Despite more than 1,000 games in the NHL, Frölunda hesitated for a long time before bringing on Loui Eriksson, 37.
A decision that Roger Ronberg certainly does not regret today.
– I didn’t know he was so team oriented, it’s great that he’s in a team and that he does everything to win, says Frölunda’s coach.
Ryan Lash scored the only goal of the game as Frölunda stole the win in Växjö and now has a 2-1 lead in the matches in the semi-finals. Louis Erickson left the ice scoreless, which is not the norm during these playoffs.
But he was too involved to clear the ball when Växjö came close to scoring the equalizing goal in the dying minutes.
We just mentioned, Lash and Anthony Greco scored seven more points in qualifying than Erickson.
But above all with his wit and ability to make his colleagues in the series better is what impresses Erickson. Whether he’s playing Lash or guys like Isaac Bourne and Noah Hassa.
He was not welcome in Frölunda
– Louie is of great importance to us. We knew we were bringing in a very smart guy and hockey player. Roger Ronberg says he’s so team oriented and so great in the team, that he does everything to win, I didn’t know that because I didn’t coach him enough.
Did you underestimate him a bit?
– Yes, it is possible. maybe. Or not underestimated but perhaps overestimated the difficulty he has at his age to adapt to the pace of our league. I thought it would be more difficult than it was.
With Frölunda close to his heart and 1,050 NHL games on the merit list, it was still far from a foregone conclusion that Loui Eriksson would play for Frölunda.
Early on he expressed interest in continuing his career in Gothenburg, but the response was lukewarm, although captain Joel Lundqvist openly criticized the club’s decision.
Only when Frölunda sent Czech Radan Lenc to the HV71 was it considered that there was a gap for Ericsson.
Nine years without hockey
Louis Ericsson could have never belonged to you or even played for another team.
– Yes, of course. I’m glad he’s here today. Of course it’s easy to say in retrospect that it will work, but in any case it was the speed and adaptability to the game in the SHL that was our question mark, says Rönnberg.
Loui Eriksson beams with joy and finally plays hockey again.
He grabbed a handful of rebounds with Vancouver in the 2020 Stanley Cup that was set in August at Edmonton’s Bubble. His last true playoff game, however, was nine years ago with the Boston Bruins.
– It’s great fun. Absolutely stunning. I didn’t think about it but now that you mention it, it’s been years without a playoff. Love her. Tough series with many matches and played every day, so you need to be vigilant.
