Gustav Björkman
Gustav "Gurkan" Björkman (born 24 February 1976) is a retired Swedish bandy player who played his last year for Hammarby IF Bandy as a forward. He is also known as "Kundvagnen", "the shopping trolley", because he always plays with a characteristic grill on his helmet. He has won the Swedish championship three times, with Sandvikens AIK in 1997 and 2003, and with Hammarby IF Bandy 2010.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gustav Björkman | ||
| Date of birth | 24 February 1976 | ||
| Place of birth | Sweden | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Number | 41 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1994–1998 | Sandviken | ||
| 1998–2000 | Skutskär | ||
| 2000–2002 | Bollnäs | ||
| 2002–2006 | Sandviken | ||
| 2006–2010 | Hammarby | ||
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
In April 2008 he signed a new two-year contract (with option for a third) with "Bajen". But after they won the Swedish championship, and he became father to his "little prince" Melker he chose to retire at the age of 34.
He was an important key-player in Hammarby, especially the season 2009–10 with his feeling for finding the net, he was one of the greatest players in Sweden and very powerful. Gustav really was what you can call; a True Hero, not only because he took Hammarby to the final in 2007 with his 3 goals against Västerås, but also with his style of playing; He always plays his best for his team, he works hard, and he really is full of energy, as Stefan "Lillis" Jonsson once said. He is also a great skater, which he used well to get, as fast as he could, from the penalty booth to the bench on the other side.
The fans of his team, Hammarby, always showed how much they appreciated him. They have also written a tribute song to show this for him: PÅ'an, SLÅ'an, KLÅ'an, FLÅ'an, BJÖRKMAN!