Tommy Salo

Tommy Salo is by far the greatest goaltender that Sweden has produced. He became a national sensation during the 1994 Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway, when he blocked a hit by Canada's Paul Kariya in the final sudden death round of the shoot out. The save helped Sweden win the Olympic ice hockey gold medal for the first time.

Salo was ranked as the first goalie of the Swedish national team for almost a decade (1994-2003). He did have a bad patch when a freak goal led to Sweden’s elimination

in the quarter-final of the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. The shot that was taken from 70 feet, to everyone’s amazement and horror, hit Salo on the mask, curled in the air, hit his back and bounced into the goal. 

Salo has played for several European and North American teams during his illustrious career. These include Västerås IK, MoDo Hockey and Frölunda Indians in the Swedish Elitserien; the Denver Grizzlies and Utah Grizzlies in the International Hockey League; and the New York Islanders, Edmonton Oilers, and Colorado Avalanche in the National Hockey League.

Salo created a minor controversy when he announced in 2005 that he was retiring from professional ice hockey. Five months later, he changed his mind and decided to play for the Frölunda Indians. MoDo Hockey was not pleased with this decision since it had agreed to terminate Salo’s contract upon retirement. Happily, the dispute was settled amicably and Salo took up position between the Frölunda Indians goalposts. Click here to add this page to your favorites

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