Pelle Lindbergh

Swedish ice hockey player (1959–1985)

Ice hockey player

Pelle Lindbergh

Lindbergh with the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1980s

Born|  (1959-05-24)24 May 1959
Stockholm, Sweden
Died|  11 November 1985(1985-11-11) (aged 26)
Stratford, New Jersey, U.S.
Height|  5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight|  158 lb (72 kg; 11 st 4 lb)
Position|  Goaltender
Caught|  Left
Played for|  AIK IF
Philadelphia Flyers
National team|   Sweden
NHL draft|  35th overall, 1979
Philadelphia Flyers
Playing career|  1978–1985

Medal record

Representing  Sweden
Men's Ice Hockey
Olympic Games
| 1980 Lake Placid | Ice hockey
World Championships
| 1979 Soviet Union | Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
| 1978 Canada | Ice hockey

Göran Per-Eric "Pelle" Lindbergh (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈpɛ̌lːɛ ˈlɪ̌nːdbærj];[citation needed] 24 May 1959 – 11 November 1985) was a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender who played five seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was the first European-born goaltender to be drafted in the NHL Entry Draft and the first to achieve success in North America.

Lindbergh died at age 26 in a single-car accident five months after leading the Flyers to the 1985 Stanley Cup Finals and winning the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender.

## Playing career

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Having gained fame while playing for Hammarby in his youth, and while making his debut in the highest Swedish hockey league with AIK (Stockholm) leading him to the Swedish national team in the 1980 Winter Olympics, Lindbergh set his sights on the North American game. Lindbergh owns the distinction of being the goaltender on the only team that did not lose to the gold-medal-winning Team USA at the 1980 Olympics, as Team Sweden and Team USA played to a 2–2 tie in the first game of the tournament. Team Sweden would go on to win the bronze medal. After being drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft (second round, 35th overall), he started his North American career during the 1980–81 season by playing one and a half seasons for the Maine Mariners of the American Hockey League (AHL) before playing his first games for the Flyers in 1982. In 1983, he was named goaltender of the NHL All-Rookie Team. He led the National Hockey League (NHL) with 40 wins, and games played with 65, he was second in both shutouts (2) and save percentage (.899), and was third in goals against average (3.02) during the 1984–85 season and won the Vezina Trophy, becoming the first European goaltender to do so in NHL history. That same year, he was also named a First Team All-Star. In his final game on 7 November 1985, he made 18 saves while leading the Philadelphia Flyers to a 6–2 win over the Chicago Black Hawks.[1]

## Death

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Gravestone of Pelle Lindbergh at Skogskyrkogården, Stockholm.

At 5:41 a.m. on 10 November 1985, Lindbergh lost control of his customized Porsche 930 Turbo and struck a wall in front of a Somerdale, New Jersey, elementary school, critically injuring himself and severely injuring his two passengers.[2][3] He was hospitalized in Stratford, New Jersey, and declared brain dead a few hours later. His parents gave permission to end life-saving measures, and at 9:15 a.m. on 11 November, he was declared legally dead after all brain function had ceased.[2] His parents also agreed to organ donation, and so his heart was kept beating until 12 November, when his vital organs were harvested and prepared for transplantation.[2][4]

At the time of the accident, he had just left the Coliseum, the former practice center for the Flyers located in Voorhees Township, New Jersey, where he was attending a team party. He was intoxicated at the time of the accident, with a blood alcohol level of 0.24, well above New Jersey's legal limit (0.10) at that time.

Lindbergh topped the fan voting for the 1986 NHL All-Star Game. It would mark the first time that a player was chosen posthumously for an all-star team in a major North American team sport. Sean Taylor's selection to the 2008 Pro Bowl was the only other time this has happened. Although his number 31 was never officially retired by the Flyers, no Flyer has worn the number 31 since Lindbergh's death.[5] Lindbergh is buried in Skogskyrkogården, a cemetery in southern Stockholm.[6]

Pelle Circle, a residential street in Far Northeast Philadelphia, was named in his honor when it was constructed in 1986.

Swedish author Thomas Tynander wrote a biography, Pelle Lindbergh: bakom den vita masken, published in 2006.[7] An English version, Pelle Lindbergh: Behind the White Mask, was translated by Bill Meltzer and published in 2009.[8]

## Awards and achievements

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* Named best goaltender at the European Junior Championships in 1976, and 1977.
* Selected to the WJC All-Star team in 1978.
* Named best goaltender at the WJC in 1978.
* Selected to the Swedish World All-Star team in 1979, 1980, and 1983.
* Selected to the AHL first All-Star team in 1981.
* Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award winner in 1981 (shared with Robbie Moore).
* Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award winner in 1981.
* Les Cunningham Award winner in 1981.
* Selected to the NHL All-Rookie Team in 1983.
* Selected to the NHL first All-Star team in 1985.
* Vezina Trophy winner in 1985.
* Bobby Clarke Trophy winner in 1985.
* Viking Award winner in 1983.
* Played in 1983, 1985 NHL All-Star Games.
* Selected to the 1986 NHL All-Star Game posthumously.[9][10]
* Swedish Hockey Hall of Fame.

The Philadelphia Flyers named a team award, the Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy, in his honor. Since the 1993–94 season it has been annually awarded to the most improved player on the team.

## Career statistics

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### Regular season and playoffs

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|  | Regular season |  | Playoffs

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Season | Team  | League  | GP  | W  | L  | T  | MIN  | GA  | SO | GAA | SV% | GP  | W  | L  | MIN  | GA  | SO  | GAA  | SV%
1977–78 | Hammarby IF | Swe-2 | 36  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —
1978–79 | Hammarby IF  | Swe-2  | 35  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —
1978–79 | AIK IF | SEL | 6  | —  | —  | —  | 360  | 38  | 0  | 6.33  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —
1979–80 | AIK IF  | SEL  | 32  | —  | —  | —  | 1,866  | 106  | 1  | 3.41  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —
1980–81 | Maine Mariners | AHL | 51  | 31  | 14  | 5  | 3,035  | 165  | 1  | 3.26  | .893  | 20  | 10  | 7  | 1,120  | 66  | 0  | 3.54  | —
1981–82 | Maine Mariners  | AHL  | 25  | 17  | 7  | 2  | 1,505  | 83  | 0  | 3.31  | .887  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —
1981–82 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 8  | 2  | 4  | 2  | 480  | 35  | 0  | 4.38  | .881  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —
1982–83 | Philadelphia Flyers  | NHL  | 40  | 23  | 13  | 3  | 2,333  | 116  | 3  | 2.98  | .891  | 3  | 0  | 3  | 180  | 18  | 0  | 6.00  | .788
1983–84 | Philadelphia Flyers  | NHL  | 36  | 16  | 13  | 3  | 1,999  | 135  | 1  | 4.05  | .860  | 2  | 0  | 1  | 26  | 3  | 0  | 6.92  | .769
1983–84 | Springfield Indians | AHL  | 4  | 4  | 0  | 0  | 240  | 12  | 0  | 3.00  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —
1984–85 | Philadelphia Flyers  | NHL  | 65  | 40  | 17  | 7  | 3,858  | 194  | 2  | 3.02  | .899  | 18  | 12  | 6  | 1,008  | 42  | 3  | 2.50  | .914
1985–86 | Philadelphia Flyers  | NHL  | 8  | 6  | 2  | 0  | 480  | 23  | 1  | 2.88  | .884  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —  | —
NHL totals  | 157  | 87  | 49  | 15  | 9,150  | 503  | 7  | 3.30  | .886  | 23  | 12  | 10  | 1,214  | 63  | 3  | 3.11  | .911

### International

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Year  | Team  | Event  |  | GP  | W  | L  | T  | MIN  | GA  | SO  | GAA

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1976 | Sweden | EJC | 3  | —  | —  | —  | 180  | 4  | 0  | 1.33
1977 | Sweden  | EJC  | 3  | —  | —  | —  | 180  | 3  | 0  | 1.00
1978 | Sweden  | WJC | 4  | —  | —  | —  | 240  | 10  | 0  | 2.50
1979 | Sweden | WC | 6  | 1  | 4  | 1  | 360  | 38  | 0  | 6.33
1980 | Sweden  | OG | 5  | 2  | 1  | 2  | 300  | 18  | 0  | 3.60
1981 | Sweden  | CC | 2  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 92  | 9  | 0  | 5.87
1983 | Sweden  | WC  | 9  | 4  | 4  | 1  | 540  | 27  | 0  | 3.00
Junior totals  | 10  | —  | —  | —  | 600  | 17  | 0  | 1.70
Senior totals  | 22  | 7  | 9  | 4  | 1292  | 92  | 0  | 4.27

## See also

[edit]

* List of ice hockey players who died during their playing career

## References

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1. ^ Yannis, Alex (11 November 1985). "Lindbergh is critically injured". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 23 November 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
2. ^ a b c Duvoisin, Marc (13 November 1985). "Lindbergh organs removed; life support is switched off". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 1A, 16A.
3. ^ Egan, Chris, ed. (11 November 1985). "Flyers' Pelle Lindbergh critically injured in crash". The Evening News. Newburgh-Beacon, NY. p. 10B. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
4. ^ Greenberg, Jay (29 November 2016). Full Spectrum: The Complete History of the Philadelphia Flyers Hockey Club. Triumph Books. ISBN 9781633198272.
5. ^ Seravalli, Frank (11 November 2010). "Pelle Lindbergh's spirit lives on, 25 years after fatal crash". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
6. ^ Meltzer, Bill. "Pelle Lindbergh #31". flyershistory.com. Retrieved 11 November 2010.
7. ^ Tynander, Thomas (2006). Pelle Lindbergh: bakom den vita masken [Pelle Lindbergh: Behind the White Mask] (in Swedish). Västerås: Sportförlaget. ISBN 9-1853-1945-7. Retrieved 12 July 2024 – via Google Books.
8. ^ Tynander, Thomas (2009). Pelle Lindbergh: Behind the White Mask. Translated by Meltzer, Bill. Willmington: The Middle Atlantic Press. ISBN 978-0-91-26-0801-3. Retrieved 13 July 2024 – via Google Books.
9. ^ Ross, Sherry (31 January 1986). "Fans salute Pelle with one last start". The Record. Hackensack, New Jersey. p. 81.; Ross, Sherry (31 January 1986). "Pelle a favorite with hockey fans (continued)". The Record. Hackensack, New Jersey. p. 85.
10. ^ Konrad, Jim (3 February 1986). "The fans have first choice". The Record. Hackensack, New Jersey. p. 45.

## External links

[edit]

* Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
* Flyers History Bio
* Spectrum Memories: Lindbergh Memorial at Philadelphiaflyers.com
* Pelle Lindbergh in Fatal Car Crash

Preceded by

first recipient

|  Winner of the Bobby Clarke Trophy
1985 | Succeeded by

Mark Howe

|
|

Preceded by

Tom Barrasso

|  Winner of the Vezina Trophy
1985 | Succeeded by

John Vanbiesbrouck

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* Sweden