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Holger Nurmela

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Holger Nurmela
Holger Nurmela in 1949.
Born(1920-10-28)28 October 1920
Stockholm, Sweden
Died1 March 2005(2005-03-01) (aged 84)
Tumba, Sweden[1]
Ice hockey career
Position Left winger
Played for Hammarby IF / AIK / Saltsjöbadens IF
National team  Sweden
Playing career 1937–1956
Medal record
Representing  Sweden
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1952 Oslo Team
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 1947 Prague Team
Bronze medal – third place 1954 Stockholm Team
Association football career
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
Hammarby IF
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1939–1950 Hammarby IF 111 (77)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals
Bandy career
Playing position Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1939–1950 Hammarby IF

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

† Appearances (Goals).

Holger "Hogge" Nurmela (28 October 1920 – 1 March 2005) was a Swedish ice hockey, football and bandy player and manager, known for representing Hammarby IF in all three sports.

Athletic career

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Ice hockey

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Holger Nurmela playing for the Sweden national team.

In 1937, Nurmela made his debut for Hammarby IF in Elitserien, Sweden's top tier.[2] He won three Swedish championships – 1942, 1943 and 1945 – with the club.[3] He formed a feared line together with right winger Stig Emanuel Andersson and centre Kurt Kjellström.[4]

Nurmela was known as a versatile player with great skating abilities: a sniper, playmaker and grinder combined.[1][5] He won the scoring league in the Swedish top division in both 1949 and 1950.[1] In total, he made 204 competitive appearances for Hammarby, scoring 154 goals.[6]

In 1950, Nurmela joined rivals AIK, which caused some upset among the Hammarby supporters.[7] He stayed with the club for two seasons, after which he played three years with Saltsjöbadens IF in the lower divisions.[8]

He returned to Hammarby in 1955–56 as a player-coach, before retiring from hockey after the Elitserien season.[9] He worked as the head coach of Hammarby between 1955–1957 and 1966–1971.[8]

Nurmela played 121 international games for the Sweden national team, scoring 84 goals, and regularly captained the side.[5][1] Nurmela represented his country at several major tournaments, such as several World Championships. He competed at the 1948, 1952 and 1956 Winter Olympics and won a bronze medal in 1952, finishing fourth in 1948 and 1956.[5]

He is a recipient of the honorary award "Big boy" and was inducted into the Swedish Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012; both awards are handed out by Swedish Ice Hockey Association.[10][1]

Football

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In 1939, at age 18, Nurmela debuted in the senior football team of Hammarby IF.[11] During his full first season, in 1939–40, Hammarby competed for one season in Allsvenskan, the domestic top league, with Nurmela playing 16 of 22 fixtures and scoring 7 goals, but was relegated immediately.[12][5]

Up until 1950, Nurmela made a total of 111 league appearances for Hammarby, mostly in the Swedish second tier Division 2, scoring 77 goals playing as a forward.[13]

Bandy

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Nurmela was also a prominent bandy player for Hammarby IF between 1940 and 1950.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Holger Nurmela" (in Swedish). Svenska Ishockeyförbundet. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  2. ^ "1938" (in Swedish). HIF Historia. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  3. ^ "Svenska mästare i ishockey" (PDF) (in Swedish). Swedish Ice Hockey Association. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  4. ^ "#17 Kurt Kjellström" (in Swedish). Swedish Hockey Association. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d "Holger Nurmela" (in Swedish). SOK. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Holger Nurmela" (in Swedish). Hammarby Hockey. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  7. ^ "1951" (in Swedish). HIF Historia. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  8. ^ a b "Holger Nurmela" (in Swedish). Eliteprospects. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  9. ^ "1956" (in Swedish). HIF Historia. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  10. ^ "Stora Grabbar" (PDF) (in Swedish). Svenska Ishockeyförbundet. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  11. ^ "1938" (in Swedish). HIF Historia. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  12. ^ "1940" (in Swedish). HIF Historia. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  13. ^ "Hammarby IF:s historia" (in Swedish). HIF Historia. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
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