Gus Forslund
{{short description|Swedish-born Canadian ice hockey player}}
{{Infobox ice hockey player
| image =
| image_size = 230px
| position = Right wing
| shoots = Right
| height_ft = 5
| height_in = 10
| weight_lb = 150
| played_for = Ottawa Senators
| birth_date = {{birth date|1908|4|25|mf=y}}
| birth_place = Holmsund, Sweden
| death_date = {{death date and age|1962|8|4|1908|4|25}}
| death_place = Geraldton, Ontario, Canada
| career_start = 1926
| career_end = 1941
|}}
Gustaf Oliver Forslund (April 25, 1908 – August 4, 1962) was a Swedish-born Canadian professional ice hockey right wing player. In the 1932–33 season, he became the first Swedish-born player in the National Hockey League, and played 48 games for the Ottawa Senators. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1926 to 1941, was spent in various minor leagues.
Early life
Gustaf Forslund was born in Holmsund in Västerbotten, Sweden to Lars Anton Forslund and his wife Ida Maria Fällman. When he was still a child, his family moved to Fort William and later Port Arthur, Ontario.
Playing career
First playing professional hockey for the Port Arthur Ports at age 20, he transferred to the Fort William Forts one year later. In 1929 he moved to Minnesota to play for the Duluth Hornets of the American Hockey Association (1926–1942). Playing 48 games for the Ottawa Senators in 1932–33, Forslund became the first Swede to play in the NHL. He scored a total of 13 points, 4 goals and 9 assists.
He went on to play for the Windsor Bulldogs of the International Hockey League (1929–1936) and the Philadelphia Arrows and New Haven Eagles in the Can-Am Hockey League. He ended his career playing in the Thunder Bay Senior League until 1941. In 1939–40, Forslund led the Thunder Bay Senior League with 39 points in 24 games.
After hockey
After retiring, Forslund helped organise youth hockey. After his wife died at 39, he was left to raise their two children alone. He died from a stroke in 1962 when he was 54.
Career statistics
=Regular season and playoffs=
| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em" | ||||||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! colspan="5"|Regular season ! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! colspan="5"|Playoffs | ||||||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Season ! Team ! League ! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM | ||||||||
| 1926–27
| TBSHL | 16 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1927–28 | TBSHL | 19 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 10
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 1928–29
| Fort William Forts | TBSHL | — | — | — | — | —
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1929–30 | AHA | 48 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 33
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 1930–31
| Duluth Hornets | AHA | 47 | 18 | 10 | 28 | 30
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1931–32 | Duluth Hornets | AHA | 48 | 14 | 13 | 27 | 24
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 1932–33
| NHL | 48 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 2
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1933–34 | IHL | 43 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 12
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 1934–35
| Can-Am | 48 | 20 | 32 | 52 | 15
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1935–36 | Can-Am | 48 | 16 | 17 | 33 | 26
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 1936–37
| Fort William Wanderers | TBSHL | — | — | — | — | —
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1937–38 | Fort William Wanderers | TBSHL | — | — | — | — | —
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 1938–39
| Duluth Zephyrs | TBSHL | 11 | 8 | 13 | 21 | —
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1938–39 | Duluth Zephyrs | USHL | 26 | 18 | 13 | 31 | 7
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 1939–40
| Geraldton Gold Miners | TBSHL | 24 | 18 | 21 | 39 | 8
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1940–41 | Geraldton Gold Miners | TBSHL | 12 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 2
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" | AHA totals ! 143 !! 40 !! 30 !! 70 !! 87 ! — !! — !! — !! — !! — | ||||||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" | NHL totals ! 48 !! 4 !! 9 !! 13 !! 2 ! — !! — !! — !! — !! — |
External links
- {{icehockeystats}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20090304192534/http://www.losthockey.com/obit_main.cfm?letter=f Obituary at LostHockey.com]
- {{Find a Grave|9073463}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forslund, Gus}}
Category:Canadian ice hockey right wingers
Category:Duluth Hornets players
Category:New Haven Eagles players
Category:Ottawa Senators (1917) players
Category:People from Umeå Municipality
Category:Philadelphia Arrows players
Category:Ice hockey people from Thunder Bay
Category:Swedish emigrants to Canada
Category:Swedish ice hockey players