Frölunda Gothenburg's existence has been marked by peaks and valleys, with big peaks especially in the 1960s and 2000s. Since winning two titles in the early 21st century, they have been consistently among the SHL's top teams, and enter the 2016-17 season as defending Swedish and European champions.

by Efraim Larsson

Founded in 1944, Västra Frölunda IF, as they were then called, had to fight for 15 years to make their first appearance in Sweden’s top division. Their first season in Division 1 Södra (South) in 1959-60 ended up with just 4 wins in 14 games, which got them relegated to the 2nd Division, only to make it to the top again the following season.

During the 1960s Frölunda managed to make themselves a name in Swedish hockey and a team to count on. In just their second season in the top division (1961-62) they took second place in the regular season, but their first playoff series was too difficult. Frölunda finished first in the next three regular seasons and finally became champions for the first time in 1964-65.

The four different 1st Divisons (South, West, North, East) was merged into one league, the Elitserien, which was introduced in 1975-76 as the new top division in Sweden. Between 1975 and 1983, Frölunda managed to make it to the playoffs in just two years before they got relegated to Division 1 for the 1983-84 season. That was also the year when Frölunda left the VFIF union to create a separate hockey club, Västra Frölunda HC (West Frölunda Hockey Club).

Frölunda struggled for four seasons before finally gaining a promotion back to the Elitserien after a great season in 1988-89. Since that time they have never left Sweden's top division.

In the early 2000s Frölunda had their most successful years in history with two champions in three years and three finals appearances in four years. 2002-03 was a great season for Frölunda, finishing the regular season in first place with 103 points in 50 games and, after sweeping rivals Färjestad Karlstad in four games in the finals, Frölunda won their first championship in 38 years and second in team history.

In 2004-05, Frölunda had an even better season and thanks to the NHL lockout they had the opportunity to include stars on the team like Daniel Alfredsson, Per-Johan Axelsson, Sami Salo, Samuel Påhlsson and Christian Bäckman. Frölunda only lost 10 out of 50 regular season games (two of those in overtime) and never lost two games in a row all season. In the playoffs, Frölunda only lost two games and regained their championship title after once again beating Färjestad in the finals. Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist had a terrific season with a 1.79 goals-against average and .936 save percentage in 44 regular season games and, incredibly, only 15 goals against and 6 shutouts in 14 playoff games. Not surprisingly, he went to the NHL the following season where he joined the New York Rangers.

The team also included Henrik's twin brother Joel Lundqvist, who followed him to the NHL a year later. After three years with the Dallas Stars, Joel returned to Frölunda in 2009 to become the team captain – a post he's held ever since. 

After a few unsuccessful years, Frölunda hired former Swedish World Junior head coach Roger Rönnberg to lead the club in 2013-14. With Rönnberg at the helm, Frölunda started the process of rebuilding, and the average age dropped from 25.54 to 23.19 years in just one season. 

With so much youth in the lineup, the team finished in second place with 102 points in 55 games before losing a tough seven-game series to Linköping HC, leaving Frölunda their third straight quarter-final defeat.

The team continued its upward climb in 2014-15, but fell just short of all the major team awards. In Feburary they lost the CHL Final to Lulea Hockey after blowing a 2-0 lead. Then they finished second in the SHL regular season behind Skellefteå AIK for the second straight year. Finally, they avenged Luleå in the league quarter-finals but fell to the eventual-champion Växjö Lakers in six semi-final games.  

Things finally came together in 2015-16 as the Frölunda turned "the triple", winning the CHL Final over Kärpät Oulu, then topping the SHL regular season standings before marching to the finals and winning their fourth Le Mat Trophy with a five-game victory over Skellefteå. But they will not rest on their laurels in 2016-17, as this Swedish team enters the season with the aim of retaining all three crowns. 

Team facts

Past CHL seasons

2015-16: 1st in Group N, CHAMPIONS
2014-15: 1st in Group C, Final

Click here for current information about the club.

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