Mats Naslund Mats Näslund ( born October 31 , 1959 ) , nicknamed " Le Petit Viking " , is a retired Swedish player . He played as a left wing . NHL career . Näslund was selected 37th overall in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft . He was the second choice that year of the Montreal Canadiens . After three more years of playing hockey in Sweden , he joined the Canadiens for the 1982 – 83 NHL season . He was the first European - born player to ever play for the Montreal Canadiens . In his rookie season of 1982 – 83 , Näslund recorded 71 points in 74 games , finishing third on the team in scoring behind Guy Lafleur and Ryan Walter . That year , he was recognized as the left winger on the NHL All - Rookie Team . His offensive abilities quickly endeared him to Montreal fans , and he was given the nickname of " Le Petit Viking " ( The Little Viking ) , a reference to his Nordic heritage and his diminutive stature . Näslund ' s best NHL season came in 1985 – 86 . He recorded 43 goals and 67 assists for 110 points , the first Montreal player to top 100 points since Lafleur in 1979 – 80 , and the last Canadien to reach 100 points as of the 2008 – 09 season . His 67 assists were an NHL record for a left winger until Kevin Stevens of the Pittsburgh Penguins recorded 69 in 1991 – 92 . Joé Juneau of the Boston Bruins subsequently recorded 70 assists in 1992 – 93 . In the 1986 Stanley Cup playoffs , the speedy Näslund led all Montreal scorers with 19 points as the Canadiens won their 23rd Stanley Cup championship , their first since 1979 . He continued to lead the Montreal Canadiens in scoring through the 1986 – 87 season , however his output was lower than the that of the preceding season . During his NHL career , Näslund was an infrequent visitor to the penalty box . Never logging more than 19 penalty minutes in any season during his career , his gentlemanly play was recognized when he was voted the winner of the 1988 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy , beating Wayne Gretzky in the voting . During the 1988 NHL All - Star Game , his five assists established a record , and he was instrumental in helping Mario Lemieux set the All - Star Game record with six points . After a sub - par 1989 – 90 season , worn down by the relatively long NHL seasons , Näslund left the Canadiens to return to Europe . He played one year in Switzerland , followed by three seasons in his native Sweden . He returned to the NHL to play for the Boston Bruins in the lockout shortened 1994 – 95 season , and retired from hockey thereafter . Näslund ranks eleventh on the Canadiens all - time scoring list , with 612 points in 617 regular season games . He is not related to former NHL player Markus Näslund . International career . Näslund is one of Swedish hockey ' s all - time great players , and as such represented his country at numerous international tournaments . As a junior , he represented Sweden at the 1978 and 1979 World Junior Hockey Championship , winning a silver medal in 1978 and a bronze medal the following year . Näslund would go on to participate in five World Hockey Championships , winning a bronze in 1979 , a silver in 1981 and a gold in 1991 , his last appearance at the event . Because the World Championships occur at the same time as the Stanley Cup playoffs , Näslund was often not available for the event during his best years in Montreal . His sole appearance as an active NHL player came in 1983 . Näslund did get the chance to play for Sweden against the NHL ' s best players at the 1984 , 1987 and 1991 Canada Cup , the forerunner to the World Cup . The Swedes lost to Canada in the finals of the 1984 event . They reached the semifinal game in both 1987 and 1991 , losing to the USSR and Canada respectively . Näslund also participated in two Winter Olympics , in 1980 and 1994 . Sweden won the bronze medal in 1980 and the gold medal in 1994 , that year defeating Canada in a memorable shootout . The gold medal in 1994 gave Näslund the distinction of having won the Stanley Cup , World Championship and Olympic Championship in his career , and ( along with Håkan Loob and Tomas Jonsson ) becoming the first member ( s ) of the Triple Gold Club . As general manager for the Swedish national men ' s ice hockey team , Näslund helped construct the gold medal - winning team at the 2006 Winter Olympics .