In the early 1970s, Europeans began to take the World Hockey Association and National Hockey League by storm, led by Swedish players such as Ulf Sterner joining the New York Rangers, Thommie Bergman coming over to play with the Detroit Red Wings, and Börje Salming and Inge Hammarström becoming Toronto Maple Leafs.
At the time, 96.7 percent of the league's players were Canadian
Today almost 10 percent of players within the NHL are Swedish, and the national team has advanced to the final at the Winter Olympics twice in recent times: winning gold in 2006 and finishing the tournament as runner-up in 2014.