Hardy Åström

Hardy Åström
Born March 29, 1951
Luleå, SWE
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Left
Played for IFK Luleå (Sweden)
Södertälje SK (Sweden)
Modo AIK (Sweden)
Oklahoma City Stars (CHL)
Fort Worth Texans (CHL)
Colorado Rockies (NHL)
Skellefteå AIK (Sweden)
New Haven Nighthawks (AHL)
New York Rangers (NHL)
NHL Draft Undrafted
Playing career 1974–1986

Ray Hardy Åström (born March 29, 1951 in Luleå, Sweden) is a retired Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender who played three seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers and Colorado Rockies.

Due to his tendency for letting in shots taken from behind the blue line, Rockies head coach Don Cherry unceremoniously dubbed him "The Swedish Sieve."[1]

Åström was the first European goaltender to start an NHL game, when he played for the Rangers against the Montreal Canadiens on the 29th of February, 1978. Åström played brilliantly in the Rangers' 6-3 win, which also stopped Montreal's 28-game unbeaten streak.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Terry Frei. Playing Piano in a Brothel: A Sports Journalist's Odyssey. Taylor Trade Publishing; 1 edition (September 16, 2010). ISBN 978-1589794597. His ridicule of his Rockies' goaltender, Anstrom, has made the man the former coach calls the "Swedish Sieve" one of the working definitions for ineptitude at the net.
  2. ↑ Weekes, Don (2003). The Best and Worst of Hockey's Firsts: The Unofficial Guide. Canada: Greystone Books. p. 240. ISBN 9781550548600.

External links