Excerpt from Mikael Renberg: The Long Journey Home
Written by Bill Meltzer | NHL Correspondent
Used with permission

Mikael Renberg was born on May 5, 1972 in Piteå, Sweden. Piteå is a small city of about 20,000 in Norrbotten län (Sweden's northernmost regional district).

Mikael, or "Micke" as he's known to his family and friends, grew up in a home on Kvastgatan, in a blue-collar middle class neighborhood.

His father, Bo, a former professional soccer goalie, owned a gas station and garage. He often worked long hours while supporting his wife, Christina, and three children.

The Renberg children, eldest daughter Ingela, middle child Mikael, and daughter Jessica were imbued with a strong sense of right and wrong and taught to treat others as they themselves would want be treated. The younger two children also inherited their father's love of sports.

Jessica, a fine athlete in her own right, plays innebandy (floorball, a hockey-like game popular in some European countries) for öjebyns IBF and soccer for Piteå Fotboll. She has played for the Swedish national women's innebandy team.

Mikael was always both a good athlete and a good student in school. As a young child, the sport of soccer was his first love. That soon changed.

He recalls, "I was about 6-years-old [when hockey training started]. When I got to about 10, I started to like hockey better than soccer."

While Bo never played hockey and was not a fan of the sport beyond watching how Tre Kronor fared at the World Championships and the Olympics, he encouraged his son to develop his hockey skills. Luckily, Piteå boasted a fine hockey development program (plantskola, or "nursery", in Swedish).

By the 1980s, there was a Pitebo (Piteå native) named Lars Lindgren in the NHL. Another player who had developed his skills in Piteå, Stefan Persson, was a mainstay on the Stanley Cup champion Islanders.

Meanwhile, Jens Johansson was a high draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres in the early 1980s and several other Pitebo, including Lars Hurtig and Lars Modig went on to become notable players in Elitserien (the Swedish Elite League) and other top European leagues.

In 1986, the Piteå HC hockey team was formed from the combination of two teams. Today, Piteå HC plays in Allsvenskan North, one division below the Elites.

Mikael Renberg is perhaps the most famous of the second wave of Pitebo who have made names for themselves in pro hockey. Renberg's longtime friend, Tomas Holmström, is a gritty role player for the Detroit Red Wings. One of the youth coaches who assisted both of them on their path to the NHL was Henrik Holmström, Tomas' father. Mattias Öhlund, several years younger than "Holma" and "Micke," is a fine young defenseman for the Vancouver Canucks. All three players followed the path from Piteå HC to Luleå HF to the NHL. Meanwhile, Jan Sandström was a mid-round draft pick of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 1999.

Renberg was never quite a prodigy in hockey but his somewhat above average natural abilities were always bolstered by his exceptional work ethic and intense will to succeed. Sometimes Mikael's drive to succeed has worked against him, however.

He has been prone at times to getting down on himself and pressing when things do not go his way. Renberg has been known to break sticks, slam the bench door and curse himself when he fails to execute a play.

Unlike some offensively talented players, who care mostly about their point totals, Renberg gets equally upset when he makes a defensive blunder as when he flubs a pass or misses the net on an open shot. His self-motivation and desire to be a complete player has made him a favorite of almost every coach for whom he has played (Roger Neilson being the one exception).

Renberg's talents received their first national showcase in 1986. The "TV Puck" tournament is an annual televised showcase of Sweden's best midget-level hockey players. The teams are divided by the players' home lön.

In 1986, Renberg's Norrbotten squad reached the quarterfinals. The next year, led by a strong performance from Renberg, Norrbotten made it to the finals before losing to Skåne. This was the first of several times that Renberg's teams have come up just short of a championship; it happened again at the Swedish senior level and, later, in the NHL.

At the age of 16, Renberg made his debut at the Swedish division one level. Dressing for Piteå HC, the tall, skinny youngster was playing mostly against grown men.

Mikael quickly showed himself to be superior to the level of play in division one. Despite getting little ice time as a rookie, he had nine points (including six goals) in 12 games. The following year, he exploded for 34 points (15 goals) in 29 games.

The spring of 1990 was an exciting time in Mikael Renberg's life. He was selected by the Flyers in the draft. He also received word that Luleå HF of the Elite League had purchased his contract from PHC.

Luleå, which lies near Piteå, is Sweden's northernmost major city. Luleå HF first qualified for Elitserien in the early 1980s. A struggling team for many years, they were on the upswing by the 1990s.

Notable longtime LHF players have included Johan Strömwall, L-G Pettersson, Lars Hurtig, Tomas Berglund, Stefan Jonsson, Roger Åkerström, and Stefan Nilsson.

Although Luleå's youth development program has produced relatively little notable senior-level talent over the years, LHF has frequently and successfully tapped into other resources to find their players. One key talent source has been Finland.

Finns who have starred for LHF have included Mika Nieminen, current Phoenix Coyote Mika Alatalo, Jarmo Myllys and Timo Jutila. Another crucial source for LHF players has been division one hockey.

Traditionally, Piteå was an important talent feeder for Luleå (the two teams had a falling out a few years ago and Piteå HC struck an agreement with AIK). Renberg, Öhlund, Hurtig and Modig all came to LHF via this route, while Tomas Holmström spent a stint with division one club Boden in between PHC and LHF.

Young players in Europe typically struggle for ice time. Even after starring for PHC, Renberg was assigned to Luleå's fourth line. Nevertheless, he popped 11 goals and 17 points in 29 games as a rookie and followed it up with 23 points in 38 games as a sophomore; very respectable totals for any teenager in Elitserien.

Heeding the advice of L-G Pettersson, Renberg learned to drive straight at the net and to use his lower body to protect the puck. When the right wing played against competition his own age, he was even better.

Playing on a line with Michael Nylander, Renberg had six goals and 10 points for silver medalist Sweden at the 1992 World Junior Championships, earning a tournament all-star selection.

Shortly after his performance at the World Junior's, Renberg received a phone call from Russ Farwell.

The Flyers General Manager told him that he thought the time was right for Mikael to come to North America and play in the NHL. The Flyers had missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons and were in desperate need of a talent infusion.

Renberg was offered an NHL contract and promised that he would be given every chance to make the Flyers NHL roster instead of being sent to the Hershey Bears.

The offer was tempting.

In the first place, Renberg had often dreamed of playing in the NHL. His childhood hockey hero was Mats Näslund of the Montreal Canadiens.

Secondly, there was a big difference in salary. Even if he played for the NHL minimum (then $100,000), Renberg would be making considerably more than he was earning in Sweden.

Finally, Renberg believed that his playing style might translate even better to the smaller North American ice surface than it did to the wider European rinks.

Nevertheless, Renberg did not feel quite ready for the NHL, physically or psychologically. He wanted a little more experience on the ice and some more time in the weight room.

As a result, Renberg politely declined the Flyers offer, telling Farwell that he thought he needed one more season at home. Explained Renberg several years later, "I wanted to be ready. I had to be sure I was in the right condition."

Farwell was initially taken aback when Renberg turned down his offer. What kind of player with NHL ambitions would turn down an NHL contract?

When Renberg explained his rationale, Farwell's respect for the young man increased even further.

The kid was hungry for NHL success but was patient and mature enough to wait a little longer for it. The General Manager promised that as soon as Renberg felt ready to join the Flyers, the offer would still be there.

While Flyers rookie Eric Lindros and Philadelphia went through a roller coaster 1992-93 season that saw the club miss the playoffs for a fourth consecutive year, Renberg became an Elitserien star on a Luleå club that advanced to the finals.

He scored 19 goals, flirted with a point-per-game average, and played physically enough to earn 61 penalty minutes in 39 games. At the 1993 World Junior Championships, Renberg scored five goals in seven games and won his second straight silver medal.

Now weighing a muscular 215 pounds, Renberg was almost impossible to take off the puck. He had developed cornering ability that was deadly to defenders.

Although his straight ahead speed was only slightly above average, his powerful, churning legs allowed him to keep up with the fastest of linemates. He also consistently outworked his opponents.

If Renberg was stopped on the first try, he'd make a second, third, and fourth effort to jam a puck into the net or pry the puck loose on the boards. If the puck was lost, he'd throw on the brakes as quickly as possible and rush the other way to backcheck.

The extra year in Sweden did Mikael a lot of good. He now felt ready to tackle the NHL.

When the Flyers came calling again in the 1993 offseason, they offered a three year deal worth $125,000 each season. Although Renberg was advised by agent Don Meehan that the figure could probably be negotiated slightly higher, he didn't want to take a chance.

The opportunity to play in the NHL was more important than quibbling over a few thousand dollars.

Renberg accepted the offer.