Mikael Renberg - International Career

International Career

Mikael Renberg's first international experience came at the European Junior Championship, in which he helped Sweden secure a gold medal by scoring 7 goals in 6 game against Europe's top competition. Mikael next wore the tre kronor in the 1992 World Juniors and scored six goals and four assists, playing with future NHL stars Peter Forsberg, Michael Nylander, and Markus Näslund. Renberg finished fourth in the scoring behind his three aforementioned countrymen. Despite the high offensive output of the Swedes, they only returned home with a silver medal.

After graduating out of junior, Renberg represented Sweden again at the 1993 World Championships (WC). He continued his torrid international pace by being named to the tournaments' All-star team after netting 5 goals and 3 assists in 8 games. However, like before, Renberg and Sweden again went home with silver.

The potential crowning point of Mikael Renberg's international career came in 1998. 1998 was the first year that NHL players could participate in the Olympics held in Nagano, Japan. Since Mikael was playing in the NHL at the time of the Olympics, he could not partake in Team Sweden's gold medal over Canada at the 1994 games in Lillehammer. So now Renberg was named to the team to defend its gold and was assigned to play on the first line with friends and countrymen Peter Forsberg and Markus Näslund, all players from smaller northern towns. Renberg tallied a goal and two assist in Sweden's four game, as the young Swedish roster finished in fifth place at the 1998 Olympics playing against older teams in the Canadians, Americans, and Russians.

Renberg would continue representing his country in international tournaments throughout his career. After the Olympic disappointment, at the 1998 WC, Renberg and the Swedes won the gold medal, the first for their country since 1992. Renberg final two WC's were in 2001 and 2003, with the 2001 team taking Renberg home a bronze medal. Mikael's second and final try at the Olympics in 2002 held in Salt Lake City, United States. Again, despite countryman Mats Sundin leading the Olympics in scoring, Mikael and the Swedes went home empty-handed as fifth-place finishers. Unfortunately, Mikael Renberg was unable to go to the 2006 Olympics due to injury, where his countrymen led by Nicklas Lidström and Henrik Lundqvist reached the promised land once more to win the gold medal at the Olympic games.