Markus Sten Näslund (born 30 July 1973) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey player and former general manager for Modo Hockey of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL, formerly named Elitserien).
He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Vancouver Canucks, and New York Rangers, as well as in the Elitserien with Modo Hockey.
Nicknamed "Nazzy" by Canucks fans and "Macke" or "Mackan" in his native Sweden, he was known for his offensive skills, particularly his wrist shot and stickhandling.
Näslund was born to Sture and Ulla Näslund on 30 July 1973 in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden.
The city has produced numerous NHL players, including childhood friend and future Modo Hockey teammate Peter Forsberg, as well as Victor Hedman and future Canucks teammates Henrik and Daniel Sedin.
Growing up idolizing Swedish NHL and Elitserien star Håkan Loob, he played most of his organized hockey at an outdoor rink in his neighbourhood during his youth.
1988
At age 14, Näslund competed with the regional all-star team from Ångermanland, helping the squad win a national under-16 championship at TV-pucken in 1988.
He received the Sven Tumba Award as the tournament's best forward.
Born within 10 days of each other, Näslund and Forsberg became well-acquainted while playing on separate youth teams.
They went on to join the Ångermanland team together, before competing on the same side at the junior and senior levels for Modo Hockey and the Swedish national team.
They attended high school together and had summer jobs at the age of 18 with the same electrical company that employed both Näslund's mother and Forsberg's father, Kent.
At age 15, Näslund played a season with Örnsköldsviks SK in Sweden's third-tier men's league.
Appearing in 14 games, he scored 7 goals and 13 points.
1989
The following season, in 1989–90, Näslund joined the Modo Hockey organization, playing in Sweden's highest-level junior league, the J20 SuperElit, where he and Peter Forsberg skated together on one of the most productive lines in the league.
The pair helped Modo to win back-to-back junior championships.
1990
After playing junior hockey within the Modo organization, Näslund turned professional with the club's Elitserien team in 1990–91.
After a season of junior, in 1990–91 Näslund joined Modo's professional team in the Elitserien, Sweden's premiere league.
The Modo equipment manager designated him with the jersey number 19, which Näslund thereafter opted to wear with the Swedish national teams he played on.
1991
Selected in the first round, 16th overall by the Penguins in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft, he joined the NHL in 1993–94.
In the off-season, Näslund was drafted 16th overall in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The team's general manager, Craig Patrick, hailed Näslund and Forsberg as the draft's top two prospects behind first-overall selection Eric Lindros.
He compared Näslund to the Los Angeles Kings' Swedish forward Tomas Sandström, although he did not consider him as aggressive a player, and further claimed that he was a more natural goal-scorer than Penguins forward Jaromír Jágr, who had just completed his rookie year with the club.
Näslund remained in Sweden with Modo for two more years, recording a team-leading 39 points in 1991–92.
He matched that points total the following season before helping Modo to the quarterfinals of the Elitserien playoffs.
1993
He holds the World Junior record for most goals scored in a single tournament, scoring 13 in 1993, while also winning back-to-back silver medals at the competition.
In World Championship play, he won a silver medal in 1993 and two bronze medals in 1999 and 2002.
Following the 1992–93 season, his contract with Modo expired on 30 April 1993, and he had not yet come to terms with the Penguins.
According to the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the NHL and NHL Players Association (NHLPA), he was entitled to free agency within the league, beginning on 1 July.
However, a conflicting agreement between the league and Swedish ice hockey officials required that he sign an NHL contract on or before 30 June in order to leave Sweden.
With the deadline approaching, Näslund filed a federal lawsuit against the NHL claiming that their agreement with Swedish officials could not override his rights as a player under the CBA.
The case went to a federal judge in Newark, New Jersey, who ruled in favour of Näslund on 29 June.
1996
After his tenure with Pittsburgh, Näslund was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in 1996, where he spent 12 years, including a team record 8 as captain.
2002
With the Canucks, Näslund led the team in scoring for 7 seasons, was thrice first team All-Star, chosen in 2002, 2003 and 2004, a Lester B. Pearson Award recipient in 2003, and runner-up for the Hart, Art Ross, and Rocket Richard Trophies in 2003.
He received the Cyclone Taylor Trophy as the Canucks' most valuable player five times and the Cyrus H. McLean Trophy as the leading point-scorer for seven consecutive seasons—both club records—en route to becoming the franchise leader in goals and points.
He recorded 10 goals and 19 points in his rookie season, a record points total for a 17-year-old in the league, until Robert Nilsson scored 21 in 2002–03.
2008
In 2008, Näslund signed with the Rangers, where he spent one season before announcing his retirement from the NHL after 15 seasons.
2009
Midway through the 2009–10 season, he returned to play for Modo before retiring a second time.
2010
In December 2010, he became the third Canucks player to have his jersey retired, joining Stan Smyl and Trevor Linden.
Internationally, Näslund has competed with the Swedish national team in two European Junior Championships, two World Junior Championships, four World Championships, two World Cups and one Winter Olympics.
2014
On 21 April 2014, Näslund was inducted into the Swedish Hockey Hall Of Fame.
