front of a Somerdale, New Jersey elementary school, critically injuring himself and severely injuring his two passengers.[1] Although declared brain dead a few hours later, he was kept on life support until his father arrived from Sweden late the next day and his parents gave their permission to terminate treatment. He died on Monday, November 11 after a five-hour operation to harvest his heart and other organs for transplant.[2] At the time of the accident he had just left the Coliseum, the former practice center for the Flyers located in Voorhees Township, New Jersey, where he was attending a team party. He was intoxicated at the time of the accident, with a blood alcohol level of 0.24, well above New Jersey's legal limit (0.10) at that time. Lindbergh topped the fan voting for the 1986 NHL All-Star Game. It would mark the first time that a player was chosen posthumously for an all-star team in a major North American team sport. Sean Taylor's selection to the 2008 Pro Bowl was the only other time this has happened. Although his number 31 was never officially retired by the Flyers, no Flyer has worn the number 31 since Lindbergh's death.[3] Lindbergh is buried in Skogskyrkogården, a cemetery in southern Stockholm.[4]

Pelle Circle, a residential street in Far Northeast Philadelphia, was named in his honor when it was constructed in 1986.

In 2006, a Swedish biography entitled Pelle Lindbergh: Behind the White Mask was written by Swedish author Thomas Tynander. An English version was published in fall 2009. The English version was translated by Bill Meltzer and published by Middle Atlantic Press.

Awards and achievements
Pelle Lindbergh
Medal record
Representing  Sweden
Men's Ice Hockey
Olympic Games
1980 Lake Placid Ice hockey
World Championships
1979 Soviet Union Ice Hockey
World Junior Championships
1978 Canada Ice Hockey

The Philadelphia Flyers named a team award, the Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy, in his honor. Since the 1993–94 season it has been annually awarded to the most improved player on the team.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
1977–78 Hammarby IF Swe-2 36 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
1978–79 Hammarby IF Swe-2 35 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
1978–79 AIK IF SEL 6 — — — 360 38 0 6.33 — — — — — — — — —
1979–80 AIK IF SEL 32 — — — 1,866 106 1 3.41 — — — — — — — — —
1980–81 Maine Mariners AHL 51 31 14 5 3,035 165 1 3.26 .893 20 10 7 1,120 66 0 3.54 —
1981–82 Maine Mariners AHL 25 17 7 2 1,505 83 0 3.31 .887 — — — — — — — —
1981–82 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 8 2 4 2 480 35 0 4.38 .881 — — — — — — — —
1982–83 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 40 23 13 3 2,333 116 3 2.98 .891 3 0 3 180 18 0 6.00 .788
1983–84 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 36 16 13 3 1,999 135 1 4.05 .860 2 0 1 26 3 0 6.92 .769
1983–84 Springfield Indians AHL 4 4 0 0 240 12 0 3.00 — — — — — — — — —
1984–85 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 65 40 17 7 3,858 194 2 3.02 .899 18 12 6 1,008 42 3 2.50 .914
1985–86 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 8 6 2 0 480 23 1 2.88 .884 — — — — — — — —
NHL totals 157 87 49 15 9,150 503 7 3.30 .886 23 12 10 1,214 63 3 3.11 .911

International
Year Team Event GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA
1976 Sweden EJC 3 — — — 180 4 0 1.33
1977 Sweden EJC 3 — — — 180 3 0 1.00
1978 Sweden WJC 4 — — — 240 10 0 2.50
1979 Sweden WC 6 1 4 1 360 38 0 6.33
1980 Sweden OG 5 2 1 2 300 18 0 3.60
1981 Sweden CC 2 0 0 0 92 9 0 5.87
1983 Sweden WC 9 4 4 1 540 27 0 3.00
Junior totals 10 — — — 600 17 0 1.70
Senior totals 22 7 9 4 1292 92 0 4.27
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See also
  • List of ice hockey players who died during their playing career

References
  1. "Flyers' Pelle Lindbergh critically injured in crash". Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  3. Seravalli, Frank (November 11, 2010). "Pelle Lindbergh's spirit lives on, 25 years after fatal crash". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
  4. Meltzer, Bill. "Pelle Lindbergh #31". flyershistory.com. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
Preceded by
first recipient		 Winner of the Bobby Clarke Trophy
1985		 Succeeded by
Mark Howe
Preceded by
Tom Barrasso		 Winner of the Vezina Trophy
1985		 Succeeded by
John Vanbiesbrouck
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