2011–12 Elitserien season

The 2011–12 Elitserien season was the 37th season of Elitserien. The regular season began on 13 September 2011 and ended on 6 March 2012. The following playoffs began on 10 March 2012 and ended on 19 April. Färjestad BK were the defending Swedish Champions. Brynäs IF won their first Swedish Championship title since 1999, as well as their 13th in history, after defeating Skellefteå AIK in six games.

2011–12 Elitserien season
League Elitserien
SportIce hockey
Duration13 September 2011 – 19 April 2012
Total attendance2,109,819[1] (reg. season)
Average attendance6,393[1] (reg. season)
Regular season
League ChampionLuleå HF
Season MVPJakob Silfverberg (Brynäs IF)
Top scorerRobert Rosén (AIK)
Playoffs
Playoffs MVPJakob Silfverberg (Brynäs IF)
Finals
ChampionsBrynäs IF
  Runners-upSkellefteå AIK

The regular season was won by Luleå HF, for the first time since 1996, while Djurgårdens IF and Timrå IK were forced to play in the 2012 Kvalserien for survival in the highest division.

In Kvalserien, Timrå IK requalified and Rögle BK qualified for the 2012–13 Elitserien season at the expense of Djurgårdens IF.

To allow for local music events as well as other ice hockey ones, this season had three mid-season breaks: the first between 8–14 November 2011, the second between 12–20 December, and the third between 5–14 February 2012. To increase interest for Elitserien, the 2011–12 season's schedule was more active: from 14–29 November 2011 and 16–31 January 2012, there were Elitserien games every day (except for two days, 20 November and 22 January). Also, in the playoffs, there were quarterfinals every day (the four quarterfinal series were split into two quarterfinals per day).[2][3][4]

A significant change in this Elitserien season was that the clubs wouldn't be fined for supporter incidents as long as the clubs correctly followed the security rules.[5]

On 17 October 2011, the Swedish Police Authority decided that the police should be economically compensated for their efforts during sports events held by joint-stock companies (JSC). This mainly affected the league's two Stockholm clubs Djurgårdens IF and AIK. As a result, AIK were forced to sell forward Linus Videll to Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) on 24 October 2011.[6]

Participating teams
Location of the participating clubs
Team City Arena Capacity
AIK Stockholm Hovet1 8,094
Brynäs IF Gävle Läkerol Arena 8,585
Djurgårdens IF Stockholm Hovet1 8,094
Frölunda HC Gothenburg Scandinavium 12,044
Färjestad BK Karlstad Löfbergs Lila Arena 8,647
HV71 Jönköping Kinnarps Arena 7,000
Linköpings HC Linköping Cloetta Center 8,500
Luleå HF Luleå Coop Norrbotten Arena 6,300
Modo Hockey Örnsköldsvik Fjällräven Center 7,600
Skellefteå AIK Skellefteå Skellefteå Kraft Arena 6,001
Timrå IK Timrå E.ON Arena 6,000
Växjö Lakers Växjö Vida Arena 5,329

^ The local derby games between AIK and Djurgårdens IF were played in the Ericsson Globe, which has a capacity of 13,850 spectators.

Notable games
Head coaches of all twelve Elitserien teams, photographed in September 2011.

The first game of the season was played on 13 September 2011 between Frölunda HC and the Elitserien newcomers Växjö Lakers. The game counted as round 6 and was won by Frölunda 2–0 in front of an outsold Scandinavium, with Frölunda defenceman Christian Bäckman scoring the first goal of the season.[7]

The first Småland derby game in Elitserien history was played on 8 October 2011 between reigning regular-season champions HV71 and Växjö Lakers, at Kinnarps Arena in Jönköping.[8] In front of a sold out Kinnarps Arena—exactly 7,000 spectators—Växjö Lakers came out with a 3–2 victory in a shootout. Växjö Lakers forward Mike Iggulden scored three penalty shot goals in the game, two of them counted in the statistics.[9]

On 22 September 2011, Linköpings HC forward Mikael Håkanson played his 912th Elitserien game—regulation and playoff games included—and thus wrote history as he surpassed previous record holder Roger Åkerström. However, Skellefteå AIK wiped out Linköping in that game with a 4–0 shutout win.[10]

On 23 November 2011, Linköpings HC forward Andreas Jämtin became the most penalized player in Elitserien history. He received a penalty of five minutes for elbowing and a match penalty after a hit on Luleå HF's Daniel Mannberg to reach a total of 1088 penalty minutes, surpassing Thomas Berglund's 1083.[11][12]

Like the previous season, an outdoor game was played. It was played between HV71 and Linköpings HC (known as the E4 rivalry) on 10 December 2011, in a temporary arena at Elmia. The outdoor game was played as part of HV71 celebrating its 40th anniversary as a club. For the first time since the start of the yearly tradition of Elitserien outdoor games in 2009, the road team—this year Linköping—came out on top with a 1–0 overtime win in a tight game. 18,884 spectators attended the game, setting a new record for the most spectators at a single sports event in Jönköping; the previous record was 18,582 spectators, set at Stadsparksvallen in 1950.[13][14][15][16]

3D broadcasting

Certain chosen games were broadcast in 3D, marking the first time in history that Elitserien was broadcast in 3D.[17] The local derby game on 20 September 2011, between Stockholm rivals Djurgårdens IF and AIK at the Ericsson Globe, was the first game to have a 3D broadcast.[18] In front of a soldout Ericsson Globe, the game ended 4–2 in Djurgården's favour.[19]

Pre-game honours

As a result of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash, where Swedish former HV71 goaltender Stefan Liv and the entire Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team were killed, the premier round games between 13–15 September 2011 began with a one-minute silence.[20] In honour of Stefan Liv, his No. 1 jersey was retired and raised to the rafters by HV71 in Kinnarps Arena prior to HV71's home game against Timrå IK on 10 January 2012.[21]

Djurgårdens IF legend Sven Tumba died on 1 October 2011. As a result, Tumba was honoured in all Elitserien arenas that day. The biggest honours were held in Djurgården's home game against Växjö Lakers at Hovet, which was won by Djurgården 2–1.[22][23]

On 24 January 2012, former five-time Djurgården Swedish champion Charles Berglund's No. 2 jersey was retired and raised to the rafters in Hovet prior to a game against Färjestad. Djurgården won 2–1 after a shootout.[24][25][26]

Regular season

Standings
2011–12 Elitserien season GP W L OTW OTL GF GA GD Pts
Luleå HFy55251389128104+24100
Skellefteå AIKx55261757148125+2395
HV71x55221698151130+2192
Brynäs IFx55251965148140+892
Frölunda HCx55221788140113+2790
Färjestad BKx552318410124124087
AIKx55191989146132+1482
Modo Hockeyx55192286146147–179
Växjö Lakers HCe55182287124133–977
Linköpings HCe55172477120138–1872
Djurgårdens IFr551523107123144–2172
Timrå IKr55103186115183–6852


x – clinched playoff spot; y – clinched regular season league title; e – eliminated from playoff contention; r – play in relegation series

Scoring leaders

Updated as of the end of the regular season.[27]
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes

Player Team GP G A Pts +/– PIM
Robert RosénAIK55213960+2220
Jakob SilfverbergBrynäs IF49243054–210
Nicklas DanielssonModo Hockey53213152+2677
Per-Åge SkrøderModo Hockey53222951+2152
Bud HollowaySkellefteå AIK55212849+1132
Richard GyngeAIK55281644+1218
Rob SchrempModo Hockey55192241+148
Mathis OlimbFrölunda HC55103141+2334
Niklas OlaussonLuleå HF5383341+1020
Mika PyöräläFrölunda HC53221840+2412

Leading goaltenders

These are the leaders in GAA among goaltenders who have played at least 40% of the team's minutes. Updated as of the end of the regular season.[28]

GP = Games Played; TOI = Time On Ice (minutes); GA = Goals Against; SO = Shutouts; Sv% = Save Percentage; GAA = Goals Against Average

Player Team GP TOI GA SO Sv% GAA
Frederik AndersenFrölunda HC392335:11657.9411.67
Johan GustafssonLuleå HF291753:35516.9301.74
Joacim ErikssonSkellefteå AIK332016:14613.9321.82
David RautioLuleå HF271602:44494.9251.83
Cristopher NihlstorpFärjestad BK452590:08885.9232.04
Viktor FasthAIK462682:50955.9312.12
Martin GerberVäxjö Lakers HC422417:16884.9282.18
Fredrik NorrenaLinköpings HC472698:541044.9182.31
Gustaf WesslauDjurgårdens IF543216:411262.9172.35
Johan HolmqvistBrynäs IF281598:48631.9172.36
Daniel LarssonHV71362107:55831.9152.36

Attendance
# Club Home Away Total
Total Average Total Average Total Average
1 Frölunda HC 293,499 10,482 157,508 5,833 451,007 8,200
2 Djurgårdens IF 208,535 7,723 185,907 6,639 394,442 7,171
3 HV 71 202,498 7,232 169,535 6,279 372,033 6,764
4 Linköpings HC 186,403 6,903 169,578 6,413 365,981 6,654
5 Färjestads BK 184,516 6,589 177,624 6,578 362,140 6,584
6 Brynäs IF 169,167 6,265 185,736 6,633 354,903 6,452
7 MODO Hockey 171,340 6,119 178,091 6,595 349,431 6,353
8 AIK 152,600 5,450 181,699 6,733 334,399 6,079
9 Luleå HF 144,339 5,154 169,428 6,275 313,767 5,704
10 Växjö Lakers HC 137,685 5,099 178,385 6,370 316,070 5,746
11 Skellefteå AIK 137,114 5,078 176,052 6,287 313,166 5,693
12 Timrå IK 122,123 4,523 170,176 6,077 292,299 5,314

[1]

Playoffs

Playoff bracket

In the first round, the top-seeded team chose which of the four lowest remaining seeds to be matched against; the 2nd-seed chose any of the three remaining seeds; the 3rd-seed chose any of the two remaining seeds; and the 4th-seed was automatically matched against the remaining seed. In the second round, the highest remaining seed was matched against the lowest remaining seed, while two remaining seeds matched up against each other. In each round the higher-seeded team was awarded home ice advantage. Each best-of-seven series followed an alternating home team format: the higher-seeded team played at home for games 1 and 3 (plus 5 and 7 if necessary), and the lower-seeded team was at home for games 2 and 4 (plus 6 if necessary).

  Quarter-finals Semi-finals Finals
                           
  1 Luleå HF 1  
7 AIK 4  
  2 Skellefteå AIK 4  
  7 AIK 3  
2 Skellefteå AIK 4
  8 Modo Hockey 2  
(Pairings are re-seeded after the first round)   2 Skellefteå AIK 2
  4 Brynäs IF 4
  3 HV71 2  
6 Färjestad BK 4  
  4 Brynäs IF 4
  6 Färjestad BK 1  
4 Brynäs IF 4
  5 Frölunda HC 2  

(1) Luleå HF vs. (7) AIK

Luleå entered the playoffs as the regular-season champions for the first time since 1996, with 100 points. AIK finished the regular season as the seventh seed with 82 points. This was the second playoff series between these teams; in 1997, Luleå defeated AIK in three games to advance to the finals. In the regular season, Luleå won four of the five games against AIK, allowing no goals in either of these four games.

AIK won series 4–1

(2) Skellefteå AIK vs. (8) Modo Hockey

Skellefteå finished second in the regular season with 95 points. Modo finished eighth and managed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2007. The teams previously met in the 1978 semifinals, where Modo were swept in two games by Skellefteå. Skellefteå won all five games against Modo in the regular season, although each game was decided by only one goal.

Skellefteå AIK won series 4–2

(3) HV71 vs. (6) Färjestad BK

HV71 finished third with 92 points and failed to make the top two spots for the first time since 2009. Färjestad finished sixth with 87 points, marking the team's worst regular season since 2000. The teams had previously faced each other six times; HV71 had only come out on top once. The most recent meeting was in the 2009 finals, when Färjestad won in five games to become the Swedish Champions.

Färjestad BK won series 4–2

(4) Brynäs IF vs. (5) Frölunda HC

Brynäs' fourth-place finish in the regular season was the team's best since 2001. Frölunda finished fifth and made their best regular season since 2009. This was the fifth playoff series between the teams; the two most recent ones had been won by Frölunda. The previous meeting occurred in 2006, when Frölunda swept Brynäs in four games to advance to the semifinals.

Brynäs IF won series 4–2

Semifinals

All times are local (UTC+2).

(2) Skellefteå AIK vs. (7) AIK

Skellefteå won four of the five regular-season meetings against AIK, only one of which was decided by more than one goal. In the playoffs, the teams had previously faced each other in the 1978 finals; Skellefteå came out on top and clinched the championship in three games that time.

Skellefteå AIK won series 4–3

(4) Brynäs IF vs. (6) Färjestad BK

Brynäs won three of the five regular-season games against Färjestad. The teams had previously met each other in the playoffs eight times; Färjestad had come out on top in the six latest occasions. The most recent meeting occurred in 2011, when Färjestad knocked Brynäs out in the quarterfinals, winning in five games.

Brynäs IF won series 4–1

(2) Skellefteå AIK vs. (4) Brynäs IF

Brynäs won three of the five regular-season games between the two teams. This was only the second playoff series between these teams. The first playoff meeting took place in the 1976 semifinals, when Brynäs defeated Skellefteå two games to zero and advanced to the finals.

Brynäs IF won series 4–2

Playoff scoring leaders

Updated as of 19 April 2012.[29]
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes

Player Team GP G A Pts +/– PIM
Bud HollowaySkellefteå AIK19101323+44
Jakob SilfverbergBrynäs IF1713720+174
Joakim LindströmSkellefteå AIK1951217+122
Jimmie EricssonSkellefteå AIK197916–138
Calle JärnkrokBrynäs IF1641216+1212
Oscar MöllerSkellefteå AIK197815+48
Lee GorenSkellefteå AIK145813022
Kent McDonellAIK126612+918
Pierre-Édouard BellemareSkellefteå AIK154812+612
Jonathan GranströmBrynäs IF175510+1030

Playoff leading goaltenders

These are the leaders in GAA and save percentage among goaltenders who played at least 40% of the team's minutes. The table is sorted by GAA, and the criteria for inclusion are bolded. Updated as of the end of the season.[29]

GP = Games Played; TOI = Time on Ice (minutes); GA = Goals Against; SO = Shutouts; Sv% = Save Percentage; GAA = Goals Against Average

Player Team GP TOI GA SO Sv% GAA
Niklas SvedbergBrynäs IF13813:36234.9471.70
Cristopher NihlstorpFärjestad BK7399:51121.9381.80
Mikael TellqvistModo Hockey6360:59121.9461.99
Joacim ErikssonSkellefteå AIK191199:52441.9182.20
Daniel LarssonHV714233:3890.9142.31
Viktor FasthAIK12752:27351.9212.79

Elitserien awards
Guldhjälmen: Jakob Silfverberg, Brynäs IF
Guldpucken: Jakob Silfverberg, Brynäs IF
Honken Trophy: Viktor Fasth, AIK
Håkan Loob Trophy: Richard Gynge, AIK
Rookie of the Year: Johan Larsson, Brynäs IF
Salming Trophy: Mattias Ekholm, Brynäs IF
Playoff MVP (later renamed the Stefan Liv Memorial Trophy): Jakob Silfverberg, Brynäs IF
Guldpipan: Ulf Rönnmark

Suspensions and fines
Main article: 2011–12 Elitserien suspensions and fines

References
  1. "Historical Statistics". Swedish Ice Hockey Association.
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  3. Axel Pileby (17 November 2011). "Risk att man tar död på intresset". Expressen (in Swedish). hockey.expressen.se. Archived from the original on 18 November 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
  4. "2011–12 Elitserien playoffs schedule" (in Swedish). Hockeyligan.se. Archived from the original on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  5. "Hockeyn ska inte straffa klubbarna" (in Swedish). Dagens Nyheter. 19 June 2011. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  6. "AIK säljer Linus Videll" (in Swedish). AIK IF. 24 October 2011. Archived from the original on 28 October 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-24.
  7. Joachim Aronsson (14 September 2011). "Debutnolla för Frederik" (in Swedish). Frölunda HC. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  8. Bosse Johander (8 October 2011). "Historiskt derby i Småland" (in Swedish). Sveriges Radio. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  9. Per Johansson (8 October 2011). "Iggulden straffade HV71 i smålandsderbyt" (in Swedish). Växjö Lakers Hockey. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  10. Frank Eriksson (23 September 2011). "Mikael Håkanson skrev historia" (in Swedish). Hockeyligan. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
  11. Robert Pettersson (23 November 2011). "Jämtin Elitseriens mest utvisade" (in Swedish). Hockeysverige.se.
  12. "Luleå HF - Linköpings HC". Hockeyligan.se. 23 November 2011. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
  13. Joakim Lundmark (10 December 2011). "Results 10 December 2011". Hockeyligan. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  14. Gustafsson, Peter (10 December 2011). "En grym upplevelse". Jönköpingsnytt (in Swedish). Retrieved 11 December 2011.
  15. Hallgren, Rasmus (10 December 2011). "Matchrapport: HV71-Linköping 0-1 efter förlängning" (in Swedish). Linköpings HC. Archived from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
  16. "HV71 och Linköping möts utomhus i Jubileumsmatchen" (in Swedish). HV71. Archived from the original on 23 September 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  17. "Elitserien hos Canal Digital" (in Swedish). Canal Digital. 16 September 2011. Archived from the original on 25 September 2011. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  18. "Historisk 3D-sändning av Djurgården - AIK" (in Swedish). Hockeyligan. 20 September 2011. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  19. Axel Pileby (20 September 2011). "Derbyrycket som gav Djurgården segern" (in Swedish). Expressen. Archived from the original on 25 May 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  20. Tobias Josefsson (9 September 2011). "Elitserien hedrar de omkomna i flygkatastrofen" (in Swedish). Hockeyligan. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  21. "Stefan Livs tröja hissas den 10 januari". hv71.se (in Swedish). HV71. 16 December 2011. Archived from the original on 7 June 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
  22. Axel Pileby (1 October 2011). "Här hedras Sven Tumba på Hovet" (in Swedish). Expressen. Archived from the original on 18 October 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  23. Axel Pileby (1 October 2011). "Djurgården planerar att hedra Sven Tumba" (in Swedish). Expressen. Archived from the original on 18 October 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  24. Uhlin, Daniel (24 January 2012). "Charles Berglund - vinnaren". difhockey.se (in Swedish). Djurgårdens IF Hockey. Archived from the original on 30 January 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  25. Wahlberg, Malin (24 January 2012). "Rörd Challe fick sin tröja hissad". Sportbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  26. "Djurgårdens IF - Färjestads BK 2-1". difhockey.se (in Swedish). Djurgårdens IF Hockey. 24 January 2012. Archived from the original on 4 April 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  27. "Statistik". Hockeyligan. Archived from the original on 24 September 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
  28. "Statistik". Hockeyligan. Archived from the original on 20 September 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
  29. "Statistik - Swedish Ice Hockey Association". Swedish Ice Hockey Association.

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