Tomas Sandstrom: Abrasive Style Filled a Void for Detroit’s 1997 Stanley Cup Championship

On November 16 & 17, the Detroit Red Wings will face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators at Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden as part of the 2023 NHL Global Series. To commemorate this historic event and pay tribute to Detroit's Swedish connection, each week leading up to the Global Series, we will feature a Swedish Red Wings story in our series, 'How Swede It Is' presented by JP Wiser's. Each story is a testament to the dedication and resolve between the players and the Red Wings to build upon and maintain a tradition of excellence between Swedish hockey and the Red Wings. We continue our series with forward Tomas Sandstrom

Nothing is guaranteed in the NHL, but after firmly believing they were in a solid position to capture the Stanley Cup in 1995 and 1996, Detroit’s management team was determined to end the Red Wings’ 42-year Cup drought in 1997.

At the time, the makeup of the Red Wings’ front office was unconventional. They didn’t have a general manager, instead opting for what Detroit Senior Vice President Jim Devellano referred to as the “three-headed monster”.

Devellano oversaw contracts, while head coach Scotty Bowman also served as the director of player personnel who was in charge of trades, and Ken Holland was promoted to assistant general manager, after serving as the Red Wings’ director of amateur scouting.

This trident of power allowed the Red Wings to make two significant moves to shore up the team’s shortcomings as they prepared for their 1997 Stanley Cup Playoffs run.

Bowman swung deals for Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Larry Murphy and Pittsburgh Penguins forward Tomas Sandstrom. Murphy fit like a glove on Detroit’s blue line paired with Nick Lidstrom, while Sandstrom gave Detroit an edgy forward who did not shy away from physical play.

“A competitive guy. He ended up playing in our top six,” Kris Draper said about Sandstrom. “A guy I guess you could say he would cross the line sometimes the way that he played. When you played against him, he’s a player that you hated but a player that when he’s on your team, you appreciated a lot of the little things that he was able to do for us.

“It was one of those trades that probably flew under the radar at the time, but Sandy played a lot of hockey in a lot of situations for us and saw a lot of time playing on the left side playing with Stevie (Steve Yzerman) and Mac (Darren McCarty). He was that big winger that could play an up-and-down game and play heavy and play competitive and add skill to the lineup as well.”

On January 25, 1997, Detroit sent 25-year-old center Greg Johnson to Pittsburgh  - which was looking to become younger - in exchange for the 32-year-old Sandstrom.  

A veteran of 814 NHL games when he arrived in Detroit, Sandstrom was still seeking his first Stanley Cup.  

“If you’re going to get traded, you want to go where there’s a chance of winning. I’m happy to go there,” Sandstrom told the Detroit News on January 28, 1997. “They have three really good centers, so it doesn’t really matter which one you play with.”

When Bowman contacted Pittsburgh about acquiring Sandstrom, he felt the combative winger was exactly what Detroit was missing. Goal scoring was not a problem for the Red Wings, but they needed to become bigger and more physical.

“He’s going to make the little plays count and does not put holes in your team,” Bowman said about Sandstrom. “He could really play solid defensively. As a coach, you have confidence in a player that’s done it elsewhere, you’re going to play him. Sometimes you’re right and other times you’re wrong. That’s the way I felt that he’s not going to let us down. I wasn’t looking for production. I had enough (production on the roster), it was to make sure that we could play a tight, fast game, and he did.”

During the playoffs, Sandstrom’s offense took a back seat, recording three assists in Detroit’s first 19 postseason games. When he was asked about his lack of point production, the Red Wings were one game away from sweeping the Philadelphia Flyers in the Stanley Cup Final and ending their 42-year title drought.

“Sure, it would have been nice to score, but you can’t worry about it. The most important thing is the team’s winning,” Sandstrom told the Detroit News on June 6. 1997. “You just have to work hard night in and night out and do other things to help the team win.

“It would mean a lot for me to win the Stanley Cup. I knew it would be a great opportunity for me to win it here when I got traded. We have a good system, and four lines which play well in it. We just go out and work hard every shift.  I’ll go out there with my style and hit in the corners, but you have to take it, too.”

Sandstrom’s approach paid off in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final. Just before he was about to take a punishing hit from Philadelphia’s Eric Lindros, Sandstrom saw McCarty open in the neutral zone and fed him a perfect pass as McCarty was picking up speed at center ice.

“I remember everything about the play,” McCarty said. “It was at the end of the shift and Philadelphia was in a line change and dumped the puck in the corner and Vladdy (Vladimir Konstantinov) took a hit to get the puck to Sandstrom and I was coming up the middle.

“Once I had the puck, I was thinking about dumping it in, but then I made a move one-on-one to get around (Janne) Niinimaa and then I was able to pull it around (Ron) Hextall two feet from the net and I was saying to myself, ‘please don’t miss the net’.

“Without Sandstrom putting it tape to tape on my stick, I wouldn’t be here with the Stanley Cup-clinching goal in ’97.”  

After the series, Sandstrom stood in a hallway inside Joe Louis Arena holding the Stanley Cup and summed up his Cup journey.

“It was supposed to be,” he said. “How else can you explain it? Everything fell into place. It was perfect.”

Tickets, Fan Travel Packages Available for NHL Global Series in Sweden

Red Wings fans can inquire here about fan travel options, including packages that include airfare, hotel accommodations, tickets to both Red Wings games, ground transportation, sightseeing, select meals and more.