P. J. Axelsson

Anders Per-Johan Axelsson (born 26 February 1975), commonly abbreviated to P. J. Axelsson, is a Swedish former professional ice hockey forward, who most recently played with Frölunda HC of the Swedish Elitserien. His nickname in Sweden is "Pebben". He was the longest-tenured member of the NHL's Boston Bruins at the time of his departure from North American play in 2009, having been with the Boston team from 1997–2009.

P. J. Axelsson
Born	(1975-02-26) 26 February 1975 (age 50) Kungälv, Sweden
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	183 lb (83 kg; 13 st 1 lb)
Position	Left wing
Shot	Left
Played for	Västra Frölunda HC Boston Bruins
National team	Sweden
NHL draft	177th overall, 1995 Boston Bruins
Playing career	1993–2013

Medal record
Representing  Sweden
Winter Olympics
	2006 Turin
World Championships
	2003 Helsinki
	2004 Prague
	2001 Cologne/Nuremberg
	2002 Gothenburg
World Junior Championships
	1995 Red Deer

Axelsson played as a left winger. Although he never gained the reputation of a premier goal scorer, Axelsson's gritty, unrelenting attitude as a solid, defensive-minded forward, and his ability to make smart plays on the ice made him a longtime fan favourite of the Boston Bruins, Frölunda HC, and the Swedish national team, Tre Kronor.

Playing career

Axelsson played four seasons for his hometown team, Frölunda HC, in the Swedish Elitserien before being drafted 177th overall in the 1995 NHL entry draft by the Boston Bruins.

Axelsson played all 82 games in his rookie season with the Bruins, scoring 27 points 8 goals 19 assists, helping them to reach the playoffs after the Bruins had missed out the previous season. He was one of the Bruins' key skill players during his career with them. During his first two seasons with the Bruins he was apart of hero line along with Tim Taylor and Rob DiMaio, the line were known for their defensive and timely scoring.^[1] However Taylor was gone from the team the following year during the 1999–2000 Season. During that season Axelsson played in 81 games and scored 10 goals for the first time along with 16 assists. During the following year in 2000-200 Axelsson was paired with the newly acquired Brian Rolston and the two became a dominant force on the Bruins penalty kill, along with contributing shot handed goals. Hockey writer Scott Wood stated “PJ absolutely picked apart opposing teams in the neutral zone and frustrated breakouts and powerplay setups with a kind of sixth sense that I’d never seen from an NHL forward and likely never will again. He would dart in and out of passing lanes, deceiving opponents’ transition games, making life hell for the attack.”^[1] Axelsson continued to be a top player and helped the Bruins make the playoffs three straight years from 2001-2004. During this period he also had his best statistical season in 2002-2003, where he scored 36 points in 66 games scoring 17 goals and 19 assists.

During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Axelsson played for Frölunda HC in Sweden and helped the team win the Le Mat Trophy, scoring 11 points in 14 playoff appearances. After the lockout, he returned to the United States to rejoin the Bruins. On his 31st birthday, he became an Olympic champion with Sweden at the 2006 Winter Olympics.

On 23 March 2006, he signed a three-year extension to his contract with the Boston Bruins.^[2] During his first season back the Bruins in 2005-2006 Axelsson scored 28 points in 59 games. He continued to miss games due to injuries the following year only making 55 appearances however he still scored 27 points. In 2007-2008 he played in 75 games scoring 29 points. On 21 February 2008, Axelsson played his 700th NHL game in Sunrise, Florida, a 5–4 shootout win over the Florida Panthers. The 2008-2009 season marked Axelsson’s last with the Bruins he once again appeared in 75 games scoring 30 points 6 goals and a career best 24 assists.

After helping the Bruins to the Eastern Conference semifinals during the 2008–09 NHL season, Axelsson signed a four-year contract with Frölunda HC on 27 July 2009. Upon his return, he was named as one of two alternate captains for the team. Axelsson continued to be a solid player during his final 4 years, and then following the 2012-2013 goals, On 10 April 2013, he announced his retirement from professional hockey.^[3] Throughout his career he was known for his unwavering effort level, grit and ability to make great plays on defensive and offensive.^[1]

Post retirement

Following his retirement Axelsson was subsequently hired by the Bruins as a European amateur scout.^[4] He was partly responsible for the drafting by the Bruins of Swedish junior ice hockey defenseman Axel Andersson^[5] in the second round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft as player #57 overall.^[6] Axelsson held the position of amateur scout till 2020, then by the time of the 2021 NHL off-season, Axelsson was promoted to the Bruins' European scouting co-ordinator, helping his former NHL team select Swedish junior forward Fabian Lysell as the Bruins' top pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.^[7][8]

On January 14, 2014 Axelsson drop the ceremonial first puck at a Bruins home game vs the Toronto Maple Leafs.^[9]

Personal life

Axelsson is married and has two children, a daughter named Wilma and a son named Wilson. He and his family live in Sweden, during his spare time, he enjoys golf and football.^[10] His younger brother Anton Axelsson is also a professional ice hockey player.

Career achievements

• Bronze medal at the Ice Hockey World Championships in 2001 and 2002.
• Silver medal at the Ice Hockey World Championships in 2003 and 2004.
• Elitserien champion with Frölunda HC in 2005.
• Gold medal at the Winter Olympics in 2006.
• Eddie Shore Award winner in 2006.
• Named one of the top 100 best Bruins players of all time.^[11]

Records

• Elitserien record for most assists in a single playoffs (10)

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1992–93	Västra Frölunda HC	SWE U20		16	9	5	14	12		—	—	—	—	—
1992–93	Västra Frölunda HC	Allsv		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1993–94	Västra Frölunda HC	SEL		11	0	0	0	4		4	0	0	0	0
1994–95	Västra Frölunda HC	J20		19	16	9	25	22		—	—	—	—	—
1994–95	Västra Frölunda HC	SEL		8	2	1	3	6		—	—	—	—	—
1994–95	Västra Frölunda HC	Allsv		3	0	0	0	0		5	0	0	0	0
1995–96	Västra Frölunda HC	SEL		36	15	5	20	10		13	3	0	3	10
1996–97	Västra Frölunda HC	SEL		50	19	15	34	34		3	0	2	2	0
1997–98	Boston Bruins	NHL		82	8	19	27	38		6	1	0	1	0
1998–99	Boston Bruins	NHL		77	7	10	17	18		12	1	1	2	4
1999–2000	Boston Bruins	NHL		81	10	16	26	24		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	Boston Bruins	NHL		81	8	15	23	27		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Boston Bruins	NHL		78	7	17	24	16		6	2	1	3	6
2002–03	Boston Bruins	NHL		66	17	19	36	24		5	0	0	0	6
2003–04	Boston Bruins	NHL		78	7	17	24	16		6	2	1	3	6
2004–05	Frölunda HC	SEL		45	9	9	18	95		14	1	10	11	18
2005–06	Boston Bruins	NHL		59	10	18	28	4		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	Boston Bruins	NHL		55	11	16	27	52		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Boston Bruins	NHL		75	13	16	29	15		7	0	0	0	2
2008–09	Boston Bruins	NHL		75	6	24	30	16		11	0	1	1	2
2009–10	Frölunda HC	SEL		47	10	16	26	51		5	1	0	1	6
2010–11	Frölunda HC	SEL		50	4	10	14	41		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Frölunda HC	SEL		52	2	12	14	22		4	0	0	0	2
2012–13	Frölunda HC	SEL		49	6	10	16	10		2	0	0	0	2
SEL totals				348	67	78	145	273		45	5	12	17	38
NHL totals				797	103	184	287	276		54	4	3	7	24

International

Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1995	Sweden	WJC		7	2	3	5	2
2000	Sweden	WC		6	1	3	4	2
2001	Sweden	WC		9	3	6	9	12
2002	Sweden	OG		4	0	0	0	2
2002	Sweden	WC		5	3	3	6	4
2003	Sweden	WC		9	4	3	7	16
2004	Sweden	WC		7	2	3	5	8
2004	Sweden	WCH		4	0	0	0	2
2005	Sweden	WC		7	1	0	1	2
2006	Sweden	OG		8	3	3	6	0
Senior totals				59	17	21	38	48

See also

• List of NHL players who spent their entire career with one franchise