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Lidstrom, Alfredsson, Sundin to advise Sweden

Tuesday, 08.25.2015 / 9:35 AM / World Cup of Hockey 2016

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Lidstrom, Alfredsson, Sundin to advise Sweden
Former NHL players Daniel Alfredsson, Nicklas Lidstrom and Mats Sundin have been named to Sweden's advisory board for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Former NHL players Nicklas Lidstrom, Daniel Alfredsson and Mats Sundin have been named to Sweden's advisory board for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Lidstrom, who will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Nov. 9 in Toronto, won the Norris Trophy seven times. He was a First-Team All-Star 10 times and played in the NHL All-Star Game 11 times. He had 264 goals and 1,142 points, all with the Detroit Red Wings. In 20 NHL seasons, he never missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs and won four championships and the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs in 2002. He became the first European captain to hoist the Stanley Cup in 2008.

Alfredsson had 444 goals and 1,157 points in 1,246 games spanning 18 seasons in the NHL with the Ottawa Senators and Red Wings. He played 1,178 games for the Senators and had 426 goals, 682 assists and 1,108 points, all Ottawa records. He led the Senators to the Stanley Cup Final in 2007, scoring 14 goals in 20 postseason games. He is expected to accept a front-office position with the Senators next month.

Sundin spent 18 seasons in the NHL with the Quebec Nordiques, Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks, scoring 564 goals 1,349 points in 1,346 games. The eight-time NHL All-Star spent 13 seasons with Toronto. Sundin was the first European selected with the No. 1 pick in the NHL Draft in 1989 by the Nordiques.

The World Cup of Hockey is returning in September 2016 after a 12-year hiatus.

The Swedish Ice Hockey Federation also on Tuesday named Rikard Gronborg coach for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Gronborg, who served as an assistant coach for Sweden under Par Marts at the 2014 Winter Olympics, will be assisted by former NHL players Johan Garpenlov and Peter Popovic.

"It is with a great deal of pride and humility that I accept this fantastic coaching opportunity within Swedish ice hockey," Gronborg said in a statement released on Tuesday. "Since I grew up during the Canada Cup era back in the 70's and 80's, when, for the first time in modern history, the greatest players in the world represented their respective nations. Therefore this will be a great honor for me personally to coach Sweden at the World Cup. I am also looking forward to work with some of the best and most respected hockey personalities that Sweden has to offer."

The first World Cup competition since 2004 will feature national teams from the United States, Canada, Russia, Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic, and there will be two all-star teams, one made up of the top 23-and-under North American players and another featuring the top NHL players from the European countries that aren't represented by their national teams, including Switzerland, Germany, Slovenia, Austria, Norway, Denmark and Latvia.

Gronborg is currently the coach for Sweden's national junior team that will compete in the 2016 World Junior Championship in Helsinki, Finland, from Dec. 26, 2015 through Jan. 5, 2016.