4 Nations Roster Remix: 1990 Sweden Team

The top NHL players from Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States will go head-to-head at the 4 Nations Face-Off, a best-on-best tournament that will be held from Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston.

Though this is the first tournament of its kind to feature these four countries, NHL.com and NHL.com International have put together what the rosters and line combinations for each country would have looked like in the past, going backwards in five-year intervals. The rosters will follow the same format as the current 4 Nations teams: 13 forwards, seven defensemen and three goalies.

The stories will run each Friday and Sunday through Feb. 9.

Today, NHL.com/sv senior writer Janne Bengtsson reveals what his Sweden roster would've looked like in 1990.

Forwards (13)

Mats Naslund -- Thomas Steen -- Tomas Sandstrom

Mikael Andersson -- Bengt-Ake Gustafsson -- Patrik Sundstrom

Jan Erixon -- Pelle Eklund -- Ulf Dahlen

Peter Sundstrom -- Mats Sundin -- Johan Garpenlov

Jonas Bergqvist

Just 22 players from Sweden were in the NHL for the 1989-90 season and only 16 on a regular basis. The top line was built on experience. Naslund helped the Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup in 1986 with a team-high 110 points (43 goals, 67 assists) in the regular season and 19 points (eight goals, 11 assists) in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Steen was in his ninth season with the original Winnipeg Jets and coming off an NHL career-high 88 points (27 goals, 61 assists) in 1988-89. Sandstrom had 32 goals, 71 points and 128 penalty minutes split between the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings in 1989-90. Andersson was in his fifth NHL season and first with the Hartford Whalers. Gustafsson's last NHL season was 1988-89 with the Washington Capitals, and Patrik Sundstrom was in his eighth season and third with the New Jersey Devils. For his defensive work, Erixon earned the nickname "The Shadow" during his years with Rangers. The fast and smart puck-handling center forms a competent third line with Eklund and Dahlen. Sundin, 18-years-old at the time, was the first player from Europe to be selected No. 1 in the NHL Draft when he was chosen by the Quebec Nordiques in 1989 after helping Djurgarden to a championship in Elitserien, the top level of hockey in Sweden. Also on that team was Garpenlov, a 22-year-old high-scoring right wing. Sundin (Nordiques) and Garpenlov (Detroit Red Wings) joined the NHL for the 1990-91 season. Peter Sundstrom, Patrik's brother, played 21 games with the Devils in 1989-90, his last season in the NHL.

Defensemen (7)

Borje Salming -- Fredrik Olausson

Calle Johansson -- Tommy Albelin

Ulf Samuelsson -- Kjell Samuelsson

Robert Nordmark

Salming was the first European star in the NHL and played his first 16 seasons for the Maple Leafs and last with the Red Wings in 1989-90. He and Olausson were each willing to join the rush and score. Johansson, a solid two-way defenseman who played for the Washington Capitals, is paired with Albelin, with Ulf Samuelsson and Kjell Samuelsson a tough third pair. Nordmark was able to play all situations.

Goalies (3)

Rolf Ridderwall

Anders Bergman

Peter Aslin

Because of a shortage in the NHL, three goalies were brought in from Sweden. Ridderwall and Djurgarden defeated Bergman and Farjestad for the 1990 Elitserien championship. Aslin (Leksand) was a high-quality third goalie.