How Oskar Sundqvist went from Sweden’s slopes to block shots for Blues – The Athletic
Before it became hockey, it was skiing.
Before he stared down at a shot from Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin, he stared down at Sweden’s Åreberg.
Before Oskar Sundqvist became known as one of the Blues’ hardest working players, he worked with his father Anders, a former member of the Swedish alpine national team.
“I have skied all my life,” said Sundqvist. “It’s one of my favorite things to do. It makes you very happy – at least for me.”
The 27-year-old center might still be skiing today if he had not been bitten by the hockey bug at an early age as well. It’s luck for the Blues, who got him back in the squad on Tuesday after missing the first month of the season and recovering from knee and hip surgery. He only played 14 shifts in 9:45 ice time, but he’s back.
The team has its fearless forward, who can trace that personality trait back to its childhood, to be on top of the mountains in Sweden with only one way down.
“I remember once when we were still quite young, my dad took us down for a real downhill run and it was a little scary,” Sundqvist said. “There was just ice everywhere and it was just straight down. He laughed while we almost cried.”
Anders Sundqvist might not have attributed that much to his son then, but he does now.
“Oskar skied a lot and in fact he had many skills,” said the older Sundqvist recently from Sweden. “He could move pretty well. I was a little impressed at the time.”
His confidence on the slopes did not develop overnight – much like his NHL career, which flourished after a 2017 change from Pittsburgh.