Coyotes’ Hjalmarsson remembers Cup wins fondly
Growing up, Niklas Hjalmarsson didn’t dream of winning a Stanley Cup.
Hjalmarsson — who was born in Eksjo, Sweden — tempered his aspirations, setting his goals toward reaching the NHL and instead worrying about hoisting the hardware once he established himself in North America.
His only dream was to play in the NHL, so winning three Stanley Cups in a span of six years with the Chicago Blackhawks seemed too good to be true.
Now Hjalmarsson is in his first season with the Coyotes after being traded from the Blackhawks, with whom he spent parts of 10 seasons after being drafted by them.
With the Blackhawks in town for a Monday tilt with the Coyotes at Gila River Arena, the 30-year-old defenseman still has firm memories of his time in Chicago.
“After the first (Stanley Cup), everything just went so fast you didn’t really realize how hard it actually is to win,” Hjalmarsson said. “There are so many players in this league that have played over 1,000 games that haven’t made it past two rounds.
“I’m extremely thankful for getting drafted by Chicago at the perfect time when both (Patrick) Kane and (Jonathan) Toews and all those guys were there. It couldn’t have been better timing for me, so that helped a lot.”
Hjalmarsson said winning it all in 2010, 2013 and 2015 were achievements he hadn’t even fathomed as an amateur in Sweden.
“As a kid, I didn’t really dream of winning a Stanley Cup,” Hjalmarsson said. “I just dreamed of making it to the NHL. Once you’re there and established in the NHL, then you can start dreaming about winning a Cup. To get three of those in such a short amount of time, I’m extremely thankful.”
Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet,
who won a Stanley Cup as a player in 1992 and worked as an assistant coach for back-to-back wins in 2016 and 2017, said Hjalmarsson’s championship experience brings a much-needed influence to a young Coyotes team.
“A guy like (Niklas), he’s gone through the process there,” Tocchet said. “At first they weren’t that good but he sees the process of it.
“When you’ve won before, you can bring a calmness and a confidence that — if you do the right things — good things can happen.”
Hjalmarsson, the third-oldest player on the team, said he tries to lead by example on and off the ice. The rest of the Coyotes roster has three Stanley Cups combined.
The only other Arizona players to win a Stanley Cup are Alex Goligoski (Penguins, 2009), Brad Richardson (Kings, 2012) and Josh Archibald (Penguins, 2017).
“Even though it’s been a rough season here so far, I’m just trying to have a positive mindset coming to the rink,” Hjalmarsson said.
“Not trying to focus on the last game as much and taking it day-by-day. … I try to lead with an example in that way, even though my game on the ice could be improved. That’s something I’m still working on.”
Both Tocchet and Hjalmarsson see comparisons with how those Blackhawks teams were built to the foundation being laid in Arizona.
“If you look at that group, they grew up together and then they added pieces around it,” Tocchet said of the championship Blackhawks teams. “They had the bricks and mortar around it. They acquired players, drafted well and they kept that core together.
“And they won three cups in a 10-year span.”
The philosophy of building through the draft and developing a homegrown core of players is something the Coyotes are trying to replicate.
“You never know,” Hjalmarsson said. “They’ve got some talent here, for sure, but we obviously have a long way to go. You never know how a young player develops and we obviously need to add some pieces here and there, too. But there’s good ground to build on.”
“Even though it’s been a rough season here so far, I’m just trying to have a positive mindset coming to the rink.” Niklas Hjalmarsson Coyotes defenseman