DetroitRedWings.com’s Art Regner is going to be producing an extensive series of articles heading up to the Red Wings’ participation in the 2023 NHL GLOBAL SERIES in Sweden, highlighting the organization’s most important Swedish players and executives. The series of stories is called, “How Swede It Is.”
Today, Regner begins his series with a profile of Hakan Andersson, the super-scout who discovered Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg (among many others). Andersson started his career as a fishing guide, and, as Regner tells us today, Andersson’s long career with the Red Wings began thanks to a recommendation from a departing Swedish scout:
In 1989, Detroit Red Wings general manager, Jimmy Devellano, was facing a potential crisis in his scouting department.
Neil Smith, Detroit’s head scout, left the Wings to become general manager of the New York Rangers and in the process offered a job to Detroit’s chief scout in Europe, Christer Rockstrom, who accepted.
“I really wanted to retain Christer very badly, almost to the point that I got down on my knees to beg him to stay, but he was really tied in with Neil. He went to the Rangers. So now what do I do?” Devellano recalled. “I need a good man in Europe, in Sweden, and Christer was probably the best at that time.
“So, before he left for the Rangers, I said, ‘Christer, you’re going to be a hard person to replace. I don’t know whether I can trust you with this request, but could you recommend us to somebody that could take your place?'”
Devellano was aware of the risk involved in what he was asking, especially in the competitive NHL. Rockstrom could have recommended just about anyone, but his recommendation was sincere and continues to have a positive impact on the Red Wings to this day.
Rockstrom told Devellano, “I have a young guy that I fish with in the summertime, he’s a cab driver in the winter and he comes to all the junior games with me, and he played junior hockey in Sweden, and he knows players and he sat with me, and I told him what I look for. I think you should give him a chance.” Devellano replied, “Well, who’s that?” Rockstrom said, “He’s about 23-24 years old, his name is Hakan Andersson.”
Continued (at length); give this one a read. It’s fun.
