Dick Tärnström

Dick Tärnström (born January 20, 1975) is a Swedish retired professional ice hockey defenceman. During the majority of his 21-year-long playing career, Tärnström played for AIK of the Swedish top-tier league Elitserien (SEL). He was the captain for AIK during the five last seasons of his career. He also spent five years in the National Hockey League (NHL), playing for the New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers, and Columbus Blue Jackets.

Dick Tärnström
Born (1975-01-20) January 20, 1975
Sundbyberg, Sweden
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position Defense
Shot Left
Played for AIK IF
New York Islanders
Pittsburgh Penguins
Edmonton Oilers
Columbus Blue Jackets
National team  Sweden
NHL Draft 272nd overall, 1994
New York Islanders
Playing career 1992–2013

In January 2013, while playing for AIK, Tärnström was forced to retire due to a spinal disc herniation injury.[1]

Playing career

Tärnström started his professional career in AIK of the Swedish top-tier league Elitserien (SEL). He was drafted as 272nd overall, in the eleventh round by the New York Islanders in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft.

During the 2003–04 season, he became the first defenceman in the history of the Pittsburgh Penguins to lead the team in scoring for an entire season, compiling 52 points in 80 games. The Penguins acquired Ric Jackman at the trade deadline, and the two flourished together, combining for the "Ric and Dick show" on the powerplay. Through a 2010 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette series of Penguins "Teams of the Decades" Tärnström was named to the Penguins team of the '00s. He is still the only defenceman ever to lead the Penguins in scoring for a season.

During the lockout-season, 2004–05, Tärnström played in Södertälje SK in Sweden.

Tärnström requested a trade from the Pittsburgh Penguins and on January 26, 2006, he went to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Cory Cross and Jani Rita.

Tärnström was part of the Cinderella Edmonton Oilers team that made a run to the Stanley Cup Finals. However, the Oilers lost in game 7 of the finals to the Carolina Hurricanes. Tärnström had 0 goals and 2 assists in the 2006 Playoffs.

During the 2006–07 season, Tärnström played with HC Lugano of the Nationalliga A.

Tärnström returned to the NHL by signing a contract with the Oilers on July 1, 2007. He was traded on February 1, 2008 to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Curtis Glencross.

In the 2008–09 season, Tärnström returned to play for AIK of the Swedish second-tier league HockeyAllsvenskan (Swe-2). He was appointed the team's captain. The plan was to help AIK promote back to the top-tier league Elitserien (SEL) due to AIK's financial problems at that time. AIK were promoted to the SEL in the 2009–10 season, and Tärnström would remain in the team until he was forced to retire in January 2013 due to a spinal disc herniation injury.[1]

Personal life

Tärnström's son Oliver Tärnström is an ice hockey centre playing for AIK of the HockeyAllsvenskan. Oliver was drafted by the New York Rangers in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft in the 3rd round with the 92nd overall draft pick.[2]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1992–93 AIK SEL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1992–93 AIK Allsv 15 0 5 5 14 2 0 0 0 0
1993–94 AIK Div.1 33 1 4 5 26 — — — — —
1994–95 AIK SEL 37 8 4 12 26 — — — — —
1995–96 AIK SEL 40 0 5 5 32 — — — — —
1996–97 AIK SEL 49 5 3 8 38 7 0 1 1 6
1997–98 AIK SEL 45 2 12 14 30 — — — — —
1998–99 AIK SEL 47 9 14 23 36 — — — — —
1999–00 AIK SEL 42 7 15 22 20 — — — — —
2000–01 AIK SEL 50 10 18 28 28 5 0 0 0 8
2001–02 New York Islanders NHL 62 3 16 19 38 5 0 0 0 2
2001–02 Bridgeport Sound Tigers AHL 9 0 2 2 2 — — — — —
2002–03 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 61 7 34 41 50 — — — — —
2003–04 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 80 16 36 52 38 — — — — —
2004–05 Södertälje SK SEL 50 7 18 25 46 9 1 0 1 6
2005–06 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 33 5 5 10 52 — — — — —
2005–06 Edmonton Oilers NHL 22 1 3 4 24 12 0 2 2 10
2006–07 HC Lugano NLA 44 3 26 29 90 5 1 6 7 8
2007–08 Edmonton Oilers NHL 29 1 4 5 40 — — — — —
2007–08 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 19 2 7 9 12 — — — — —
2008–09 AIK Allsv 38 9 23 32 68 10 1 8 9 12
2009–10 AIK Allsv 42 9 23 32 74 10 2 7 9 10
2010–11 AIK SEL 50 6 10 16 36 8 0 4 4 0
2011–12 AIK SEL 46 8 18 26 38 11 2 1 3 8
2012–13 AIK SEL 6 0 3 3 6 — — — — —
SEL totals 466 62 120 182 336 40 3 6 9 28
NHL totals 306 35 105 140 254 17 0 2 2 12

International
Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
1993 Sweden EJC 6 2 3 5 4
1994 Sweden WJC 7 5 0 5 4
1995 Sweden WJC 5 2 2 4 4
2003 Sweden WC 9 1 3 4 0
2004 Sweden WCH 2 0 0 0 0
2004 Sweden WC 9 4 2 6 6
2007 Sweden WC 9 1 8 9 14
2009 Sweden WC 8 2 1 3 16
Junior totals 18 9 5 14 12
Senior totals 37 8 14 22 36

References
  1. "Dick Tärnströms karriär är över". aikhockey.se (in Swedish). AIK. 2013-01-18. Archived from the original on 2014-03-27. Retrieved 2013-01-18.
  2. "Oliver Tärnström". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 2020-10-08.
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