Gustaf Johansson was one of the most accomplished Swedish ice hockey and bandy players in the 1920s. Starting as a forward, he later played defense. Nicknamed Lulle, Johansson started to play hockey with IF Göta in 1920 and played there until the end of his career in 1936. With them he won four Swedish ice hockey titles (1924, 1928-30) and two bandy titles (1925, 1929). He was also the leading goal scorer at the 1929 Swedish Championships. While studying journalism in Berlin, Johansson played with Berliner SC from 1922-28, winning German titles with them in 1924 and 1928, also winning the 1928 Sprengler Cup with them. Internationally, Johansson was capped 64 times with the Swedish national ice hockey team between 1923 and 1935 and, despite playing many games as a defenseman, scored 46 goals with them.
Johansson won a Winter Olympic silver in 1928, which also doubled as World Championships silver and European Championships gold that year, and was a European Champion in 1923 and 1932, while taking silver at the 1924 European Championships. He also played at the 1931 and 1935 World Championships tournaments. Because of those accomplishments, Johansson was awarded the Stora Grabbars Märke (Big Boys’ Badge) #8 in ice hockey, a Swedish sports honorary award created in 1928 by Bo Ekelund. After finishing his hockey career, Johansson worked as a sports journalist with Svenska Dagbladet until his retirement in 1965. He was a board member of Swedish Ice Hockey Association from 1932-34 and 1946-47 and was the coach of IF Göta from 1942-44 and Djurgården IF from 1948-49. His son Gösta Johannson, nicknamed Lill-Lulle (Little Lulle), also became an ice hockey player, winning Olympic bronze in 1952.
Sweden