Tomas Holmstrom

At 51 years old, Tomas Holmstrom has this physical status:

Holmström was widely regarded as one of the NHL's finest goaltenders on film, as well as his physical presence in front of the opposition's net throughout his playing career.

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Playing career

Holmström was first noticed by Detroit Red Wings scout Hkan Andersson in 1993, where Holmström missed the cut and then again next year while playing with Boden, where his coach, Niklas Wikegrd, told Andersson that Holmström was the team's best player. He was drafted 257th overall by Detroit in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft and the Red Wings in 1996-97 season. Holmström returned to Sweden to play for his old team, Lule HF, in Sweden's top flight league, during the 2004-05 NHL lockout.

In 2006, Holmström was inducted into the Pite Wall of Fame in his hometown.

Holmström scored his 30th goal of the 2006-07 season against the Chicago Blackhawks on April 7, 2007 for the first time in his career.

For the fourth time in 11 years over the Pittsburgh Penguins, Holmström scored 12 points during the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs. On his day with the Cup, he had his cousin's daughter baptized in it.

Holmström was first selected to participate in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, during the 2009–2010 season. On February 13, 2010, a knee injury while playing against the Ottawa Senators, but the tournament did not exclude him from participating. Johan Franzén, a Red Wing teammate, was the next day to be recalled. Head Coach Bengt-ke Gustafsson made the announcement. Holmström decided on a two-year deal extension to remain in Detroit after an impressive season in which he scored 25 goals, second on the team, only to sniper Pavel Datsyuk's 27 goals; Holmström also scored a team-high 13 goals on the power play on June 4, 2010.

Holmström became the sixth Red Wing and 272nd NHL player to play 1,000 games on February 12, 2012.

Holmström, the last active player from the 1997 and 1998 Stanley Cup-winning Detroit teams after the departure of long-serving Red Wings defenceman Nicklas Lidström at the end of the 2011-12 season, has continued to play. However, he didn't play a single game after Lidström declared his retirement.

Holmström announced his retirement from professional hockey just hours before Detroit's home opener against the Dallas Stars on January 22nd. Holmström had the following statistics with the Red Wings in 2013: sixth in most regular season games played, fourth in playoff games played, and 13th in points scored.

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Awards

• Elitserien gold medal with Luleå HF in 1996;
• Named to the Swedish All-Star Team in 1996;
• Gold medal at the Winter Olympics in 2006;
• Four-time Stanley Cup winner (1997, 1998, 2002, 2008).