Pelle Lindbergh

Born	May 24, 1959(1959-05-24), Stockholm, SWE
Died	November 11, 1985 (aged 26), Somerdale, NJ, U.S.
Height Weight	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 198 lb (90 kg; 14 st 2 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Caught	Left
Pro clubs	NHL Philadelphia Flyers AHL Maine Mariners Springfield Indians
Ntl. team	Sweden
NHL Draft	35th overall, 1979 Philadelphia Flyers
Pro career	1980 – 1985

Per-Eric Göran "Pelle" Lindbergh (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈpɛlɛ ˈlindbærj]; May 24, 1959 – November 11, 1985) was a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender who played parts of five seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers.

Playing career

Having gained fame while playing for local team Hammarby in his youth, and especially making his debut in the highest Swedish hockey league with AIK (Stockholm) leading him to the Swedish national team in the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics, Lindbergh set his sights on the North American game. Lindbergh owns the distinction of being the goaltender on the only team which did not lose to the gold-medal winning Team USA at the 1980 Olympics, as his Team Sweden and Team USA played to a 2-2 tie in the first game of the tournament. After being drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft (2nd round, 35th overall), he started out his North American career during the 1980–81 season by playing a couple seasons for the Maine Mariners of the AHL before playing his first games for the Flyers in 1981–82. In 1982–83, he was named goalie of the NHL All-Rookie Team. He led the NHL with 40 victories during the 1984–85 season and won the Vezina Trophy, the first European goaltender to do so in NHL history. That same year, he was also named a First Team All-Star.

Death

On November 10, 1985, he drove his customized Porsche 930 Turbo into a wall in front of a Somerdale, New Jersey, elementary school, fatally injuring himself and also injuring two others. Lindbergh died the next day, November 11. The medical staff at the hospital kept him on life support until his father arrived from Sweden to say his final goodbye, signing the papers to end life support. At the time, he was returning from the Coliseum, the former practice center for the Flyers located in Voorhees Township. Law enforcement disclosed he was intoxicated at the time of the accident, with a blood alcohol content level of .24%, well above .1% which was New Jersey's legal limit at the time. Lindbergh topped the fan voting for the 1986 NHL All-Star Game. It would mark the first time a player was chosen posthumously for an all-star team in a major North American team sport. Sean Taylor's selection to the 2008 Pro Bowl was the only other time this has happened. Though his number 31 was never officially retired by the Flyers, no Flyer has worn the number 31 since Lindbergh's death.

In 2006 a Swedish biography entitled "Pelle Lindbergh: Behind the White Mask" was written by Swedish author Thomas Tynander. An English version was published in fall 2009.

Awards

• 1980–81 Les Cunningham Award
• 1980–81 Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award
• 1980–81 Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award
• 1982–83 NHL All-Rookie Team
• 1982-83 NHL All-Star Game
• 1984-85 NHL All-Star Game
• 1984–85 Vezina Trophy
• 1984–85 NHL First-Team All-Star
• 1985–86 NHL All-Star Game (awarded posthumously)

The Philadelphia Flyers named an award, the Pelle Lindbergh Memorial, in his honor. Since 1993–94, it has been annually awarded to the most improved player on the team.

Career statistics

Regular season

Post season

International play

1980 - Played for Sweden in the XIII Olympic Winter Games.

See also

• List of ice hockey players who died during their playing career

External links

• Official biographical homepage
• Flyers History Bio
• Spectrum Memories: Lindbergh Memorial at Philadelphiaflyers.com
• Pelle Lindbergh in Fatal Car Crash
• Pelle Lindbergh's biography at Legends of Hockey
• Pelle Lindbergh 31 Campaign
• Tribute to Pelle Lindbergh
• Pelle Lindbergh's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database