9. Linköping HC
The club have always been a team that has relied on it's North American forwards for success and this year was no exception. With the NHL refusing to release it's players for the Winter Games, last summer saw a mad scramble as European clubs tried to entice players who might be willing to play in the continent to make themselves eligible for the Olympics. At the same time, players already in Europe had a chance for Olympic glory that otherwise would have been out if their reach.
So Canada's assistant captains, both with over 720 games of NHL experience, played in SHL this season. 36 year old René Bourque for Djurgården IF and 35 year old, Derek Roy, played for Linköping HC. Roy, unlike Bourque, was in his fourth season outside North America and did not disappoint expectations, topped the team in Total Points. No only that, but he also got to pick up an Olympic Bronze too.
So did Bourque, of course, but in his only season in Europe he did not play any playoff matches at all, including Djurgården's defeat of Linköping in the quarterfinals. That was because of his son's illness leading to his decision to retire from the game at the end of this season.
@ABritOnThinIce1
