Recognising Sweden’s true hockey heroes

21 local hockey enthusiasts across the country have once again been awarded by Betsson Sweden with the “Real Hockey Heroes” prize.

The award, first announced in 2022, is a bid to support the future of the sport loved by many and is the brainchild of the Betsson Sports Foundation and Betsson’s own hockey-ambassador Christian “Fimpen” Eklund, an ex-professional Swedish ice hockey player.

So, who are the real heroes? People with a great passion for hockey, the ones who sharpen the skates, wash jerseys, cheer on and make sure that everything runs smoothly so that the local hockey-community can continue to flourish all over Sweden. The 21 heroes, one per county in Sweden, have been selected out of hundreds of nominations after a broad nomination process. In addition to the award, they also receive 10 000 SEK (approximately 900 EUR) each.

“Swedish hockey is very much dependent on all these enthusiasts who sweat day in and day out. All hockey players, from amateurs to professionals, have these heroes to thank for. Therefore, it feels extremely important, that for the second year in a row, we get the chance to pay tribute to the real hockey heroes around Sweden. Big congratulations and thank you!” says Christan “Fimpen” Eklund.

“It warms my heart to see how many committed people there are in Swedish ice hockey. I’m happy that we can do our part in shining a light on these heroes. Betsson was previously the main sponsor of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), we have also been airing a successful youtube series on hockey with Fimpens Resa for five years, but without the grassroots the professional teams cannot thrive.”, says Mattias Wennerkvist, MD Betsson Sweden.

This is the second time that the Betsson Sport Foundation awards “Real Hockey Heroes”. The foundation, which was created to support Swedish sports, aims to highlight and pay tribute to all those who work to keep Swedish hockey alive throughout the country.

You can find out more about the foundation here.