> Former North Stars return to Twin Cities
> Carl Magnus Hellsten / Star Tribune
>
> Swedish winger Ulf Dahlen and Finnish goaltender Kari Takko played together for the
> Minnesota North Stars, both returned to Scandinavia to conclude their professional hockey
> careers, and both are expected to play for their countries in February at the Winter Olympics
> in Nagano, Japan.
>
> Meantime, Dahlen and Takko are back in Minnesota tonight with the HV 71 Bulls, a
> Swedish Elite League team from Jonkoping, Sweden, who play the Gophers at 7 at Mariucci
> Arena.
>
> "I'm excited to play in the Twin Cities again," Takko said.
>
> "I'm thrilled," Dahlen said. "I haven't been in Minnesota since the North Stars moved to
> Dallas."
>
> Their team will play three exhibition games against WCHA teams (Wednesday at Wisconsin;
> Friday at Minnesota-Duluth).
>
> The HV 71 Bulls won the Swedish Elite championship two years ago, but after failing to
> repeat, several top scorers and both goalies departed last season. Takko, 35, who was
> playing for the Porin Assat team in Finland's top pro league, was signed to revive the team,
> along with Russian stars Oleg Belov and Anatoli Fedotov.
>
> While Takko was brilliant in goal, the team's biggest problem was scoring, and they got off to
> a poor start. At the same time, Dahlen, who had been traded to Chicago by San Jose, was
> being used sparingly and reached an agreement to be released from his two-year contract
> with the Blackhawks.
>
> After Dahlen returned to Sweden, he was offered lucrative contracts by pro clubs from
> Germany and Switzerland. He narrowed his choices to several teams in Sweden, before
> settling on the Jonkoping club.
>
> "I played with Kari Takko in Minnesota and he recommended both the club and the city,"
> said Dahlen, who is believed to be the highest-paid player in Swedish Elite League history
> with a two-year contract estimated at $900,000 in U.S. money.
>
> Dahlen, 30, was recently named to the Swedish team for the Olympics, and although Finland
> has not yet named its team, Takko is a candidate after being a part of Finland's World Cup
> team last spring.
>
> "When I look back on my years in the NHL, the time in Minnesota was great," said Takko,
> who played for the North Stars from 1985 to 1991 before being traded to Edmonton. "The
> lifestyle in Minnesota is pretty much the same as in Finland, and I enjoyed both the franchise
> and the city. I send Christmas cards every year to Tom Reid and Glen Sonmor, and goalie
> Don Beaupre."
>
> Dahlen said he also has fond memories. "My best memory from the NHL is when the North
> Stars reached the Stanley Cup finals in 1991," Dahlen said. "Unfortunately, Pittsburgh
> Penguins beat us, but I had a great time in Minnesota."
>
> -- Carl Magnus Hellsten attended Breck for a year as a foreign-exchange student
>    seven years ago, and currently is a Swedish sports journalist.
 
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