Joel Lundqvist talks about the family trauma that had an impact on his life and career.
When the father, Peter Lundqvist, suffered serious complications related to an operation, the three children were living in the United States.
– We’ve had frequent conversations with the mom in the meantime about whether we should go home and cancel the season, he says on The Way to the Top podcast.
Peter Lundqvist, father of hockey twins Henrik and Joel, suffered from a brain tumor in 2007.
Joel lived in Dallas, Henrik lived in New York and older sister Gabriella lived in Sacramento.
Mother Eva Johansson was not at home in Sweden to take care of him.
– He was going to have an operation and was on sick leave for a month. He was healthy and able to work. The process was more complicated than they thought. It became permanent but so he couldn’t work after that. We had frequent conversations with our mom in the meantime about whether we should go home and interrupt the season, says Joel Lundqvist on the podcast with Camilla Nordlund.
“a very difficult event”
The father then worked as a ski instructor in Ur, and when he woke up he was transformed and was unable to walk or speak.
– It was a very difficult event for him and the whole family. It’s something big that affected me in life. My father-in-law also died at a young age, and that affected my life and my family, says Joel Lundqvist.
Peter Lundqvist has worked his way back and can handle himself, even if he doesn’t fully recover.
It was a benign tumor, a little deeper and blocked some blood vessels.
The 41-year-old Joel Lundqvist played his final season after a total of 20 seasons in Frölunda, the last 14 as captain.