Claimed: Mattias Forsberg BIO

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Mattias Forsberg Biography

 

Mattias Forsberg hasn't always had the brightest, nor best of upbringings. Often, you hear of the gifted child who didn't have much to overcome as he had time, his parents had money and the opportunity was always there to succeed. This was not the case for young Forsberg. Though he was already born into fame due to his last name bringing so much grace to Sweden, that doesn't always mean that everything else (like fame) will come easy to you. Again, unlike a some of those who are lucky enough, Mattias had the complete opposite of luck. Being born in the city of Vastervik, Sweden, it taught him a couple things. The first thing a smaller city teaches you is the ability and desire to be kind to those around you and to help and lend a hand even when it is not needed. People in smaller cities, especially in Sweden, tend to be kinder to the strangers who also make up and drive their beautiful city and know how important each individual is to the world. The second thing it taught him is that people talk and when they talk, they always tend to pick a side and stick with it. Smaller town folk are usually a little more opinionated. Lastly, it taught him that it's easier to escape. The bigger the place, the more chance it has to suck you in. With all these obstacles standing in his way, it's hard to believe where he is today. Yet, you look on the ice right now for the Oslo Storm and you will see Mattias Forsberg leading the way.

 

Forsberg was born on December 7th, 1996 to Peter and Maria Forsberg. Being the last child of the group of 3, there was already his first obstacle. The family was not gifted with money, though his parents tried very hard to succeed and provide a healthy and strong life for their children. Their father worked as a fisherman off the bay and their mother was a nurse at one of the local hospitals. Respectable jobs in the community, however, at that time and during the economic downfall in Sweden, those two parts of the job sector took big cuts. So money was tough and at times they didn't eat the greatest of meals. If it meant plain noodles with a side of milk, you were happy you ate that night. One thing they were really good at was making sure their children were happy. Each boy played a sport - the eldest playing baseball, Mattias playing hockey and their sister has actually become a gold medalist dancer and gymnast. 

 

 

Despite the talent, despite how hard they worked to overcome obstacles - hunger, debt, personal problems and all of that nature, it seems as though they faced everyone and the next one to face was sickness. Forsberg's mother was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer when he was 7 years old. At such a young age, sometimes it's hard to remember all the details but they've never left his mind. They would visit each day with their fathers. To help her with chemo, to relax with her and to show her love. They would pray, even if not religious, as their mother was what held the family together. Despite every effort and financial advance their father took to try the latest and greatest thing to help rid her of her disease, Maria Forsberg passed away in her sleep. The sadness drove their father insane. He was already hurting financially due to all the advancements and loans he had taken out to help his poor wife, and now with her passing he had turned to drinking and turning his face away from the world. More often than not, he elected to stay home from work, turn on the television and open a bottle of whiskey. The kids would go to school and come home, only to find their father in the same place, passed out with a half lit cigarette burning a whole through the couch. Now, he seems like a monster but he really wasn't. He stilled love his children - you could see it in his eyes and feel it in the pain his tone gave off overtime he spoke. He was lost. They all were.

 

With all the pain at home, Mattias spent most of his nights on the outdoor rink in their community, over at their friends or playing hockey at his friends house on the television. It seemed as though each day passed and the game of hockey changed his eyes - altered his heart. He found a new self in the game of hockey and it was the first thing to make him feel alive since his mother was around. More and more he became involved in hockey and ended up getting a job working at a construction company only to pay for it. During the summer, he took time away from hockey - worked as many hours as he could and banked every cent. The following fall, he enlisted in one of Sweden's most competitive hockey schools and leagues. This was the start to a whole new beginning and little did he know, it was going to take him places he never would have thought possible a couple years prior.

 

2 years later, with the 11th overall pick in the Season 54 VHLM dispersal draft, the Oslo Storm are proud to select from Sweden, Mattias Forsberg. He rose from his seat, hugs his brothers and sisters and made his way down the a few seats. He stopped, turned, looked at his father and said thank you. During the years which Forsberg pushed himself into hockey, it was his dads strength and determination to overcome alcohol abuse and emotional issues due to the loss of his wife that showed him what true strength was. In reality, his father and the seemingly horrible life he lived up until this point was to thank for him reaching his goals and dreams. Without the tough life, he may have never ended up where he wanted to. He may have never had the drive to push himself past anything tough because he was never strong. It seems like a sad story, but when we close our eyes to sleep at night, we remember that this is life and life has a weird way of working sometimes. Some believe that you aren't handed what you can't handle - me, I don't believe in this. You are handed what you are handed because that's what life does. It's random and you decided what you become, how you do it and every other aspects which is controllable, you control. Forever will his parents be the ones who push him further in his career and always will MF 75 (Maria Forsberg/ 1975) be on his gloves.

 

1,144 words - 10 TPE for Forsberg