Playing ice hockey, football and bandy, Åke Andersson played his entire career from 1932-57 with Hammarby IF. His best accomplishments came in ice hockey, when he won six Swedish titles (1936, 1937, 1942, 1943, 1945, 1951) and was capped 134 times with the Swedish national ice hockey team between 1937-54. Starting as a forward (he was a leading goal scorer at the 1936 Swedish Championships), Andersson switched to defense in the mid-40s and after World War II was captain of the Swedish national team until his retirement from international hockey in 1954.
Andersson won an Olympic bronze in 1952 and was World Champion in 1953, while taking silvers at the 1947 and 1951 World Championships and bronze at the 1954 World Championships. He was a European Champion in 1951-53, while taking silver in 1947 and 1954 and bronzes in 1948-50. He also won silver at the 1941 Unofficial European Championships. Andersson was capped six times with the Swedish national bandy team between 1937 and 1951. He was awarded the Stora Grabbars Märke (Big Boys’ Badge) #24 in ice hockey and Stora Grabbars Märke #51 in bandy, a Swedish sports honorary award created in 1928 by Bo Ekelund. After finishing his sporting career, Andersson worked as a coach with Hammarby IF.
Sweden