The level of success that Farjestad Karlstad have managed to achieve since the formation of Sweden's professional league in 1975 is almost difficult to comprehend. In 40 seasons, the club has reached the league finals 20 times and won nine titles. Read more here about how they've done it and what that means to Swedish hockey.

by Oscar Lebisch

Achieving success is difficult. Maintaining success over time is even more difficult. To maintain success for 40 years may seem impossible, but that’s exactly what Farjestad BK from the city of Karlstad in Sweden has managed to do. Ever since the start of the top Swedish professional league, the SHL (formerly Elitserien) in 1975, Farjestad has always been a contender for the championship title. By reaching the finals 20 times in 40 seasons and winning nine of them, there’s no doubt about which team is the most successful in the history of the SHL.

Tradition and winning culture

Farjestad BK (Bollklubb) was founded on 10 November 1932, but didn’t start playing ice hockey until 1941. Due to economic issues, Farjestad had to cancel their hockey program in 1947 but were able to resume it again in 1956. From the resumption and forward, FBK has been a solid club in Sweden, managing to qualify for a spot in the first season of the Elitserien in 1975-76 and haven’t left it ever since. Only Brynas IF from Gavle (whom FBK faced in the first ever finals of the Elitserien/SHL) have kept them company in the league since the dawn.

In Karlstad, and in the whole county of Varmland, hockey has always been a huge part of the sporting culture. Varmland has only had a select few teams in various sports competing on a national level, and that’s why hockey and, more specifically, Farjestad have made such an impact for the citizens of Varmland with their sustained dominance. Many of the other counties with teams in the SHL also has a big team in either the Swedish football league or similar, but in Varmland hockey is more or less everything when you talk about elite sports.

Another thing that’s become a part of the tradition in the club besides winning is hiring retired players to take on coaching roles or fill important positions in the front office. Almost every position in the hockey operations department is filled with retired players who have worn the Färjestad jersey in the past, such as head coach Leif Carlsson and CEO, general manager and Swedish hockey legend Hakan Loob.

Farjestad BK is a team that is accustomed to high expectations. The city, the county and virtually the whole nation expect FBK to be a big competitor for the title year in and year out, and since they keep matching those expectations there’s no need for anyone within the organization not to set big goals for each and every season. No one is satisfied with finishing in second place. The winning culture has taken root inside the walls of Karlstad, some people say.

Both loved and despised

In 1981, Farjestad won their first national championship title after beating AIK Stockholm in the finals. One of the influential players behind the claiming of the title was defenceman Tommy Samuelsson. He won the title three times as a player with Farjestad, and has also won it another three times as a coach. After three seasons as head coach of the Vienna Capitals, Samuelsson returned to the Farjestad bench from 2014 to 2016.

Having participated in 20 finals and winning nine titles in the SHL in 40 years, the club gets loved as well as despised. Loved by its followers and despised by opponents. Whenever Swedish hockey enthusiasts are asked which team they don’t want to see raising the cup, the most frequent response is usually “Farjestad”. This probably works to fuel even more success, as it creates an “us against everyone else” mentality among the team and the fans.

Farjestad have qualified for the SHL playoffs for 20 consecutive seasons as of 2014, reaching the finals 11 times and winning six titles during that streak. Other than the national championship, they have also won the Nordic Trophy once and reached the European Trophy final twice, but losing both times. Due to the consecutive playoff streak, Farjestad have been compared to the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL, who are also known for their ability to stay successful. When the Red Wings played the St. Louis Blues in Stockholm in 2010, they first went to Karlstad to face Farjestad for a final dress rehearsal before their NHL season opener.

The arena in which Färjestad have played their home games since 2001 is named Lofbergs Arena and has room for a total of 8,647 spectators. The year that the arena was inaugurated would culminate in the most dominant season a team has ever accomplished in the SHL. During the 2001-02 season, Farjestad went through both the league (50 games) and the playoffs as a bulldozer, only losing seven games overall.

The people with the shield on and in their chest

Farjestad have a huge fan base, not limited to Sweden but also abroad. One example is Sweden’s western neighbor, Norway. The border between Sweden and Norway runs along Varmland’s own border, and the Norwegian capital Oslo is no further away from Karlstad than Stockholm is, so many Norwegians visit Lofbergs Arena regularly. In fact, the team captain, Norwegian defenceman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen, has been a Farjestad supporter since his childhood.

One of the most internationally famous people that have revealed their attachment to Farjestad is the Swiss tennis star Roger Federer. That attachment derives from the fact that Federer is friends with former FBK players Martin Gerber and Marcel Jenni, who are fellow countrymen. Another elite athlete with Farjestad in his heart is former Olympic and four-time world champion high jumper Stefan Holm, who is from Varmland.

A great number of famous hockey players have worn the green and white shield on their chests during their careers. The first Swede to play in the NHL, Ulf Sterner, is one of them. Another few worth mentioning are former Washington Capitals star Bengt-Ake Gustafsson, who later became the head coach of FBK between 2001 and 2005 before becoming head coach of Team Sweden, and Hakan Loob, who won the Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames in 1988-89 before becoming GM and CEO of FBK. Loob holds the SHL record for most points scored in one season with 76 (42 goals and 34 assists) in 1982-83. The most recent Farjestad icon is Jorgen Jonsson. He retired in 2009 after winning his fifth gold medal with the club, which was added to an already impressive list of accomplishments in his extraordinary career. Other than the five national championships, he won both the IIHF World Championship and the Olympic games twice, and has also won an SHL title with Farjestad as an assistant coach. His number 21 is retired, as are numbers 2 (Samuelsson), 5 (Loob), 9 (Sterner and Thomas Rundqvist) and 17 (Mathias Johansson).

During the NHL lock-out of 2004-05, Karlstad was the home of NHL players Zdeno Chara, Sheldon Souray, Marian Gaborik, Mike Johnson, Martin Gerber and Mike Comrie.

Team facts

CHL seasons

2015-16: 2nd in Group E, Round of 32
2014-15: 2nd in Group B

NOTE: This article has been updated since its original publication.

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