Hardy Åström

Hardy Åström was one of the pioneers among Swedish goaltenders in the NHLArticle in HockeysverigeRead the sourceArticle in AftonbladetRead the sourceArticle in HockeynewsRead the sourceClose. Hardy Åström’sArticle in HockeysverigeRead the sourceClose hockey childhood in Luleå involved both playing and looking after the ice at Malmvallen. In a 2017Article in HockeysverigeRead the sourceClose interview with Hockeysverige, he recalled shovelling snow, flooding the ice and cleaning the changing rooms alongside playing. He also remembered playing defence in his first game before his coach moved him into goalArticle in HockeysverigeRead the sourceClose.

Åström recalled playing a senior game for Luleå AIKArticle in HockeysverigeRead the sourceClose against Haparanda at the age of 14. He later played for IFK LuleåArticle in HockeysverigeRead the sourceClose before moving to Skellefteå. In the retrospective interview, he also spoke about his friend Christer GrahnArticle in HockeysverigeRead the sourceClose, a goaltender with IFK Luleå.

One recollection in the 2017 interview concerned having to repack: Åström had planned to travel to a tournament in France when a letter selecting him for Sweden’s Canada CupArticle in HockeysverigeRead the sourceClose team changed his travel plans. He also recalled that Bruce AbbeyArticle in HockeysverigeRead the sourceClose helped him secure a contract with the New York Rangers.

After his playing career, Åström worked as a security guard, as Aftonbladet reported in a feature published on 18 August 2025Article in AftonbladetRead the sourceClose. At the time of that feature, he was photographing harness racing at Dannero, Lycksele and SolängetArticle in AftonbladetRead the sourceClose. The article also described his interest in taking his camera out into natureArticle in AftonbladetRead the sourceClose.