When I was about ten years old, I used to write pages and pages of hockey play-by-plays. In my neatest writing, of course. Mostly it was Sweden vs. the USSR, and Mats Näslund used to score the game-winning goal. (After Göran Högosta’s amazing split saves).

That’s the generation my idols are made of. And the coaches of my idols.

One of them, Tommy Sandlin, died yesterday in Gävle, Sweden. Coincidentally, I was in Gävle today, to interview Leif Boork, the Brynäs team coach today. Boork is a few years younger than Sandlin, but of the same generation. For example, back in the 1970s, Boork was roommates with Curt Lindström who, in turn, was Tommy Sandlin’s assistant coach in Vienna 1987 when Sweden won the World Championship.

When I walked into the locker room today, there were old Sandlin quotes on the walls, as well as his pyramid of success. The keywords included “patience,” trustworthiness,” “humbleness,” “honesty,” “straightforwardness,” “will,” “character,” and “team spirit.”

All the things that good teams are made of, but that we often forget at the first sight of success.

Sandlin, also called “professor” in Sweden, was worth all the accolades already last week. Unfortunately, we didn’t stop to think until it was too late.