Gothenburg. Joel Lundqvist says he’s received several requests to take a stand.
Frölunda wants to keep him at the club as he has played 20 seasons with the first team and has been captain for the last 14.
– We definitely want to see him in a role, and that interest will always be on our side, says sporting director Fredrik Sjöström.
A year younger, Fredrik Sjöström is a close friend and former classmate of Joel Lundqvist.
After SC’s semi-final loss at the end of the playing career of 41-year-old Joel Lundqvist, the sporting director was made redundant.
It was a run that ended in a penalty and match ban for a header in the penultimate semi-final match.
– She’s obviously emotional. We would have preferred to put him on the ice to fight to the end. Now he didn’t have that chance. On a personal level, I would have really liked him to play in the final. As a friend and companion, it would have been an amazing experience, says Fredrik Sjöström.
Is there any way to describe what Joel Lundqvist meant for Frölunda?
– It’s tough. We don’t have much time. He is tough on everything. He is one of the people I respect the most in this field of hockey. What he’s done for so long is impressive. It’s a big part of why Frölunda is so successful.
“It’s up to him.”
Would you like to see his continuation in Frölunda in any way?
– I definitely want to see him in a role in Frölunda in the future. Then it is up to him what he wants to do. It might be a good idea to get away from it and feel it. Looks like he’s been a hockey player for over 40 years. This part will always be there for us and the club. He should know what he wants to do, and we’re not going to pressure him like that. If he wants to do something, I’m sure we’ll find a way to do it together. He is an icon at the club and will always be associated with us anyway.
What kind of role could you see for Joel Lundqvist in Frölunda?
– I do not know it here and now. The Joel Lundqvist I know doesn’t want to do anything half of my head. He wants to get in and do something wholeheartedly. Whatever he wants to do, I think he wants to do it completely.
“Not completely unprepared.”
How do you replace him as a leader and player in building your team?
– It’s hard to replace. There is no talk of that. What he did for the team every day will not be easy to replace. We know about it. We still have many other good leaders in the team and I don’t think he should be seen as one person who should replace Joel Lundqvist. It’s a complicated topic. But we have a number of important players for the team and they can be given the opportunity to lead in their own way. It’s not about them doing what Joel Lundqvist did. Somewhere we must have prepared ourselves for Joel Lundqvist not to play anymore. So we’re not totally unprepared for that.
According to Fredrik Sjöström, they had not yet discussed who would be the new captain.
There are many different options such as Nicklas Lasu, Christian Folin, Max Friberg and Henrik Tömmernes.
