Mats Lindh
– the hockey pro from Stackmora
The small outdoor rink in Stackmora has nurtured many hockey talents. Some went a little further than others. Göte Hansson and Ola Ernlund ended up in Mora IK. Of the brothers Gösta, Olle and Ingemar Caris, the latter went to Västra Frölunda where he received pucks for 10 seasons.
But the longest way of all went Mats Lindh. He who only lived 50 meters from the rink. During the winter he almost spent more time there than indoors. Mom had to drag him home when it was time for food. But Mats kept the skates on during the meal so he had time to take another turn before bedtime.
As other of his teammates in Stackmora he took the path via Mora IK (4 seasons) and Örebro (one season) and Västra Frölunda (where he was the best scorer for three seasons in a row). Mats Lindh continued west and did not stop until he joined the WHA club Winnipeg Jets! From 1975 to 1977, he played 138 games, scoring 33 goals and 32 assists as a professional. The first season they became WHA champions. The following year, they fell in the final against Quebec. The Winnipeg Jets were something of a Swedish club. Anders Hedberg, Ulf Nilsson and Lars-Erik Sjöberg, for example, played there. In the team you also found one of Canadian hockey's greatest of all time, Bobby Hull.
Mats also played 51 international matches and 6 national matches. Among other things, he represented the Swedish national team in the 1972 Olympics where they came fourth and in the World Cup 1972 and 1975, both times with bronze money as a reward.
After his Canadian stay, Mats returned to Västra Frölunda where he played until the 81/82 season when an injury stopped his career. However, he continued as coach of Mölndals IF