Bjørn Skaare facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bjørn Skaare |
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| Born | 29 October 1958 Oslo, Norway |
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| Died | 21 June 1989 (aged 30) Örebro County, Sweden |
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| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | NHL Detroit Red Wings Other Furuset Färjestad Ottawa 67's Klagenfurt Bergen/Djerv |
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| National team |  Norway |
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| Playing career | 1976–1988 | ||
Bjørn Skaare (born October 29, 1958 – died June 21, 1989) was a talented Norwegian ice hockey player. He made history as the first Norwegian to play in the NHL, the top ice hockey league in North America. He played one game for the Detroit Red Wings during the 1978–79 NHL season.
Contents
Bjørn Skaare's Hockey Journey
Early Talent and Moving to Sweden
Bjørn Skaare showed great skill in hockey from a young age. He started playing for Furuset, a team in Norway, before he was even 16 years old. In 1976, he joined Färjestad in Sweden's top league, the Elitserien. However, he returned to Furuset within a year.
Playing in North America
In the fall of 1977, Skaare moved to Canada. He joined the Ottawa 67's in the Ontario Hockey League, a major junior league. There, he played alongside Bobby Smith, who would become a future NHL star. Skaare scored 12 goals and made 30 assists for Ottawa. His impressive play led to him being picked by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1978 NHL Entry Draft. He was the 62nd player chosen overall.
Skaare was first sent to the Kansas City Red Wings in the Central Hockey League. After playing very well there, he was called up to the Detroit Red Wings. He played his first and only NHL game on November 29, 1978, against the Colorado Rockies. After this game, he got an injury and was sent back to Kansas City. He scored 8 goals and had 26 assists in 37 games for Kansas City. In February 1979, Skaare decided to move back to Norway.
Returning to Norway and Austria
Back in Norway, Skaare helped his old team, Furuset, win the Norwegian championship in both 1981 and 1983. In 1981, he was named the player of the year and received the Golden Puck award.
For the 1981–82 season, he played for Klagenfurt in the Austrian hockey league. He was named the best player in that league. But Skaare missed home, so he moved back to Furuset again.
Another Try in North America
In 1984, Skaare briefly returned to North America. He played for the Tulsa Oilers in the Central Hockey League. This team faced some challenges, even having to play only road games for a while. Despite this, the Tulsa Oilers went on to win the league's championship, called the Adams Cup. Skaare played in all nine playoff games, scoring nine points to help his team win the cup. After a few months, he returned home to Norway once more.
A Sad End
On June 21, 1989, Bjørn Skaare was tragically killed in a car accident. He was driving in Sweden when he lost control of his car.
Championships and Honors
Bjørn Skaare won the 1983–84 CHL Championship, known as the Adams Cup, with the Tulsa Oilers team. Their coach was Tom Webster.
To honor his contributions, his number 7 jersey has been retired by his former team, Furuset Ishockey. This means no other player on Furuset will wear that number.
See also
- List of players who played only one game in the NHL
- List of ice hockey players who died during their playing career
