Nazzy - International Play

International Play

Näslund made his first international appearance for Sweden at the 1989 Four Nations Tournament in the Soviet Union. The following year, he competed in the 1990 European Junior Championships, an under-18 tournament. He went pointless in six games, but helped Sweden to a gold medal finish. He improved the following year with a tournament-leading 14 goals. His 16 points ranked second overall to teammate Peter Forsberg. Sweden failed to defend their gold medal.

Näslund continued to play in junior tournaments over the next two years, competing in the 1992 and 1993 World Junior Championships, where Sweden won back-to-back silver medals. During his first tournament appearance in Germany, he recorded 10 points, ranking third among all players, including a tournament-leading eight goals (tied with four others). Sweden finished second in the tournament's round-robin format to the Commonwealth of Independent States with a record of five wins, one loss and one tie.

The following year, Sweden hosted the World Junior tournament in Gävle. Näslund set a competition record for most goals scored in a single year with 13, while playing on a line with Forsberg and Niklas Sundström. His 24 points were second in the tournament behind Forsberg's 31. Although Sweden and Canada finished with identical records of six wins and one loss, Canada was awarded the gold medal by virtue of their 3–2 win against Sweden during round-robin play. Näslund was named along with Forsberg to the Tournament All-Star Team.

Näslund made his senior international debut later that year at the 1993 World Championships in Munich and Dortmund, Germany, where he earned another silver medal with Sweden. He contributed a goal and an assist over eight games. Three years later, he was added to Sweden's roster for the 1996 World Championships in Vienna, Austria, after the Canucks were eliminated in the NHL playoffs. He was pointless while competing in one game, as Sweden failed to medal. Several months later, Näslund competed in the inaugural 1996 World Cup, but was again limited to one game. Sweden reached the semifinal, where they were eliminated by Canada. Competing in his third World Championships in 1999, Näslund helped Sweden to a bronze medal with a 10-point effort in 10 games.

In 2002, Näslund made his first and only appearance in the Winter Olympics at the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City. He scored his first and only two Olympic goals during a 7–1 win against Germany. After going undefeated in the round-robin and heralded as medal favourites, Sweden was defeated by Belarus 4–3 in the quarterfinal. The loss was widely considered one of the most surprising results in Olympic history, while Näslund described the defeat in a post-game interview as "devastating...for us and our country." He finished the tournament with two goals and an assist over four games, ranking fourth on the team in scoring.

Several months later, he participated in his final World Championships in 2002, a tournament Sweden hosted in the cities of Gothenburg, Karlstad and Jönköping. He was added to the roster prior to the quarterfinal, following the Canucks' first-round elimination in the NHL playoffs. Sweden was defeated by Slovakia 3–2 in the semifinal. They went on to win their consolation match against Finland 5–3 to capture the bronze medal. It was Näslund's second bronze medal in as many tournament appearances; he scored three points in three games.

Prior to the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Näslund participated in his final international competition at the 2004 World Cup, where he failed to score a goal in four games played. Although he was named to Team Sweden for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Näslund chose not to play due to a groin injury. Sweden went on to win the gold medal, defeating Finland in the final.