NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — There are symbols of the Swedish monarchy, one of the oldest in the world, dating back to the 10th century all over Stockholm, from statues and monuments to the Royal Palace.
This week another kind of Swedish luminary will get a warm welcome back to his native country as Predators all-time leading goal scorer Filip Forsberg returns to play in front of the people who raised him.
“It’s going to be great,” Forsberg said last week before the trip began. “Obviously, it’s something you’ve always wanted to do since Sweden first had their NHL games. Every year you’ve seen somebody do it and you wanted to do it yourself, and finally it’s our turn.”
Forsberg grew up in the Swedish countryside, a few hours northwest of Stockholm in a town called Leksand. The town of just over 6,000 people sits on the shore of Lake Siljan.
It is the place Forsberg fell in love with hockey while dreaming of one day playing in the NHL.
“It’s home,” Forsberg said. “It’s raised me to the person and player I am. I wouldn’t be here without the coaches and fellow teammates I had in Leksand.”
Forsberg developed into a first round NHL draft pick, a two-time NHL All-Star and the all-time leading goal scorer in Predators history.
He also met the love of his life in Erin, a Nashville based singer, who he married three years ago. The couple had their first child, a boy named Felix, in early 2024.
The couple bashfully has celebrity status in Sweden where they spend the summers and were recently featured on the cover of Scandinavian Vogue.
“It was certainly not something I was dreaming about,” Forsberg said with a smile.
Erin Forsberg then interjected, “I don’t think it’s any man’s dream to do any kind of a photo shoot. It’s probably more so (me) saying that’s such a cool idea to do something in Vogue Scandinavia.”
The couple did the photo shoot modeling some of the latest in European fashion in a field near Stockholm. It was out of their comfort zone, but they just went with the outfits that the designers chose and they loved the results.
“I put (them) on and I was like, ‘this is the stupidest thing I’ve ever worn,” Filip said. “But then you see the pictures and it’s actually like, ‘oh, that kind of looks good.’”
The magazine could’ve picked anyone but featured the Forsbergs in part due to their willingness to give back to his native country.
In August, Filip hosted his first annual charity hockey game in Leksand, featuring several NHL players and other pros in front of a sold-out arena.
“I just made a few phone calls trying to get my friends to come play and thankfully they did,” Forsberg said. “Just being able to do that and pull that off and get that many people to go to the game was pretty special.”
The game benefited a Swedish pediatric cancer foundation and an ALS foundation. Erin notes that Fil, who is also involved with multiple charities in Nashville, lights up when given the opportunity to help people in his home country.
“(You) don’t really get many chances to give back to your hometown when you’re playing in the NHL and you’re from Sweden,” Erin Forsberg said. “He does a lot in the community here (in Nashville), but it’s so cool to get a chance to do that in your hometown as well that’s thousands and thousands of miles away.”
Forsberg is making sure to include Leksand in this week’s festivities in Stockholm as well.
On Saturday he will bus 65 youth hockey players and their parents to the Predators’ open practice and a meet-and-greet with their hero. Erin says it was the first idea Fil had when the Global Series games were officially announced.
“(I watched) those games as a kid (and) it would’ve been awesome to go to them,” Forsberg said. “At least now we give the kids an opportunity to come and watch the open practice. They’re excited and I’m excited as well.”
All eyes in Sweden are on Forsberg this week as he represents Leksand, Sweden, Nashville and the Preds’ organization on an international stage.
“It’s going to be cool (seeing him) go as a Nashville Predator,” Erin said. “Nashville raise him once Leksand let him fly and it’s going to be cool for (him) to go back and be there in (his) home country and representing.”
Most importantly, it will be an opportunity for Filip to represent the Forsberg name and a family that means so much to him.
He will have 20 family members at Avicii Arena for both games against the Penguins, including several relatives who have never seen him play a NHL game in person.
“I think that’s what makes this most special,” Forsberg said. “It’s going to be the most exciting regular season game of all-time.”
And when he takes the ice this weekend, it’ll be that family that Forsberg thinks about, and the journey from tiny Leksand to NHL stardom.
“I’ll be grinning from ear to ear,” Forsberg said. “It’ll be so much fun. Just try to enjoy it as much as I can because most likely it’s a once in a lifetime situation and I’m going to try to treat it like that.”
