Former Boston Bruins defender claims he was betrayed by the team after signing team friendly deal
Following a 16 year career in the NHL, defenseman Anton Stralman is now in Sweden, where he'll continue his pro career next season. The 36 year old sat down with a reporter in his home country to discuss his life in the NHL. While he has mostly fond memories, Stralman stated his final year, which he spent with the Boston Bruins, was terrible for him.
Stralman said when he signed on for one year in Boston, he made it clear he didn't want to be a "rental" player, and wanted to be in the lineup as much as possible. After a few games, he spent two months as a healthy scratch, and was then sent to the minors, where he played for the first time since 2008.
Stralman went on to say that his year with Boston was an example of how "cut-throat" the NHL can be.
"They say one thing and sell one thing, then it doesn't matter in a couple months. It was tough."
Stralman said the vast majority of his NHL career was enjoyable, especially when he played for the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning. However, he stressed that balancing your personal and professional life can be difficult, and that the main thing in the NHL is winning, regardless of what needs to be done.
"It's not a dream employer in terms of how you are treated and all that. It is cut-throat business. It is well documented about how it is done and is. It's tough to be in that business if you compare it to normal working conditions here at home in any sector. It's special. It is not entirely easy."
Stralman will play with HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) next season.
Source: Expressen.se
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Do you think Stralman should feel betrayed? | ||
| Yes | 236 | 56.1 % |
| No | 162 | 38.5 % |
| Not sure | 23 | 5.5 % |
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