Denmark Best Decade: 2012-2013: Olympic Heartbreak And The Superstars Emerge

Mikkel Bødker: The Star That Faded

As mentioned in the past article, the 2011 NHL playoff was historic for Denmark. It was the first time a Dane, Jannik Hansen, had gone further than the second round. He made the finals, scored a goal in the finals, and had Danes watching late at night in the hopes of a Vancouver win. Sadly, they lost to the Bruins, and the next year, the same Canucks team was out in the first round in shocking fashion. The Danish visit from Lord Stanley rested with the Phoenix Coyotes and Mikkel Bødker.

Where Hansen’s role on the Canucks had been as an important grinding fourth liner, Bødker’s role on the Coyotes was a little different. He was a sniper, and in the first round, he had been crucial in their win over Chicago. He had in 2 goals in the series, but both were overtime winners. Back to back. Amazing stuff from the Danish speedster. However, against the Kings in the 3^rd round, the show was over. Once again, the dream of a cup visit fell short. Bødker, on the other hand, was young and looked great in the first playoff appearance.

In the following seasons with the Coyotes, he kept showing promise by putting up solid numbers, including a 51-point season in 2013-14. At the age of 24, the potential of Bødker was looking great and his stock rose. However, then came a few injuries, and he was stuck on a team that had gone backwards majorly. The Coyotes were stuck in the bottom of the league, and in 2016, he was traded to Colorado. There, he only played 18 games, but he did put up 12 points in those games.

In the free agency of 2016, his performances were enough to get him a nice contract with the San Jose Sharks. A deal that could have been great, but Bødker never found his footing in San Jose, and after a few lackluster seasons, he was shipped to Ottawa, where he is stuck as a healthy scratch. A sad ending for a player that had the potential to be so much more.

The First International Heartbreak

Internationally, the decade was mostly filled with ups for Denmark, but there were still a few downs to be found. One of the few down periods was in the years between 2012 and 2013. In 2012, Denmark narrowly missed avoided relegation in the worlds after a shocking loss to Italy. With only 2 games remaining, Denmark was last in the group and needed a win against Latvia. After a herculean preference from Frederik Andersen, Denmark had won 2-0 and secured another year in the Worlds. The only positive in 2012 was the promotion of the Danish woman national team from the third to second tier of international hockey.

However, it was in 2013, when Denmark hosted the last phase of the Olympic qualifiers, that one of the biggest disappointments of the decade happened. In a group containing Ukraine, Slovenia and Belarus, Denmark was the clear favorite to qualify. Especially with Frederik Andersen in net, who joined from North America and the AHL, it looked like Denmark was destined to join the Olympics. A dream that started off well with a 2-0 win against Ukraine. Frederik Andersen looked sharp and Slovenia even upset Belarus. That set up a clash between the two the next day for the qualification.

5000 Danish hockey fans were gathered, expectations were high, and everything was prepared for celebration. However, two and a half hours later, there was no party. There were no cheering or celebrations outside a handful of fans and players from Slovenia. All over the arena were faces of disbelief and tears. The dream had been destroyed in 60 minutes by 2 goals from David Rodman, and an outstanding game from Slovenia’s goaltender Robert Kristian. Denmark had lost 2-1 in regulation, despite having had 10 shots more and dominating the game.

A glorious night for Slovenia, but it’s a night of horror and hurt in the eyes of Danish hockey fans. After years of progression and hope for the future, Danish hockey was knocked down the pegging order once again. The thoughts of having Frans Nielsen, Jannik Hansen, and all the rest gathered at the Olympics, making Denmark proud, were shattered. The Olympics is a place where the greatest stories are written, and the nation cheers you on. It’s a chance for exposure, and for a smaller sport like hockey is in Denmark, it was a chance to gain even more popularity. However, it turned out to be a chance wasted and a still lingering heartbreak for Danish hockey fans and players.

The Second Generation. The Superstars

As mentioned earlier, Frans Nielsen was the Danish pioneer and the one who showed the way into the NHL for Danish players. He was the trendsetter who didn’t just play in the NHL but played well and consistently. Something that’s far easier said than done. After him followed Jannik Hansen, Lars Eller and Mikkel Bødker, who were also consistently showing up in NHL lineups. Having Danish NHL players to watch became a normality. The one thing all players lacked was a superstar x-factor. The only one who had that x-factor was Peter Regin, and he was sadly hit with a ton of injuries, that eventually send him to the KHL and Jokerit. The generation was good, hardworking and all had a strong 2-way game. But none were top-liners or superstars. However, that changed with the next generation.

The year is 2014. The Danish junior team is getting ready for its first game in the Division I championships, which is the division just below the World Junior Championships. Denmark has assembled one of its strongest ever lineups and are looking for promotion into the promised land. With players like Nikolaj Ehlers, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and Alexander True, it’s not hard to see why they are one of the main favorites. After 3 wins, they had a chance to clinch promotion against Latvia. A chance that was taken fully. They outplayed Latvia in all areas of the game and Denmark was ready for the World Juniors the next year.

A few months passed, and Nikolaj Ehlers was selected 9th overall in the 2014 draft by the Winnipeg Jets. The speedy winger had killed it in the QMJHL with Halifax and was looking to be the potential NHL superstar Denmark had been looking for. Ehlers had it all. Speed, skill and great vision, that made him lethal on the offense. He was to be the Danish dynamo on the offense, but he would be far from alone.

Olivier Bjorkstrand showcased in the WHL that he was a sniper with a shot that was up there with the very elite of hockey. He was the Danish goalscorer, who was to be our Alexander Ovechkin. But they were still a few years away from the NHL. One guy that was ready to play in the NHL in 2014 was Frederik Andersen.

Frederik Andersen: Denmark’s Brickwall

The next major milestone for Danish hockey and its development was achieved on October 20^th, 2013, when Danish-born and raised goaltender Frederik Andersen took to the ice in the second period of a game against the Dallas Stars. This happened after Anaheim’s normal starter, Jonas Hiller, was pulled from the game, having allowed 3 goals in the first frame. When the game was finished, Anaheim had won the game 6-3 and Frederik Andersen had gained his first win. History was made in style. The goaltender and backbone of Denmark had arrived in the NHL.

After that, he became the backup full-time, and in a lot of ways, outplayed Jonas Hiller. So much so that when the playoff started, the starter for the first game was none other than Frederik Andersen. However, the playoff was a mixed bag for the Dane. He was starting and did okay, but after a poor game 7 in the first round, the tandem was for the Ducks second round was John Gibson and Jonas Hiller. A round that led to elimination by the Kings in 7 games. An unfortunate end to his first season, but Andersen had cemented a spot in the NHL.

A year later and he was the starter. Andersen played 53 games with a .914 save percentage and led the Ducks into the playoff as one of the favorites to win the cup. The first two rounds were done in quick fashion, as both the Jets and the Flames were brushed aside. In the conference finals, the Blackhawks awaited. It was a hard-fought series with plenty of overtime and drama. So, unsurprisingly, it went to game 7. Sadly, the cup yet again eluded Denmark, as the Blackhawks ran riot and Frederik Andersen crumbled under the pressure. So far, and nothing to show for it. Another game 7 collapse for the giant Dane. Something that was becoming an unfortunate theme.

This was as close as Andersen got with the Ducks. The next season, their star prospect John Gibson was finally ready to go, and both split the games of the regular season. Both doing an amazing job and winning the Jennings Trophy as a result. In the playoffs, Gibson got the start, but after 2 poor performances and losses at home, things needed to be changed. Andersen got the nod and won 3 games in a row. A 3-2 lead in a series, where Freddie had turned it around. The killing blow, however, was missing, and, in Game 7, Pekka Rinne stole the show. Andersen didn’t play bad or collapse like prior seasons, but the offense went missing and, once again, the season was over for the Ducks after a Game 7 loss at home.

After the game, it became clear the Ducks were choosing to run with John Gibson, and a trade with the Great Dane was eminent. The only question was where he would go. In the summer, it was answered, as Andersen would go to the biggest hockey city of them all. Frederik Andersen was officially the new starter for the Toronto Maple Leafs. How this went down and how the Juniors got on is something you can find in future parts, starting next week when I look at the years of 2014 and 2015.

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