Joachim Ericsson on the separation in Djurgården
He resigned from Djurgården during last year’s fiasco season.
Joakim Eriksson had time to think a lot about what went wrong.
It didn’t happen overnight, Ericsson tells Sportbladet.
That was in December of last year Joachim Erickson It ended in Djurgården. The sporting director quit mid-season, after the team had a rough time in the SHL.
Three months ago, the 46-year-old has been working at SEB Bank. A difficult transition, which many can imagine.
– Both, I would say. It’s no surprise that I work with coordinating and leading people. These are the same components that you had in your role as athletic director and acting CEO. However, it is a different world. Much bigger companies. More people you have to find ways to collaborate with, compared to the gym, Joakim Eriksson tells Sportbladet.
What is your relationship with hockey today?
– Maybe I’ll always have a relationship with hockey. It’s a passion in life, so I will always follow it. Then I have two kids who play ice hockey, and I coach the younger son. But I’m interested in sports in general, I don’t just follow hockey.
“I have not contacted Djurgarden”
Have you followed Djurgården during the spring?
– I followed Djurgården and followed the SM Finals. So I continued hockey the usual way, and it didn’t change because I quit. However, I had no contact with Djurgården. I didn’t have a conversation with them about their way of thinking or thinking.
Regarding Ericsson’s resignation from Djurgorden, it meant that he did not feel the full confidence of the board of directors. However, the 46-year-old does not want to go into more details about the turbulent situation.
– No, I won’t talk about it. I made a statement at the time and there that summarized this situation. Then what prompted me and what happened next, I find no reason to talk about it publicly. Djurgården and I parted amicably, and we’ll leave it at that.
How do you see the end of the season relegation?
It was sad that it went the way it did. None of us want that to happen. But at the same time, it didn’t happen overnight. It was actually a process that started around the same time the epidemic started. The economic competitiveness they had in Djurgården was not at the top level. They didn’t have a salary budget like the strongest five or six teams. We constantly had to exceed expectations.
“became a negative snowball effect”
Then it became more difficult when the epidemic came. It became the negative snowball effect, which was at its worst when I quit. Those who took over after that, KG (Stoppel) and others, did everything they could to change the season. They seemed to have a good chance of success, but they finished the season with eight straight losses and were knocked out.
Have you thought about this a lot in the last year?
I am a reflective being, always reflecting a lot. I, of course, thought about the vagaries of flight. This is how I work as a human being. It’s a way for me to be able to move on and leave it behind. You do what you can, and then you look at yourself in the mirror. Was that good or bad? It can be both. Then you can go ahead and take the lessons with you.
Don’t plan to jump into a new job
Joakim Eriksson believes that he has no plans to enter the world of hockey in the near future.
– No, I never thought of such a thing. Although it was a boring ending at Djurgården, I still had great years as a player and captain. He says I am enjoying the job I have now.
Allsvenskan hockey starts on September 23. Then begins Djurgården’s journey towards SHL.
How do you think it’s going?
– I think Djurgården is the main candidate for the promotion. But I think it will be more difficult than it was for HV. I think the competitors are getting stronger since last year. You have to win and knock out all the others. I think Björklöven, Modo, Södertälje and others look stronger than last year, says Ericsson.