Leksands IF

Lore & Background

The club was formed on 13 August 1919, originally playing bandy and ski competitions, and took up football in 1920. The first hockey game was played in 1938, when they beat Mora IK 11–0, and this sport is now the only sport the club competes in. Leksand played in the top hockey division in Sweden from 1951 until 2001, and was very successful between 1969 and 1975, becoming Swedish champions four times. Before the current top division, Elitserien (now SHL), was formed prior to the 1975–76 season, they had been runners-up four times: 1959, 1964, 1971 and 1972. Leksand has never become SHL champions despite winning the SHL's regular season in 1980, 1994 and 1997, and being runners-up in 1989. In 2001, they were the club with the second most consecutive seasons in the highest division at that point.

Following relegation to HockeyAllsvenskan in April 2001, Leksand commuted between the top and second divisions until 2005–06, when the team was relegated to the second tier again, where they would find themselves until the 2012–13 season. For the 2007–08 season, Leksand signed former NHL goaltender Ed Belfour in an attempt to regain top league status. After winning the second league with relative ease, the team failed in the final qualification stage, Kvalserien, to gain promotion. Leksand once again won Allsvenskan in the 2008–09 season, but again failed to qualify for the Elitserien in the 2009 Kvalserien. For the 2009–10 season, Leksand employed Leif Strömberg, who had previously guided Södertälje SK through Kvalserien. The team once again won Allsvenskan and qualified for the 2010 Kvalserien, but missed promotion after failing to beat the worst-ranked team Växjö Lakers in the ninth round. After failing promotion, Leif Strömberg was replaced by ex-Leksand forward Niklas Eriksson. Before the 2011/12 season, assistant head coach Christer Olsson took over, but was sacked following a defeat at Sundsvall Hockey in late November and replaced by Andreas Appelgren. After winning the regular season in the 2012–13 season, Leksand finally promoted back to the SHL for the first time since the 2005–06 season.

Reader's Guide

Leksands IF is notable for its remarkable popularity despite the small size of its home town, Leksand, which has only 6,000 inhabitants. The club averages over 4,000 spectators per game in its home arena, Tegera Arena, even while playing in the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan. The club's history includes four Swedish championships between 1969 and 1975, and it held the second-longest streak of consecutive seasons in the highest division until 2001. The team has never won the SHL championship, despite winning the regular season three times and being runners-up once. The club's relegation in 2001 led to a period of commuting between divisions, including several near-misses in the Kvalserien promotion playoffs. Notable attempts to regain top-tier status included signing Hall of Fame goaltender Ed Belfour for the 2007–08 season. The club finally returned to the SHL after winning the 2012–13 regular season and succeeding in the 2013 Kvalserien. The club's rival is Mora IK.

Did You Know?

• The club's first hockey game was in 1938, a 11–0 win over Mora IK.
• Leksand signed former NHL goaltender Ed Belfour for the 2007–08 season in an attempt to gain promotion.
• Despite the town having only 6,000 inhabitants, the team averages over 4,000 spectators per game.

From Whitby to the NHL Rink

Tom Lawson was born on August 15, 1979, in Whitby, Ontario, and grew up playing junior hockey for the Markham Waxers during the 1998–99 campaign after attending Henry Street High School. His path to professional ice hockey took him to Bowling Green State in Ohio, where he earned a scholarship to suit up for the university squad as a freshman in 1999–2000. The following year he turned pro with the Knoxville Speed in the United Hockey League and briefly appeared for the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks in a single AHL contest. His breakthrough arrived in 2002–03 when he anchored the Fort Wayne Komets to the UHL Championship, earning league best goaltender, playoff MVP, and a First-All-Star nod. That banner season caught the eye of the Colorado Avalanche, who signed him to an NHL contract. Over the next three seasons he split time between the Hershey Bears and the Lowell Lock Monsters, posting a career-high 32 AHL games with 13 wins and a 2.30 goals-against average during his Hershey tenure.

The Red Army Milestone

After a one-year spell with Lukko Rauma in Finland's top-flight SM-liiga during the 2006–07 season, Lawson made a bold leap to Russia for the 2007–08 campaign. He signed as the starting goaltender for CSKA Moscow, the storied Red Army Team competing in the Russian Superleague. His arrival marked a genuine first: Lawson became the first Canadian ever to stand between the pipes for that legendary club. The milestone was far from merely symbolic. He led the entire RSL in wins, shutouts, and games played that season, cementing his reputation as a netminder capable of thriving under the pressure of one of Europe's most prestigious franchises. That standout year validated his decision to pursue a European career and set the stage for what would follow in the newly formed Kontinental Hockey League.

KHL Debut and the Swedish Farewell

Riding the momentum of his Red Army season, Lawson signed a two-year contract with Sibir Novosibirsk for the inaugural season of the Kontinental Hockey League, Russia's new top-tier competition. Over his two seasons in Novosibirsk he appeared in 59 KHL games before the club released him on January 15, 2010. Rather than retire, Lawson quickly found a new home. On January 26, 2010, just eleven days after his release, he moved to Sweden to join Leksands IF in the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan. The small Swedish club gave him the chance to close out his professional playing career on his own terms, in a competitive league where he could still compete at a high level. His time in Leksand marked the final chapter of a career that had carried him from a small-town Ontario rink to the ice of some of Europe's most storied clubs.

Life Beyond the Rink

Since hanging up his pads, Lawson has settled into a multifaceted life in the Greater Toronto Area. He and his wife raise three children in Aurora, Ontario, where he also serves as the goaltending coach for the St. Andrew's College Varsity hockey team. His connection to the game extends further: he owns and operates the Lawson Goaltending Hockey School, a development program for young netminders, and is also involved with the Murphy Hockey School program, a nod to his brother-in-law, former professional player Ryan Murphy. Perhaps most surprisingly, Lawson found a second career as a firefighter for the town of Ajax, Ontario. The combination of coaching, community service, and family life paints a picture of a player who never wanted the spotlight to define him entirely. His post-hockey chapters reflect a man who values purpose, community, and the next generation of goalies as much as he once valued the ones who stood in front of him.