Swedish Star Jan Erik Vidgren

We travel to the northern reaches of Sweden to locate our next Hometown Hockey Hero. Jan Erik Vidgren hails from Pitea, Sweden. The Swedish city has more recently produced NHL stars Tomas Holmstrom and former New York Islanders defenseman Stefan Persson. Between the two they account for eight Stanley Cups.
Vidgren, better known as 'Jante" in Swedish hockey circles, was a highly skilled forward who spent his entire career (1963-1980) playing around the Arctic Circle.
Born in 1948, Vidgren has reached the upper levels of Swedish hockey by 1963. His career started with Ojeby IF where he tallied 257 goals before trades sent him to Pitea HC and Skelleftea HC. He would score another 220 goals after the trade from Ojeby.
Today Vidgren remains in Pitea and works for the city as a firefighter. Vidgren remains a huge fan of the game an follows fellow Swedes who currently play in the NHL.