First Stockholm Derby in 8 Years: Will it be love or war?

Hooliganism isn't something well associated with European hockey scenes, but there is some fear that might change today at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm.  For the first time in 8 years, AIK will play Djurgården in the battle of Stockholm.  With AIK being lost in the lower leagues, and Djrugården building up to be an Elitserien power in recent years, the game itself definitely favours Djurgården, but the rivalry between the two clubs should make this interesting.  What's more interesting about the derby is that it takes place just days before each club's respective football teams duke it out on Sunday. 

Currently, AIK's football team is facing a massive fine from UEFA after AIK fans threw stones and bottles at Levski Sofia's bus.  Such occurences have become somewhat commonplace for the football fans, while the passion is a bit dim right now on the hockey side for AIK.  The team drew an Elitserien season low 3438 last Thursday for a game against Södertalje, despite the fact the team was coming off its first win in the Elitserien in 8 years. The long absence from the top division now means they have to prove to their long dormant fanbase that they belong in the top league, according to Risto Pakarinen.

It's an interesting sporting week in Stockholm as a result of the double derby.  Ola Billger of SvD Sport hopes that the hockey crowd will stand in stark contrast to the football one on Sunday.  Certainly, the lack of any recent passions between the hockey clubs will hopefully lead to a more celebratory spirit at the game than usual.  This game, and the other four matches to come this year between the teams, is moved from both team's regular rink, Hovet, to the Globe, a familiar site for NHL fans in recent years.  If the match proves competitive, and AIK doesn't fall far behind in the standings, hopefully we'll see a few more sellouts of this venue later this season.  But for now, the old rivals are probably more concerned about just who the heck the other team is...  AIK has hardly any players with previous Elitserien experience, essentially fielding a team of rookies as they operate under a strict budget.  The game starts at 6:45 PM Stockholm time, which is 12:45 PM EST for North Americans. 

Here's a look at each team's roster/stats to date, from Elite Prospects (Djurgården and AIK).  Join me after the jump for a statistical look back at the Elitserien season to date:

Hat Tricks:  none

OT Winners:  Jusso Heitanen, HV71; Johan Andersson, AIK; Mattias Carlsson, Södertälje; Martin Thörnberg, HV71.

Leading Scorer:  Juuka Voutilainen, HV71 (2 goals, 7 points), Magnus Johansson, Linköping (1 goal, 7 points); Martin Thörnberg (4 goals), Pär Arlbrandt, Luleå (4 goals).

Shutouts:  Tuomas Tarkki, MODO; Viktor Fasth, AIK; Alexander Salak, Färjestad; Fredrik Norrena, Linköping.

First goals:  Richard Gynge, AIK; John Norman, Djurgården; Henrik Tömmernes, Frölunda; Ryan Lasch, Södertälje; Johan Andersson, AIK; Linus Videll, AIK; Victor Ahlström, AIK; Jeremy Boyce-Rotevall, Timrå; Robert Rosén, MODO.