Dick Tärnström

Dick Tärnström
Born (1975-01-20) January 20, 1975
Sundbyberg, Sweden
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position Defenceman
Shot Left
Played for NHL
New York Islanders
Pittsburgh Penguins
Edmonton Oilers
Columbus Blue Jackets
SEL
AIK
National team  Sweden
NHL Draft 272nd overall, 1994
New York Islanders
Playing career 1992–2013

Dick Tärnström (born January 20, 1975) is a Swedish retired professional ice hockey defenceman. During the majority of his 21-year-long playing career, Tärnström played for AIK of the Swedish top-tier league Elitserien (SEL). He was the captain for AIK during the five last seasons of his career. He also spent five years in the National Hockey League (NHL), playing for the New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers, and Columbus Blue Jackets.

In January 2013, while playing for AIK, Tärnström was forced to retire due to a spinal disc herniation injury.[1]

Playing career

Tärnström started his professional career in AIK of the Swedish top-tier league Elitserien (SEL). He was drafted as 272nd overall, in the eleventh round by the New York Islanders in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft.

During the 2003–04 season, he became the first defenceman in the history of the Pittsburgh Penguins to lead the team in scoring for an entire season, compiling 52 points in 80 games. The Penguins acquired Ric Jackman at the trade deadline, and the two flourished together, combining for the "Ric and Dick show" on the powerplay. Through a 2010 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette series of Penguins "Teams of the Decades" Tärnström was named to the Penguins team of the '00s. He is still the only defenceman ever to lead the Penguins in scoring for a season.

During the lockout-season, 2004–05, Tärnström played in Södertälje SK in Sweden.

Tärnström requested a trade from the Pittsburgh Penguins and on January 26, 2006, he went to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Cory Cross and Jani Rita.

Tärnström was part of the Cinderella Edmonton Oilers team that made a run to the Stanley Cup Finals. However, the Oilers lost in game 7 of the finals to the Carolina Hurricanes. Tärnström had 0 goals and 2 assists in the 2006 Playoffs.

During the 2006–07 season, Tärnström played with HC Lugano of the Nationalliga A.

Tärnström returned to the NHL by signing a contract with the Oilers on July 1, 2007. He was traded on February 1, 2008 to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Curtis Glencross.

In the 2008–09 season, Tärnström returned to play for AIK of the Swedish second-tier league HockeyAllsvenskan (Swe-2). He was appointed the team's captain. The plan was to help AIK promote back to the top-tier league Elitserien (SEL) due to AIK's financial problems at that time. AIK were promoted to the SEL in the 2009–10 season, and Tärnström would remain in the team until he was forced to retire in January 2013 due to a spinal disc herniation injury.[1]

Career statistics

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1992–93 AIK SEL 3 0 0 0 0
1994–95 AIK SEL 37 8 4 12 26
1995–96 AIK SEL 40 0 5 5 32
1996–97 AIK SEL 49 5 3 8 38 7 0 1 1 6
1997–98 AIK SEL 45 2 12 14 30
1998–99 AIK SEL 47 9 14 23 36
1999–00 AIK SEL 42 7 15 22 20
2000–01 AIK SEL 50 10 18 28 28 9 5 0 0 0
2001–02 New York Islanders NHL 62 3 16 19 38 5 0 0 0 0
2001–02 Bridgeport Sound Tigers AHL 9 0 2 2 2
2002–03 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 61 7 34 41 50
2003–04 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 80 16 36 52 38
2004–05 Södertälje SK SEL 50 7 18 25 46 9 1 0 1 6
2005–06 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 33 5 5 10 52
2005–06 Edmonton Oilers NHL 22 1 3 4 24 12 0 2 2 10
2006–07 HC Lugano NLA 44 3 26 29 90
2007–08 Edmonton Oilers NHL 29 1 4 5 40
2007–08 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 19 2 7 9 12
2008–09 AIK SEL-2 38 9 23 32 68
2009–10 AIK SEL-2 42 9 23 32 74
2010–11 AIK SEL 50 6 10 16 36 8 0 4 4 0
2011–12 AIK SEL 46 8 18 26 38
NHL totals 306 35 105 140 254 17 0 2 2 12

References

  1. 1 2 "Dick Tärnströms karriär är över". aikhockey.se (in Swedish). AIK. 2013-01-18. Retrieved 2013-01-18.

External links

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