Several years in the league's punching bag Arizona and bought out from Vancouver.
Now, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, after 14 years in the NHL, has finally lifted the Stanley Cup trophy.
I've always believed in myself, he says to Viaplay after the final.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson spent his youth in Tingsryd, where he also received his upbringing in ice hockey. The Swede went through the youth leagues before finally getting the chance in the top team as a teenager.
Now, 14 years later, there's no question about where the Swedish star defender will take the Stanley Cup when it comes to Sweden this summer.
Now the trophy is coming to Tingsryd. There's nowhere I'd rather take it than there, because that's where so many people who helped me along the way are, says Ekman-Larsson to Aftonbladet.
Drafted as sixth
Despite the love for Tingsryd, then in Division 1, it was in Leksand and the HockeyAllsvenskan that his career really took off. The defender broke through in Sweden already in 2008, at the age of 17, and was selected for the ice hockey World Championship just two years later. After that, many NHL clubs wanted to tie down the star's signature in the draft.
In the end, it was Arizona (then Phoenix) Coyotes who won the battle, when they chose the Swede as sixth overall. And they didn't make a mistake.
The Swede spent countless years in the organisation, became one of the league's best defenders, and eventually got the honour of becoming captain of the NHL team.
But there was a problem in the Swede's hunt for the trophy. The team wasn't particularly successful, and only made the playoffs under three of Ekman-Larsson's eleven seasons in the club. Many years, the team was one of the worst in the entire league.
Became unwanted
In 2021, however, the news came that the then 30-year-old Ekman-Larsson and Arizona would go their separate ways. Instead, the move went to the now classic Swedish club Vancouver Canucks, where he got a massive contract. But there, the defender wouldn't quite become as appreciated.
After being booed by fans, ridiculed for his high salary, and becoming unwanted by the club, he was bought out of his contract during the summer of 2023, and thus became clubless.
Florida Panthers, who had gone to the Stanley Cup final the previous season, then chose to bet on the then 31-year-old defender, and it would prove to be a completely right move.
After 14 long years in the NHL, Ekman-Larsson was, under the night against Tuesday, part of taking Florida Panthers to both his own and the organisation's first Stanley Cup title.
"I love you all"
You think about all the hard work you've put in and all the people who have helped you along the way, he says to Aftonbladet after the win.
There's a lot that has happened on the way. But I've clenched my fist, believed in myself, had many fantastic people, family, wife, children, who believe in me, continues Ekman-Larsson to Viaplay.
And as if the Stanley Cup title wasn't enough, the 32-year-old has also become a father to little Leo during the spring.
It's completely fantastic. Without them, I wouldn't have made it. They've made it much easier. Family, grandma and grandpa, mom and dad... I shouldn't mention everyone, or I'll forget someone, says an emotional Oliver Ekman-Larsson to Viaplay and concludes:
There are so many who have stood behind me when it's been tough, all the way. I love you all.
Florida's three Swedes, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Gustav Forsling, and Kevin Stenlund, win their first NHL titles with this year's final.
Previous Swedish winners:
Four titles: Stefan Persson, New York Islanders (1980-83), Anders Kallur, do (80-83), Nicklas Lidström, Detroit (97, 98, 02, 08), Tomas Holmström, Detroit (97, 98, 02, 08).
Three titles: Niklas Hjalmarsson, Chicago (10, 13, 15).
Two titles: Tomas Jonsson, NY Islanders (82 and 83), Willy Lindström, Edmonton (84, 85), Ulf Samuelsson, Pittsburgh (91, 92), Peter Forsberg, Colorado (96, 01), Tommy Albelin, New Jersey (95, 03), Johnny Oduya, Chicago (13, 15), Marcus Krüger, do (13, 15), Carl Hagelin, Pittsburgh (16, 17), Patric Hörnqvist, do (16, 17), Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay (20, 21), André Burakovsky, Washington (18) and Colorado (22).
One title: Mats Hallin, NY Islanders (83), Mats Näslund, Montreal (86), Kjell Dahlin, do (86), Kent Nilsson, Edmonton (87), Håkan Loob, Calgary (89), Kjell Samuelsson, Pittsburgh (92), Tomas Sandström, Detroit (97), Anders Eriksson, do (98), Fredrik Olausson, do (02), Fredrik Modin, Tampa Bay (04), Niclas Wallin, Carolina (06), Samuel Påhlsson, Anaheim (07), Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit (08), Johan Franzén, do (08), Niklas Kronwall, do (08), Mikael Samuelsson, do (08), Andreas Lilja, do (08), Viktor Stålberg, Chicago (13), Joakim Nordström, do (15), David Rundblad, do (15), Nicklas Bäckström, Washington (18), Christian Djoos, do (18), Carl Gunnarsson, St Louis (19), Oskar Sundqvist, do (19), Alexander Steen, do (19), Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado (22), William Karlsson, Vegas (23).
