Stefan Liv

Stefan Liv
Born 21 December 1980
Gdynia, Poland
Died 7 September 2011 (aged 30)
Yaroslavl, Russia
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Left
Played for HV71 (SEL)
Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL)
Toledo Storm (ECHL)
HC Sibir (KHL)
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)
National team  Sweden
NHL Draft 102nd overall, 2000
Detroit Red Wings
Playing career 1999–2011
Stefan Liv
Medal record
Men's ice hockey
Olympic Games
Gold 2006 Turin Team
World Championships
Bronze 2009 Team
Gold 2006 Team
Silver 2004 Team
Bronze 2002 Team
Elitserien
Gold 2010 Team
Silver 2009 Team
Gold 2008 Team
Gold 2004 Team
Liv playing for HV71, 2010.

Stefan Daniel Patryk Liv (21 December 1980 – 7 September 2011), born Patryk Śliż, was a Polish-born Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender. Liv played professionally in Sweden, North America and Russia. Liv played nine seasons for HV71 in the top-tier league in Sweden. He played one season of minor league hockey in North America and then returned to Europe. Upon his return, he played three seasons in Sweden, then moved to Russia in 2009.

Stefan Liv was a member of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the KHL when he died with the rest of the team in a plane crash. He was a member of several Swedish national teams, including the 2006 Olympic championship team. A street in Jönköping, named "Stefan Livs gata" (English: Stefan Liv's street), is named in his honor since 2 August 2013.[1]

Early life

Liv was born in Gdynia, Poland, as Patryk Śliz, given to an orphanage in Gdańsk and adopted by a Swedish family around the age of two. He kept his original first name as a second first name.[2][3]

Playing career

Liv was the starting goaltender for HC Sibir and was often chosen for the Swedish national team. On 22 December 2005, he was named as third goaltender to Team Sweden for the 2006 Winter Olympics.[4] He wore the goaltender's glove on his left hand. He was agile, quick in moving from side to side and skilled with close-range shots,[5] and his unorthodox style reminded some of Dominik Hašek.[6]

Liv played his first Elitserien game in Sweden on 18 January 2000 in Jönköping for HV71 against Luleå HF. His first national appearance was in a match against the Czech Republic, also in Jönköping, on 9 November 2000. Liv was drafted in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft by the Detroit Red Wings in the third round, 102nd overall.[7]

Liv signed a one-year contract with the Red Wings in May 2006,[6] but started season 2006–07 playing for the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League (AHL).[8] He was recalled by the Red Wings on 17 November 2006.[9] On 26 November 2006, Liv was back with the Grand Rapids Griffins playing against Houston Aeros. Two days later, Liv was assigned to the Toledo Storm in ECHL when the Grand Rapids Griffins recalled goalie Logan Koopmans.[10] He was later recalled by Grand Rapids Griffins.

After one season with the Detroit Red Wings' organization, playing mostly for Grand Rapids, totaling a save percentage of .895 over 34 games, he signed a three-year contract with his former Swedish club HV71.[11] He continued the 2007–08 season by winning the Swedish Championship and was awarded the Guldpucken as the Player of the Year in the Elitserien. Season 2009-10 Liv played again at HV71, and he was selected to Sweden's Olympic team for Vancouver Olympics 2010, where he was third goalie after New York Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist and Toronto Maple Leafs' Jonas Gustavsson. Season 2010-11 Liv played at Sibir Novosibirsk in KHL, and was selected to the 2011 KHL All-star game. For season 2011-12 Liv moved to Lokomotiv Yaroslavl.[12]

Death

On 7 September 2011, Liv was killed when a Yakovlev Yak-42 passenger aircraft, carrying nearly his entire Lokomotiv team, crashed just outside Yaroslavl, Russia. The team was traveling to Minsk to play their opening game of the season, with its coaching staff and prospects. Lokomotiv officials said "'everyone from the main roster was on the plane plus four players from the youth team.'"[13][14][15]

As a result of Liv's death, the premier round games of the 2011–12 Elitserien season, between 13–15 September, began with a one-minute silence.[16] In honour, his No. 1 jersey was retired and raised to the rafters by HV71 in Kinnarps Arena prior to HV71's home game against Timrå IK on 10 January 2012.[17][18] To remember Liv throughout the 2011–12 season, all player jerseys in HV71's team carried number 1 on the front.[19] On 10 September 2011, over 10,000 fans of HV71 attended Kinnarps Arena, HV71's home arena, to honor Stefan Liv.[20]

In their 2011 season opener, each member of the Detroit Red Wings wore a patch bearing "BM*RS*SL" to honor the memories of Liv, Lokomotiv coach Brad McCrimmon, and defenseman Ruslan Salei.[21] Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard also paid a personal tribute to the three men on the back of his mask.[22] Liv and Howard had shared goaltending duties during Liv's season with the Grand Rapids Griffins.[23]

Liv's body was buried at the Sofiakyrkan church in Jönköping on 2 October 2011, with 120 friends and relatives arriving at the scene and leaving one rose flower each on Liv's coffin.[24][25]

From the 2012–13 season and onward, the Swedish Hockey League's playoff MVP award is named Stefan Liv Memorial Trophy in honor of Liv.

On 2 August 2013, a new street in Jönköping leading to Kinnarps Arena was named in honor of Stefan Liv. The street is named "Stefan Livs gata" (English: Stefan Liv's street).[1]

On October 20, 2013, Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson named his newborn daughter Liv Ericsson in honor of Stefan, who was a close friend.

Awards

Records

Career statistics

Regular season

Season Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA
1999–00 HV71 SEL 12 716 25 0 2.09
2000–01 HV71 SEL 46 2,752 127 4 2.77
2001–02 HV71 SEL 38 2,184 95 4 2.61
2002–03 HV71 SEL 46 2,723 124 3 2.73
2003–04 HV71 SEL 41 2,451 91 6 2.23
2004–05 HV71 SEL 40 2,404 119 2 2.97
2005–06 HV71 SEL 40 2,406 87 4 2.17
2006–07 Grand Rapids Griffins AHL 34 15 15 0 1,893 95 2 3.01
2006–07 Toledo Storm ECHL 3 1 1 1 184 7 0 2.29
2007–08 HV71 SEL 48 26 11 11 2,785 105 5 2.26
2008–09 HV71 SEL 35 15 9 11 2,001 86 1 2.58
2009–10 HV71 SEL 43 2,542 110 4 2.60
2010–11 HC Sibir KHL 39 19 16 2 2,276 84 4 2.21
SEL totals 389 22,964 969 33 2.49
KHL totals 39 19 16 2 2,276 84 4 2.21
ECHL totals 3 1 1 1 184 7 0 2.29
AHL totals 34 15 15 0 1,893 95 2 3.01

Statistics as of the end of the Elitserien regular season 2008–09.[5][26][27]

Post-season

Season Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA
1999–00 HV71 SEL 3 1 2 0 178 12 0 4.04
2001–02 HV71 SEL 8 4 4 0 517 27 0 3.13
2002–03 HV71 SEL 7 3 4 0 391 17 1 2.61
2003–04 HV71 SEL 18 12 6 0 1,091 35 5 1.92
2005–06 HV71 SEL 12 7 5 0 668 38 0 3.41
2007–08 HV71 SEL 17 12 5 0 1,020 31 3 1.82
2008–09 HV71 SEL 18 9 8 0 1,111 35 1 1.89
SEL totals 83 48 34 0 4,976 195 10 2.48

Statistics as of the end of Elitserien playoffs 2009.[5][26]

International play

Liv has played for Sweden in:

International statistics

Year Team Event GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA
2002 Sweden WC 2 2 0 0 120 3 1 1.50
2004 Sweden WC 1 1 0 0 60 1 0 1.00
2006 Sweden Oly 1 1 0 0 60 2 0 2.00
2006 Sweden WC 1 1 0 0 60 0 1 0.00
2008 Sweden WC 3 1 2 0 178 6 1 2.02
Senior int'l totals 8 6 2 0 478 12 3 1.51

Statistics as of 17 May 2008.[5][26]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Hultqvist, Daniel (2013-08-02). "Här blir Liv odödlig med en egen gata". Sportbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 2013-08-03.
  2. ↑ Wennerholm, Mats (2004-04-12). "4 nollor som knäckte Färjestad" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet.se. Retrieved 2006-11-22.
  3. ↑ Roos, Malin (2006-03-10). "Det kan komma nåt rasistiskt" (in Swedish). Expressen.se. Retrieved 2006-11-22.
  4. ↑ "Men's rosters for the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy". IIHF. Archived from the original on 19 May 2006. Retrieved 11 August 2006.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "Stefan Liv". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 4 January 2006.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Red Wings Central Stefan Liv". RedWingsCentral.com. Archived from the original on 2006-05-04. Retrieved 2006-01-04.
  7. ↑ "#1 – Stefan Liv" (in Swedish). HV71.se. Retrieved 2006-01-04.
  8. ↑ "NHL Transactions". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2007-05-11.
  9. ↑ "CAVALRY TO CALGARY". Grand Rapid Griffins. Retrieved 2006-11-20.
  10. ↑ "Storm and Griffins Swap Goalies, Burke Reassigned". Toledo Storm Hockey. Retrieved 2006-11-29.
  11. ↑ Gustafsson, Daniel (2007-05-11). "Stefan Liv återvänder till HV71" (in Swedish). HV71.se. Retrieved 2007-05-11.
  12. ↑ Lunquist, Henrik (2008-05-11). "Guldpucken to Stefan Liv". European Hockey.Net. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
  13. ↑ "First pictures from the crash of Yak-42 near Yaroslavl". Lifenews.ru. 2011-09-07. Retrieved 2011-09-07.
  14. ↑ "The list of Lokomotiv players who died". Lifenews.ru. 2011-09-07. Retrieved 2011-09-07.
  15. ↑ "Pavol Demitra among 43 killed in Russian plane crash". theglobeandmail.com. 2011-09-07. Retrieved 2011-09-07.
  16. ↑ Tobias Josefsson (9 September 2011). "Elitserien hedrar de omkomna i flygkatastrofen" (in Swedish). Svenska hockeyligan. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  17. ↑ "Stefan Livs tröja hissas den 10 januari". hv71.se (in Swedish). HV71. 2011-12-16. Retrieved 2011-12-18.
  18. ↑ Victorzon and Ekeliw (2011-09-08). "Stefan Livs tröja hissas av HV71" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. Retrieved 2011-09-09.
  19. ↑ Sebastian Mattsson (2011-09-09). "Klart: HV 71 får spela i Livs nummer". Expressen. Retrieved 2011-09-09.
  20. ↑ "Fin minnesstund för Liv" (in Swedish). Hockeykanalen. 2011-09-10. Retrieved 2011-09-10.
  21. ↑ http://redwings.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=601633
  22. ↑ http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2011/09/red_wings_goalie_jimmy_howard_5.html
  23. ↑ http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/seasons/teams/0026752007.html
  24. ↑ Gunilla Bunnvik (2011-10-02). "Stefan Liv begravdes i Jönköping på söndagen" (in Swedish). Jönköpingsnytt. Retrieved 2011-10-02.
  25. ↑ Carl Juborg (2011-10-02). "Vännernas sista farväl av Stefan Liv" (in Swedish). Expressen. Retrieved 2011-10-02.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 "Stefan Liv – player profile and career stats". European Hockey.Net. Retrieved 2008-04-18.
  27. ↑ "2006–07 Regular Season – Grand Rapids Griffins – Goalies". theahl.com. Retrieved 2006-11-29.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stefan Liv.
Preceded by
Per Svartvadet		 Guldpucken
2008 		Succeeded by
Jonas Gustavsson