Detroit Red Wings forward Jonatan Berggren is proving to be a sensation for Sweden at the IIHF World Championship. He’s slotted in tied for second on the team in scoring. Both he (2-3-5) and Red Wings teammate Lucas Raymond (1-4-5) are sitting on five points.
His performance has earned Berggren a promotion to Sweden’s top foward line alongside Raymond and 2023 NHL entry draft prospect Leo Carlsson. But only recently it came to light that Berggren’s tournament – and perhaps even his NHL career – were a mere centimeters from being all over.
A week prior to the start of the tournament, while in training with the Swedish squad in Gothenberg, Berggren came perilously close to being run over by a tram.
Berggren and teammates Joel Persson and Lukas Bengtsson were walking to the rink for a pretournament match. Crossing the street, Persson and Bengtsson barely made it ahead of the onrushing tram. But Berggren, lagging a bit behind them, evidently didn’t notice the approaching transit vehicle.
“I had headphones on when I went to the match,” Berggren explained to Expressen.se. “It was close. I looked up at the last second and had to jump.
“First and hopefully last near-death experience for me.”
Witnesses Shudder At Close Call Of Teammate Berggren
Those who were witnesses to the incident shuddered at how close the tram came to hitting Berggren.
“It was scary,” teammate Linus Johansson said.
“He was about to be run over,” added teammate Jonathan Pudas. “He (the tram driver) never had time to stop.”
Berggren is a superstitious sort. He’s been wearing the same pair of socks every day while Sweden is enjoying an unbeaten run at the worlds. Considering the success he’s also encountering in the tournament, he’s even jokingly suggesting that dodging trams might have to become part of his pregame routine.
“It feels so typical of him,” Pudas said. “He (Berggren) said that he might always have to find a tram. He may have done this, he has found some points in the WC.”
More must-reads: