Hans Öberg was the first player outside of the Stockholm region to be selected to the Swedish national ice hockey team and ultimately rose to be one of the most successful Swedish forwards in the 1950s. Öberg played his entire career from 1947-64 with Gävle GIK. With Gävle, he won a Swedish title in 1957, winning the 1957 Goldpucken award as the best Swedish player for the year. Öberg also won the 1963 Rinkens Riddare award, given to the most sportsmanlike player at the Swedish Championships. He was the leading goal scorer at the 1949 and 1958-60 Swedish Championships. Between 1947-58, Öberg was capped 126 times for Sweden and scored 98 goals. He won an Olympic bronze in 1952, was World Champion in 1953 and 1957 and won World Championships bronzes in 1954 and 1958. Öberg was named as the best forward at the 1953 World Championships tournament. He was also European Champion in 1952, 1953 and 1957, while taking silvers in 1949, 1954, 1956 and 1958 and bronze at the 1950 and 1955 European Championships. Öberg was also an accomplished bandy, football and handball player, who won a Swedish bandy title in 1959. He was awarded the Stora Grabbars Märke (Big Boys’ Badge) #34 in ice hockey, a Swedish sports honorary award created in 1928 by Bo Ekelund. After finishing his sporting career, Öberg ran his own sporting goods store, Stöveln Öberg’s Bike and Sports Shop in Hemlingby, on the outskirts of Gävle. His younger brother Carl-Göran was also an ice hockey player, who won silver at the 1964 Olympics.
Sweden