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Eighteen years after he was a Detroit Red Wings hopeful, Dick Axelsson is making a pro hockey comeback. The 37-year-old left-winger will be playing this season with Djurgarden in the Allsvenskan, Sweden’s second division.
The veteran Swede was ending a two-season retirement last season to play for Brodernas/Vasby in the Swedish third division and Allsvenskan qualifiers. He was announcing his retirement a second time following the campaign. But Djurgarden, his club from 2007-09 and again from 2018-22, were luring Axelsson back to the ice.
Djurgården ger Dick Axelsson mer tid att förbereda sig inför sin comeback. Robert Kimby om planen.
Och så här ser backpar och kedjor ut för stunden.#twittpuck #difhockey https://t.co/DnvZ2kPVU2— Mattias Ek (@hockeyeken) August 20, 2024
“I am of the belief that a person deserves both one and two chances to show what one is fully up to,” Djurgarden sports director Niklas Wikegard said in a statement on the team’s website.
Axelsson is a two-time SHL champion and was an Elitserien All-Star selection in 2010-11. He also won a Swiss League title with Davos.
Red Wings Sojourn An Unmitigated Disaaster
When the Red Wings were claiming Axelsson 62nd overall in the 2006 NHL entry draft, they were expecting big things. He was chosen ahead of such future prominent NHLers as Brad Marchard, Cal Clutterbuck and James Reimer, last season a Red Wings netminder.
Coming to North America for the 2009-10 season, Axelsson was arriving in Hockeytown for training camp a confused young man. He didn’t feel that he belonged amongst the best players in the world.
“I barely felt like going,” Axelsson recounted to Swedish website Aftonbladet. “I was extremely unsure and didn’t feel like doing it.”
At Red Wings training camp, Axelsson was a puddle of uncertainty. He was lacking confidence and barely spoke English.
Vad minns Dick Axelsson av sin NHL-draft? Och hur blir det med comebacken?@Fimpen20 ställer frågorna. pic.twitter.com/ylhHMuuwoh
— Hockeysverige.se (@hockeysverige) June 13, 2024
“You’re pretty young,” he said. “It’s the best league in the world. People tell you to do it.”
Then there were his encounters with Red Wings coach Mike Babcock, which, let’s just say, were unpleasant.
One day, he was walking through the bowels of Joe Louis Arena and came across Babcock, who gave the young Swede one of his patented icy stares.
“Who are you?” Babcock asked Axelsson.
“I guess it’s funny in retrospect, but not at the time,” Axelsson remembered.
One day during practice, Axlesson was the selection to begin a complicated drill. However, his limited grasp of English left him in a state of confusion as to what he was supposed to do following Babcock’s instructions.
“He laughed at me but I was ashamed,” Axelsson recalled. “I was a big joke but it wasn’t so much fun barely understanding a word.”
Walked Out On Red Wings
Ultimately, Axelsson was given assignment to the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins. However, after producing 2-3-5 totals in 17 games, in December of 2009 Axelsson told the Red Wings he was going home to Sweden. He was quitting on the NHL dream.
The Red Wings placed Axelsson under suspension.
“I think they viewed me as a chicken Swede,” Axelsson said. “This skill guy who doesn’t want to put in the work and just went home.
“No one from Detroit or (my) agent even helped me book a plane ticket. I had to buy it myself. (Teammate Mattias) Ritola took me out to the airport.
“I remember being extremely sad. I actually cried at the airport. Mostly because I had failed my teammates. I had gotten so many good friends and then I just left. But of course there was relief as well. ‘Damn, now it’s over.'”
Over the years, he’s never heard the end of it, from fans, media, even occasionally teammates.
“I don’t know how many times I’ve been asked the same question – “What the hell happened in Detroit?” Axelsson said.
“I should have trusted my gut and never went over there to begin with. In a way it was good I took the chance to see what it was like, but it was clear the hockey didn’t suit me.
“At the same time, I wasn’t good enough for the NHL at that time. Detroit probably had a good idea with me, but it turned into piss.”
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Two Teams Linked to a Trade with Bruins for Pavel Zacha
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Royals acquire outfield help in perplexing trade with Diamondbacks
The Kansas City Royals were hoping to bolster their outfield ahead of the July 31 trade deadline. They were able to do just that in a trade on Saturday. Steve Gilbert from MLB.com reported that the Royals have acquired outfielder Randal Grichuk from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Mark Feinsand from MLB.com reported that relief pitcher Andrew Hoffman will head to Arizona in exchange for Grichuk. The Royals desperately needed help in their outfield. Royals outfielders had been the worst in the majors, posting an atrocious .219/.273/.328 batting line with just 19 home runs entering Saturday's action. Although Grichuk is in the midst of a disappointing season himself, he is an immediate upgrade over whatever the Royals have sent into the outfield. Grichuk had posted a .243/.280/.462 batting line in 186 plate appearances entering Saturday, hitting seven homers and 15 doubles. In exchange, the Diamondbacks receive Hoffman, who FanGraphs ranked as the Royals' 22nd-best prospect entering the season. His upper-90s fastball and new kick change are both considered plus offerings, although his ability to command his arsenal is questionable at best. Hoffman's potential and flaws were evident this season. He made his major league debut for the Royals, allowing six runs, two earned, on seven hits and four walks over 4.2 innings, striking out five. However, Hoffman had dominated at Triple-A, posting a 3.60 ERA and a 1.125 WHiP over his 40 innings, striking out 55 batters with just 10 walks. He is another intriguing addition for a Diamondbacks team that has prioritized pitching in their two trades thus far. The same upside does not exist for the Royals. Kansas City had the same record as the Diamondbacks entering the second game of their doubleheader against the Guardians. Grichuk signed a one-year contract with $5 million guaranteed for 2025. There is a mutual option worth $5 million, with a $3 million buyout, for 2026. Theoretically, Grichuk could be part of the Royals' plans next season. However, mutual options are rarely picked up. As the Royals are currently under .500 and need to pass four teams in the standings to seize the final wild-card spot, adding a rental option does not make sense. It is possible that both sides can work out an arrangement for 2026, but unless that happens, the Royals' latest move is questionable at best.
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Brutal setback could be end of the line for former Titans first-round pick
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