Updated 14:44 | Posted at 2:44 p.m
Elias Peterson agreed to play ice hockey in the restrooms of Tampere and Riga.
The Swedish Ice Hockey Federation then had to inform the Vancouver Canucks that they could not pay the insurance.
– I wanted to play, but it didn’t work out, says the 24-year-old midfielder.
For the first time, Elias Peterson talks about what happened when he didn’t go to the bathroom last spring.
Tre Kronor even had the time to print match jerseys with the number 40 and Pettersson’s name on the back for Czech hockey games.
– It came to the issue of insurance. I wanted to play, but it didn’t work out. That’s what I can say, says Elias Peterson.
The Hockey League previously said it could not secure future contracts.
Elias Peterson is out of contract with the Vancouver Canucks after next season and is expected to sign the biggest contract of his life.
There is no doubt that he himself wanted to get into the Swedish national team.
“I don’t know if people understand”
He had national team captain Sam Hallam as head coach at Växjö at the 2018 SM Gold.
– I wanted to play for the Swedish people. I haven’t played for Sweden since I was in Slovakia in 2019. “It’s something I want to happen,” says Elias Petersson.
He doesn’t want to get into exactly how the discussions between the federation, the NHL club, and the advisors are going.
– I couldn’t play without insurance. I don’t know how many people realize that I will sign a big contract in which I will make a lot of money. We’ve come to the conclusion that it’s an insurance thing, and I don’t want to comment too much on that, says Elias Peterson.
“It was in the back of my mind.”
At the 2018 World Championships in Denmark, he unfortunately broke one of his wrists.
– The risk is not great that I get injured when there are only ten matches. When you think back, I still cut myself while driving freestyle. It was definitely in the back of my mind, Elias Peterson says.
When he signed a three-year contract in 2021, it took a long time before he was ready.
– There can be a lot of stress. I didn’t put it off, but I wanted to focus on training to get in the best possible shape for next season. “I love my carrot,” says Elias Peterson.
“It’s not realistic”
The next decade could mean he becomes the highest paid Swede in the NHL.
– still not realistic. I am grateful every day for playing hockey as a job and for the money I make. Elias Peterson says: He’s sick.
He’s also indulged in some after his NHL contract to date is worth more than SEK 250 million.
– I bought a boat last summer. My best friend Tim, who I live with, and I own a surf boat. So there will be a lot of surfing, circuit riding and things like that. He will play on the water and live in houses where friends can come, says Elias Peterson.
Even before the Czech Hockey Games and the World Cup, he had moved back to Stockholm, where he had bought the house.
Last week, he also did two snowboarding sessions with former club Timra.