The Rise of European Players in the NHL – How international talent reshaped the league

Europeans have grown up with ice. Europeans become unbeatable at ice hockey because they hail from cold countries where winter temperatures can drop below -40 degrees Celsius. Growing up in such chilly and harsh environments makes it easier for them to perform better on the ice than those from temperate regions.
Nearly 50% of the new players in the National Hockey League were Europeans in the 2019-2020 NHL season. Talent rushes from Sweden, Russia, Finland, and the Czech Republic. In 1970, there were hardly two Europeans - Ulf Sterner and Jaroslav Jirik. By 1980, the European NHL players’ count rose to 50. In 1990, it numbered double - 100. And in the 21st century, it became 5 times - 500! So far, more than 1300 Europeans have played in the NHL. The statistics speak for themselves. Check out interesting data from Euro Hockey Club’s official website till the 2019-2020 NHL season:

These were recent statistics of the Europeans in the NH till the 2019-2020 NHL season. Now, let’s go back to history when the Europeans first launched themselves in the realm of NHL.


It was on January 27, 1965, when Ulf Sterner became the first Swedish man to participate in the NHL as a European representative. Unfortunately for Ulf Sterner, he did not leave a lasting impression on the North Americans. And they took him for a lack of toughness, despite acing at skating and agility.


In the 1972 Summit Series against Team Canada, defenseman Borje Salming changed the perception of European players in the National Hockey League (NHL). Salming represented the Toronto Maple Leafs and became so popular that he became a household name. Salming paved the way for other Europeans in the NHL. He was the first player to have played 1,000 NHL games! Also, Salming is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.


Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins won NHL games back in the mid-1970s through intimidation, and Europeans were not accustomed to the physical aspect of the ice hockey played by them. In order to overcome that, WHA(World Hockey Association) was founded. WHA sought a lot of talent from Sweden. A Toronto-based lawyer, William McMurty, wrote about it. An excerpt from his article, “In talking to numerous players in the NHL and WHA, they feel that most advertising and selling of the game is over-emphasizing the fighting and brawling at the expense of educating the crowds about the skill and finesse. If they continue to encourage the present trends in hockey where skill is secondary to physical intimidation, then it is likely that every other hockey nation will surpass North America in actual hockey skills.” (-via The Hockey Writers)


The four WHA clubs namely - Edmonton Oilers, Quebec Nordiques, Winnipeg Jets, and New England Whalers, merged with the NHL and became NHL franchises. This merge brought Winnepeg Jets’ attention to Scandinavian players like Anders Hedberg, Ulf Nilsson, and Czech center Vaclav Nedomansky. Not just them, but also one of the NHL’s best, Chicago Blackhawks’ left winger Bobby Hull, who recently passed away at the age of 84 due to stage 2 CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy).


Cold War was on and Americans weren’t open to Soviet Union players but some players stood out like Soviet Union’s goaltender Vladislav Tretiak. European player Vladislav Tretiak won many accolades internationally but never laid hands on the Stanley Cup. The Soviet Union Government did not allow Vladislav Tretiak to play in the NHL even though he was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 1983.

European players experienced a boom in the NHL when players like Esa Tikkanen and Jari Kurri earned the spotlight and showcased their unmatched skating skills. It was that time when Wayne Gretzky, the highest NHL career goal scorer came into the NHL’s realm and never left. Gretzky is the most-talked-about NHL player even today, thanks to his cutting comparison to Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin. Alex Ovechkin is soon going to defeat The Great One, Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goals score of 894. Ovechkin is only nine, we repeat, nine NHL career goals away from Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894!
Anyway, coming back to Europeans NHL history - a Swedish star, a European player, and goaltender Pelle Lindbergh, led his team, the Philadelphia Flyers to win the Stanley Cup in 1985! The world could have had more accolades from Lindbergh but he died in a vehicular accident and his team was gravely impacted by that. That marked the heavy European presence on the ice.


Mats Sundin was the first European player who got drafted in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft by the Quebec Nordiques. Sundin became the only Swedish player to reach the 500-goal mark and the first to reach 1,000 points! Then many followed. Czech goaltender Dominik Hasek was picked by the Chicago Blackhawks. Hasek had a unique flopping style. He had both concentration and flexibility - never witnessed before by the North Americans.


Finnish player Teemu Selanne representing the Winnipeg Jets, put the puck in the net 76 times in the 1992-1993 NHL season and broke the most goals scored by a rookie in a single season record. Czech player Jaromir Jagr was an unstoppable right-winger - shot best and assisted best. Swedish player Niklas Lidstrom was called a hybrid defenseman for being the best scorer as well as a defender. Other Europeans included Pavel Bure from Russia, who acquired 432 goals in 702 NHL games!

At the moment, there is no discussion in the NHL without the mention of Alexander Ovechkin. He came into the NHL when he was very young. Evgeni Malkin, too, had a similar pathway. Both of them have been unstoppable to date. 39 YO Alexander Ovechkin plays for the Washington Capital as their ice hockey left winger and captain. Whereas, 38 YO Evgeni Malkin plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins as their ice hockey center and alternate captain. Both of them have no plans of leaving the ice!
Europeans faced challenges when joining the NHL, yet they continue to surprise everyone internationally.
Also Read: 2-time NHL MVP Bobby Hull had Stage 2 CTE when he died in 2023, researchers confirmed | NHL News - The Times of India