Myrvold Makes Norway Proud

Myrvold Makes Norway Proud
by Tricia McMillan, AHL Correspondent

October 6, 1995. The 1995-96 NHL season kicked off as Stanley Cup favorites and eventual President's Trophy winners Detroit Red Wings tackled the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Colorado Avalanche. Amidst the hoopla surrounding opening night and the first ever game for the Avalanche, most failed to notice another first which occurred that night: for the first time ever in the NHL, a Norwegian player suited up for the game.
"The first game I played last year for Colorado, that's the biggest moment of my life," says Colorado defenseman Anders Myrvold, a surprise member of the Avalanche roster who had earned his way onto the team through a strong training camp.
"I had a good year in Laval and I felt really confident when I went into camp," he explains. "I had a really good camp, scored some goals, got some assists, so...I got the chance."
While Myrvold only stayed with the Avalanche for a few games last season before being sent to their AHL affiliate in Cornwall, he is considered Colorado's most advanced defensive prospect. A native of Lorenskog, Norway, Myrvold is the first Norwegian to make an impact on North American hockey, much less the NHL.
Norway has never had the hockey presence of Sweden or Finland, but the Norwegian team did make inroads in last year's World Championships and several Norwegian players are scattered throughout the European Elite Leagues. Myrvold believes Norway has the players to potentially make a significant contribution to North American hockey.
"They need to make a step right now," he says. "I took the step and hopefully some other players will come over."
Myrvold, 21, first learned to skate at age two and played in Norway until the age of 15, when he moved to Sweden for better hockey opportunities. "Sweden had a better league...I wanted to develop and be a better hockey player," he explains.
After two years in Swedish juniors, Myrvold was drafted in the sixth round of the 1993 draft by the then Quebec Nordiques. While many players are pleasantly surprised to be drafted, Myrvold was more surprised than most - while generally familiar with the NHL, he didn't know there was such a thing as the NHL Draft.
Myrvold spent a year with Grum in the Swedish pro leagues, then joined the Laval Titan of the Quebec junior league for the 1994-95 season and posted some impressive numbers (64 GP, 14 G, 50 A, 64 Pts, 173 PiM). His performance at Laval earned him the opportunity with the Avalanche, but Myrvold has no regrets starting this season in the AHL with Colorado's new affiliate, the Hershey Bears.
"Every young player wants to make it to the National Hockey League and a lot of guys don't have the patience to be down here, but I think you have to understand that everyone has to pay their dues," he says. "I think it's a really good league for young players to improve a lot."
Myrvold also has a few things he'd like to work on in Hershey before returning to Colorado, specifically, "To be consistent. I think every young player has to be consistent and me too," he explains. "I want to play good every night and I think I have the skills to play in the big league. I just have to work hard every day and improve."
North American and European hockey styles are notoriously different, and Myrvold feels his time in Laval and the additional time in the AHL are beneficial to getting used to the different style. "It's different, the rinks are smaller and it's tougher," he says of the North American game. "I get used to it because I played a lot and I played against good hockey players."
Myrvold likely will be recalled by Colorado sooner rather than later. The Avalanche were sufficiently impressed with his development to trade one of the defensemen ahead of him (Curtis Leschyshyn) and Hershey head coach Bob Hartley thinks Myrvold could make a big contribution in Denver.
"[Anders] obviously has great offensive skills, he moves the puck real well and he's a very smooth skater," says Hartley. "He's creating lots of offensive chances for [the Bears]."
Myrvold is a fan of Swedish hockey pioneer Borje Salming, "A guy with a big heart...he was the first European who came over so I have a lot of respect for him."
Salming is an appropriate choice of role model as Myrvold is now a hockey pioneer himself. Fifteen years from now, who knows; Anders Myrvold may come to be as important to Norwegians as Salming is to the Swedes.