Tommy Albelin

Albelin Thomas ( born May 21, 1964 in Stockholm ) is a retired Swedish professional ice hockey player (defender) and current coach, the Quebec Nordiques for the New Jersey Devils and Calgary Flames played from 1987 to 2006 in the National Hockey League.

Career

From 1992 he was active for Djurgårdens IF Stockholm in the Elitserien and was in his first year there and Swedish champion. NHL Entry Draft 1983 Quebec Nordiques selected him in the eighth round of the 152. However, he remained in Sweden and played for the Swedish national ice hockey team at the Ice Hockey World Championships 1985, 1986 and 1987. During the last of which he was with his countryman world champion.

It was not until the 1987/88 season he moved to Quebec. After a good first season with the Nordiques, he was employed for the second year in the AHL farm team at the Halifax Citadel. In December 1989, he moved to the New Jersey Devils.

In the eight years with the Devils, he has always been appreciated as a solid defender, but also had time and again in the AHL, initially to the Utica Devils, the Albany River Rats later. With the Devils, he won the Stanley Cup in the 1994/95 season. The following year he was in exchange, issued under other against Phil Housley, the Calgary Flames, where played the season to end and stayed another five years with the Flames. During this time his participation in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano fell.

After his contract expired in the summer of 2001, he returned to the Devils and was there to the end of the 2002 /03 his second Stanley Cup win. After another season with the Devils, he announced his retirement in the summer of 2004. When the NHL game operation resumed after a year strike, he was persuaded to return and played again 36 games in the regular season and two more in the playoffs.

After ending his playing career Albelin remained in the organization of the New Jersey Devils active and was initially from 2007 to 2010 under Brent Sutter and Jacques Lemaire as assistant coach of the NHL franchise from Newark in the U.S. state of New Jersey worked before the Swede for the 2010 season / 11 was committed to their farm team Albany Devils in the same position.

NHL stats

Sporting successes

• Swedish Champion: 1983
• Stanley Cup: 1995 and 2003
• Hockey World Cup: 1987
• 1986 Silver medal at the World Championships

Personal Awards

• Swedish World All-Star Team: 1987 and 1997