Updated on 23.12 | Published on 23.11
Emil Berglund was at the heart of the action in the Stockholm derby against AIK.
It was adrenaline for the Djurgården supporters: “I wanted to invite them into the fight.”
Tears were shed for grandmother Ellie, who died this week: “The victory was hers.”
Emil Berglund was among the last players to emerge from the Globen dressing room.
At the end of the match, there was a real fight with Jerry Fitzgerald at AIK.
– I took my last breath there. I was really tired even before that. So it was also good to press the latter. We had over 12,000 supporters at the doctor’s office, and it was a hell of an energy. It’s clear they want something back, too, says Emil Berglund.
Celebrating the derby atmosphere
When Jerry lowered Fitzgerald onto his back so the referees could stop, one of the biggest cheers of the night erupted.
– Between my breaths I heard cheering. This was the last thing I could do before I had to go out to the cabin and the dressing room. It was just fun, and I wanted to invite the fans into that fight,” says Emil Berglund.
Head referees Daniel Wiesner and Philipp Sandstedt settled two minutes each for Emil Berglund and Jerry Fitzgerald for rough blows.
Djurgården won the match 3-1 in front of a sold-out Globen Stadium with 13,250 spectators in attendance.
Emil Berglund was responsible for the strong build-up to the match-clinching 2-0 goal by Anton Graden.
– It’s easy for me to say it was hot considering what happened. I know what our fans did for us and they were amazing. I love our supporters and they bring the energy. “We knew how important the game was, we were in a really bad direction and these points mean a lot to us and our fans considering how many of them were there,” says Emil Berglund.
Sad grandma Ellie
Father Chal Berglund, a coach at Leksand, spoke to Sportbladet this week about the sadness of his mother and Emil Ilie’s grandmother, who died on Tuesday night.
You can see how emotional it is for Emil Berglund too, as the tears well up and the words get stuck in his throat.
– Grandma is the closest person to me in my life. It’s been a tough few days. I think about her all the time when I don’t have to focus on hockey. While I was trying to remember all the good memories with her, what she did for me, and how much fun we had together. “This was her win, and she would have loved to be sitting here in the stands,” says Emil Berglund.
Eli was 90 years old and had always been very interested and involved in the hockey careers of Chaal Berglund and Emil Berglund.
