Both men announced their retirements this summer, first Hornqvist, and then Hagelin, who had suffered an eye injury that was too severe for him to keep playing the game he loves. The Penguins had the chance to celebrate Hornqvist, now a scouting and development consultant for the Panthers, during their game on Friday in Florida – with Hagelin flying in from Sweden for the ceremony.
“It was great. Seeing those guys, you feel like no time has gone by at all. You pick up where you left off,” Sidney Crosby said. “Just a really, really special group, and those guys were such a big part of us winning, I mean, every single guy is. But getting Haggy that first year that we won, and seeing what he brought to the team… the person he is, the player he is… it was just great to see him.”
We got the chance to catch up with Hagelin, a member of the iconic HBK Line with Nick Bonino and Phil Kessel, who appeared in 195 regular-season games for the Penguins and 48 playoff games from 2015-18.
Why was it important for you to be there for Patric’s retirement ceremony?
It was important for me to be there because of the person Patric is. He took me in with open arms when I got traded to Pittsburgh, and him and his wife made me feel at home right away. Since then, our friendship has grown, and now he's the godfather to my son. We're great friends, and I was really happy I was able to make it.
We’ve gotta ask for any favorite memories and stories involving Patric.
It’s got to be his goal against the Nashville Preds in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals, obviously scoring against the team that drafted him and traded him away, you could just see how emotional he was after that goal. Even missed the next shift because he was so emotional. Another good Patric memory is when he was on the power play with Sid, Geno, Phil and Tanger, I think they were struggling a little bit. Patric got the puck, made a bad play. And then for two straight power plays, they wouldn't pass him the puck. He got back to the bench and said ‘hey, guys, I can play hockey too, you know!’
You both were such a big part of those Cup teams. What are your fondest memories from your time in Pittsburgh? What did you love about playing here?
My fondest memories are obviously winning two Cups. It's a pretty standard answer, but just coming in and feeling like you're a big part of the team right away... I think there's so much to love about playing in Pittsburgh: the fans, how they treated you, the organization, the star power. Everything was top-notch, and I was very lucky to play for the Pens and have four of the best years of my career.
When you look back at your career as a whole, what are you proudest of?
When I look back at my career, I think what I'm most proud of is the friendships I've made, and I think just being a guy that was in the playoffs every single year. I think I'm proud of the two Cups, of course. I think I'm a guy that guys wanted to play with in the big games, and I think that's one of the things I'm proud of.
What has retired life in Sweden been like? What are your post-playing career plans?
Retired life in Sweden has been good so far. I do a little work for Minnesota Wild right now with (general manager) Billy Guerin. It's nice to kind of stay in the game and learn new skills that you didn't really think about when you were playing, more in the player development and the scouting area. But overall, my family enjoys it and I enjoy it. My post-playing career plans are for now that I'm involved in hockey, kind of see where it takes me. I usually live in the moment, I don't look too far ahead. So, right now, I'm trying to learn as much as possible, and try to improve every day.
