Niclas Hävelid

Niclas Anders Hävelid (born 12 April 1973) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played parts of 10 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Atlanta Thrashers, and New Jersey Devils. Outside of the NHL, Hävelid played for AIK IF, MIF Redhawks, Södertälje SK, and Linköpings HC of the Elitserien.

Internationally, Hävelid played for Sweden and won the gold medal with them in 2006.

Career
Before playing in the NHL, Hävelid played parts of seven seasons with AIK IF and one season with MIF Redhawks of the Elitserien.

He was drafted 83rd overall by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the 1999 NHL entry draft. On October 2, 1999, Hävelid made his NHL debut in a 2–0 loss against the Dallas Stars. On November 19, 1999, he recorded his first NHL point, assisting on a Marty McInnis goal. The next period, Hävelid scored his first NHL goal against Jocelyn Thibault in a 4–2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks. During a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on January 15, 2001, Hävelid tore his anterior cruciate ligament and partially tore his medial collateral ligament. The injury caused him to miss 35 regular season games. On September 5, 2001, Hävelid signed a two-year contract to stay with the Mighty Ducks. He helped the Mighty Ducks when they went on a run during the Stanley Cup playoffs. The team defeated the Detroit Red Wings, Dallas Stars, and Minnesota Wild. They were eventually defeated by the New Jersey Devils four games to three in the Final. On August 6, 2003, Hävelid signed a three-year contract to stay with the Mighty Ducks.  

On June 26, 2004, the Mighty Ducks traded Hävelid to the Atlanta Thrashers in exchange for Kurtis Foster. He finished the 2005–06 season by scoring 4 goals and recording 28 assists for 32 points. The Thrashers awarded Hävelid for being the player who "best embodies perseverance, dedication and hard work without reward or recognition, so that his team and teammates might succeed." On June 7, 2006, Hävelid signed a three-year contract to stay with the Thrashers. On October 2, 2007, the Thrashers named Hävelid as an alternate captain of the team. During the 2006–07 season, Hävelid was able to help the Thrashers reach their first-ever playoffs. The Thrashers went on to be defeated by the New York Rangers four games to zero in the first round. It was the first and last time in the Thrashers history that they reached the playoffs. 

On March 2, 2009, the Thrashers traded Hävelid along with Myles Stoesz to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Anssi Salmela. He played 15 regular season games with the Devils, recording 4 assists.

On May 14, 2009, Hävelid decided to leave North America and signed a one-year contract to join Linköpings HC of the Elitserien. He played parts of four season with the team.

On April 24, 2013, Hävelid announced that he was retiring from playing professional ice hockey.

References

 Other websites 

Category:1973 births
Category:Living people
Category:Atlanta Thrashers players
Category:Cincinnati Mighty Ducks players
Category:Medalists at the 2006 Winter Olympics
Category:Mighty Ducks of Anaheim players
Category:New Jersey Devils players
Category:Olympic gold medalists for Sweden
Category:Sportspeople from Stockholm
Category:Swedish ice hockey defencemen