Lennart "Joe" Hellman (2 December 1914 – 23 September 1960) was a Swedish ice hockey player who represented Hammarby IF. He competed in the hockey tournament at the 1936 Winter Olympics.
Lennart Hellman | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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![]() Hellman in 1940 with Hammarby IF. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Åke Lennart Hellman (1914-12-02)2 December 1914 Stockholm, Sweden | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Died | 23 September 1960(1960-09-23) (aged 45) Stockholm, Sweden | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ice hockey player
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Born and raised in Stockholm, Hellman started to play ice hockey with local club Hammarby IF as a youngster. He went to school together with Sven Bergqvist and Stig Emanuel Andersson, who both would become celebrated sportsmen with the club.[1] He was promoted to the senior roster in 1932, competing in Sweden's highest division Elitserien.[2][3]
Playing as a left winger, Hellman became known as a good skater and an elegant stickhandler. He won two Swedish championships – in 1936 and 1937 – with Hammarby IF.[4] In total, he played 151 games for Hammarby IF and scored 47 goals, before retiring in 1942.[5]
Hellman played 19 international games with the Swedish national team.[6] Most notably, he competed in the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The Swedish team finished in a tie for 5th place, but the event doubled as the European Championship and Hellman thus won a European bronze medal.[7][8] He also competed in the 1935 and 1938 World Championships, as Sweden finished 5th in both tournaments.[9]
He also played bandy with Hammarby IF, making one season with the club in the top tier Division 1 in 1935.[10] In 1936, Hellman also made four league appearances for Hammarby IF's football section in Division 2, Sweden's second tier.[11]
After he left the ice, Hellman continued in hockey administration, serving as a team leader for the Swedish national team. Two of his sons, Åke Hellman and Göran Hellman, would later represent Hammarby IF in ice hockey.[12][13][14]