The Los Angeles Kings will honor former defenseman and team captain Mattias Norstrom as part of “Mattias Norstrom Night” at STAPLES Center before the Kings host the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, October 30. As part of the evening, Norstrom will be honored as part of a special on-ice ceremony beginning at approximately 7:30 p.m.
Norstrom, the club’s former captain, played in 780 games with the team and ranks second in games played by a defenseman and fifth overall. He totaled 903 career regular season NHL games with the Kings, Dallas Stars and New York Rangers from 1993-08.
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“Matty Norstrom was an exceptional teammate, a standout player and leader, and a fan favorite for the Kings for a number of years, and we are thrilled to recognize him in this special manner,” said Kings President, Business Operations Luc Robitaille, who played with Norstrom for seven seasons with the Kings. “We feel that it is very important that we continue to recognize the accomplishments of our former players like Matty. This is our 44th season and nearly 600 players have represented the Kings. This will be a special night for him, his family and our fans.”
The Kings later this season will announce their “Legends Night Series” presented by McDonald’s.
The Kings’ first European-born Captain from 2001-07, Norstrom – a native of Stockholm, Sweden — also played in 56 career NHL playoff games, including 28 postseason games with the Kings.
An All-Star in 2004 while a member of the Kings, Norstrom earned the club’s Most Outstanding Defenseman award four times; the club’s Best Defensive Player award five times; the club’s Most Inspirational Player award two times; and the club’s Unsung Hero award three times.
Internationally, Norstrom represented his native Sweden in numerous competitions including the Olympics twice (1998 and 2002 – he had to withdraw from the 2006 team due to injury), World Championships (highlighted by a gold medal in 1998), the World Cup of Hockey and the World Junior Championships.