Hardy Åström

Hardy Åström
Born (1951-03-29) 29 March 1951 (age 73)
Luleå, Sweden
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Left
Played for Skellefteå AIK
New York Rangers
Colorado Rockies
Modo AIK
Södertälje SK
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 1974–1986

Ray Hardy Åström (born 29 March 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.

Åström was the first European goaltender to start an NHL game, when he played for the Rangers against the Montreal Canadiens on February 25, 1978. Åström played brilliantly in the Rangers' 6-3 win, which also stopped Montreal's 28-game unbeaten streak.[1]

Hardy Åström also represented Sweden in the 1976 Canada Cup and the 1977 World Championships as one of Sweden's top goalies.

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%
1974–75 Skellefteå AIK SWE 30 1800 96 0 3.20 .883 5 307 19 3.71 .881
1975–76 Skellefteå AIK SWE 36 2160 149 1 4.14 .876 3 8.85 .785
1976–77 Skellefteå AIK SWE 35 2092 142 0 4.07 .862
1977–78 New York Rangers NHL 4 2 2 0 240 14 0 3.50 .887
1977–78 New Haven Nighthawks AHL 27 17 5 3 1572 69 5 2.63 .913
1978–79 Skellefteå AIK SWE 26 1515 101 0 4.00 .870
1979–80 Colorado Rockies NHL 49 9 27 6 2566 161 0 3.77 .870
1980–81 Colorado Rockies NHL 30 6 15 6 1639 103 0 3.77 .869
1980–81 Fort Worth Texans CHL 7 1 5 0 345 21 0 3.65 .881 1 0 0 20 3 0 9.00
1981–82 Oklahoma City Stars CHL 35 12 18 1 1911 154 0 4.84 .843 2 0 1 61 8 0 7.87
1982–83 Örebro IK SWE-2
1983–84 MODO SWE 36 39 2.16 .872
1984–85 Södertälje SK SWE 27 1508 85 3 3.38 .875 8 5 3 495 26 1 3.15 .907
1985–86 Södertälje SK SWE 28 1650 87 0 3.16 .887 7 4 3 420 23 0 3.29 .895
NHL totals 83 17 44 12 4445 278 0 3.75 .871

International

Year Team Event GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV%
1976 Sweden CC 4 1 2 1 240 17 0 4.00 8.50
1978 Sweden WC 4 208 15 4.33
Senior totals 8 448 32 4.29

References

  1. ^ Weekes, Don (2003). The Best and Worst of Hockey's Firsts: The Unofficial Guide. Canada: Greystone Books. pp. 240. ISBN 9781550548600.