There is definitely something to say for genetics. Having two twin daughters who are Olympians when dad was a four-time Stanley Cup champion shows that the “apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree”. Anders Kallur’s twin girls, Susanna and Jenny, are both former hurdlers who have competed for Sweden at the Olympics; the first time competing together in 2004 in Athens, and then Sanna competing solo in 2008 in Beijing. Modern sports enthusiasts may recognize the Kallur surname more from the twins’ Olympic appearances than for dad’s accolades on the ice.
Perhaps this is mostly due to the fact that winger Anders Kallur was more of the unsung hero for those great Islanders’ teams in the early 1980s, and more often it goes forgotten that he was such an integral part of the team. Everyone knows the big names, many of whom are also Hall of Famers, from the string of championship runs for the New York Islanders. Captain Denis Potvin, sniper Mike Bossy, magician-like playmaker Bryan Trottier, the ornery netminder Billy Smith, giant-sized Clark Gillies, along with the well-known role players like Bob Nystrom, John Tonelli, Brent Sutter, Butch Goring, and Ken Morrow. Those are the names that no one forgets. Those are ten different names that come to mind when naming members of those Islanders teams before getting to Anders Kallur, and there is still no guarantee that when rattling off the names that Kallur would have even been the eleventh to come to mind.
This is unfortunate in some ways, because Kallur was certainly a vital cog for the Isles. And there is no way that you can be a member of four consecutive Stanley Cup winning teams unless you were a necessary part that was utilized to equal the greater sum. Anders Kallur certainly did his part well.
Perhaps he is often forgotten because he did not have the NHL lengthy career like those of Trottier (18-seasons), Smith (18-seasons), Nystrom (14), Potvin (15) or Gillies (14). Anders Kallur only played 6-seasons in the NHL. And when you stop to think that in only 6-seasons he won the Stanley Cup 4-times, that is certainly a remarkable NHL career.
Kallur was downright accurate too. Twice he recorded shooting-percentages of over 20%; in 1981 when he found the back of the net on 22.1% of of his shots, and again the following season when he banked 24.3% of his shots. Nearly a quarter of every shot he took ended up as a goal for the Isles during those seasons. Kallur’s career shooting percentage average is an impressive 17%.
And it was not as if Ander Kallurs was only putting up single digit numbers. On the contrary, Kallur had a rookie season of 22-goals in 76-games, followed up by a sophomore outpouring of 36-goals in 78-games, and then 18-goals in an injury shortened 1981-82 season campaign of 58-games.
In addition to putting the puck in the net, Anders Kallur was very much responsible in his own end and on the penalty-kill. In his six NHL seasons, Kallur posted a career total of 19 shorthanded goals. Kallur’s teammate and Hockey Hall of Famer Bryan Trottier also scored 19 career shorthanded goals. But Trottier did it in 12 more seasons than Kallur and in 896 more games! Not to mention the fact that Trottier was a far more prolific scorer than Kallur. In fact, not one of Kallur’s Islanders’ teammates from the four consecutive Cup runs scored more shorthanded goals as a member of the Islanders that Anders Kallur (NOTE: of all of Kallur’s teammates, only Butch Goring scored more career shorthanded goals with 40 total, but most of those came with the Los Angeles Kings; Bryan Trottier and Bob Bourne are tied with Kallur at 19 career shorties, but not all of their 19 were scored with the Islanders). Kallur’s finest season for shorthanded output was his first year in the NHL when tied for first overall with the Flyers Reggie Leach, as both wingers knotted 4-shorthanded goals a piece for most in the league.
His penalty-killing and defensive capabilities certainly garnered at least some attention throughout the league. In 1981, Kallur tied for 10th for Frank J. Selke Trophy voting as the NHL’s best defensive-forward. The following season in 1982, he was 22nd overall in the voting. But in an era when the Montreal Canadiens Bob Gainey was the chief forward at defensive responsibilities, it was a long shot for Kallur no matter what.
Anders Kallur would retire at the end of the 1984-85 NHL season. It would be the only season in Kallur’s career that the Islanders would not make it to the Stanley Cup Finals. During his final season, Kallur was the third oldest player on the team at 32-years of age. The second oldest, Butch Goring, would be traded to Boston, while battlin’ Billy Smith’s best years in net were behind him and youngster Kelly Hrudey took over the starting role. The story was being closed on the Islanders’ glory days, and new, young talent in the likes of Pat LaFontaine, Patrick Flatley, Hrudey, and Gerald Diduck emerged. It was time to move on.
Though his name might not be as household as Bossy, Gillies, Nystrom or Trottier, it is important that attention is paid to Anders Kallur’s contribution to the Islanders’ dynasty. With his defensive mindedness as a forward, it would be safe to assume that Kallur made a significant difference for the betterment of the Isles when he was on the ice. Perhaps he stole them a shift here, or a game there. Or maybe even a series. Being defensively responsible as a forward on the ice can oftentimes go unnoticed because it is not as glamorous as Bossy scoring his 50th goal in 50-games. But defensive responsibility matters. It wins hockey games. Kallur’s career and contributions matter. And I would like to think that his play was a necessary ingredient in the Islanders’ recipe for four straight Stanley Cups.
Musings of a Hockey Enthusiast 