The captain of the classic national team will be absent from the hockey gala tonight.
Curre Lindström is sitting at home on a warm night in Thailand and watching everything on TV.
– I received an invitation, but I have already booked flights and rented an apartment in Sweden. Unfortunately, Cory says, I can’t be there.
The call came too late for him to change his plans.
– It was fun meeting up with all the old friends, but I have all the TV channels, so I’m going to set my alarm for 2 o’clock tonight. We’re six hours ahead here in Thailand, says Corey, who turns 82 on November 26.
– Yes, I am probably the second oldest living Confederate captain. Kjell Svensson is two years older.
Last winter, he visited the Sportbladet Curre in Thailand, when he revealed he was suffering from a terminal neurological disease, which slowly destroys muscles and balance.
He suffers from a pure battle against the disease
Therefore, he especially followed Porgy Salming’s fight against the disease.
– Yes, it is very tragic for him and his family. I know Porgy and I first met him during the 1976 Canada Cup, when he got this standing ovation in Toronto. Tjern Johansson and I were there as Trey Kronor observers.
– I’ve always admired him as a person and as a hockey player, and it was great to be able to sit there in the stands and be a part of this tribute. Then I realized how big it was. And he really dominated the ice when he was at his best.
Is ALS related to your disease?
– Yes, they belong to the same family and there is no cure. The only thing that can be done is to take anti-inflammatory medications to slow down the process.
Corey had already fallen ill last winter, when he had difficulty walking and the strength in his fingers was not even enough to unscrew a water bottle cap.
– Now I can’t walk without crutches and it’s a catastrophe. It’s getting worse, but at the same time I don’t want to complain. I have lived a long and interesting life and I have a lot to be grateful for.
– But it’s a new stage in life, where I’ve always been active. Now I can’t do sports, I can’t run, I can’t play golf. I sit mostly. It’s boring, but there’s not much you can do about it.
In addition, he has suffered from glaucoma and is on the verge of losing his sight in his right eye.
– Yes, optic nerve damage in the right eye.
Curre is still on the phone from home in Hua Hin.
– Yes, the sun is shining, and I’m sitting here on the balcony in a T-shirt and shorts. I won’t complain.
Going to watch the hockey party on TV
On a Thursday night — or the night before Friday, KST — memories will still come alive right there in front of the TV.
It was Curie who coached Tre Kronor in the match against the Soviet Union at WC Vienna in 1987, when Thomas Sandström scored the classic goal that led to the first FIFA World Cup gold in 25 years.
The previous year, he said, he won three crowns at the World Cup silver in Moscow and a decisive gold match directly and put pressure on the Soviets. It ended in a narrow loss – 2-3.
There was the beginning of the successes that were to come and a real boost after the Prague fiasco in 1985, when the Swedes had their worst World Cup finish in 37 years with Leif Bork as captain.
Curre has had a longer career in hockey than most and of course has the top five players of all time.
– Yes, Henrik Lundqvist in goal, Ledas and Salming as defenders and chain with Foppa, Sudden and Tumba. It is always difficult to extract five from many generations, but so be it.
Tomi Salo is not nominated as one of the five goalkeepers. What do you think that?
– Difficult, of course, but given what he did for the national team, he was definitely one of the five. I think so.