Per Gustafsson

Per Gustafsson is one of HV71's club iconsArticle in SvenskaFansRead the sourceArticle in SportbladetRead the sourceArticle in HockeynewsRead the sourceClose. In his hometown of Oskarshamn, Per GustafssonArticle in SHLRead the sourceArticle in SvenskaFansRead the sourceClose combined hockey at his formative club, IK Oskarshamn, with football. In a 2020Article in SHLRead the sourceClose interview with SHLSHLSHL, the Swedish Hockey League, is Sweden’s top men’s domestic ice hockey league.Close, he recalled playing as a striker in Division 4 alongside hockey.

At 18, he moved from Division 2 hockey in Oskarshamn to HV71 in Jönköping in 1988Article in SHLRead the sourceClose and stopped playing football. In the 2020Article in SHLRead the sourceClose SHLSHLSHL, the Swedish Hockey League, is Sweden’s top men’s domestic ice hockey league.Close interview, he described the transition as a major step. He also recalled teammate Fredrik Olausson as someone who had motivated him in his work as a hockey playerArticle in SHLRead the sourceClose.

A return to Oskarshamn was also discussed during his playing careerArticle in SvenskaFansRead the sourceClose. In SvenskaFans’ SeptemberArticle in SvenskaFansRead the sourceClose 2008 interview, Gustafsson spoke about conversations with the club’s sporting director, Dag Larsson, whom he knew from HV71, but stressed that a move had not been close.

Gustafsson’s later work at HV71 also included youth teams and hockey educationArticle in HV71Read the sourceClose. When the club announced him as head of its junior programme and J18 head coach on 30 April 2024Article in HV71Read the sourceClose, it described his 5 years in the youth organisation, including roles as U16 coach and hockey instructor at Prolympia. He had also recruited students for Sanda hockeygymnasiumA Swedish hockeygymnasium combines upper-secondary (high school) studies with scheduled ice hockey training.Article in HV71Read the sourceClose, an upper secondary programme combining school studies with hockey, and worked as an assistant coach during the 2023/24 season.