Russ Moyer has put on some serious air miles playing pro hockey across Europe over the past decade.
But the 32-year-old defenceman from North Bay says he never experienced a season like this year when he joined the Black Bugs of Karlskrona which play in Sweden’s second tier Allsvenskan.
The Bugs went all the way defeating VIK Vasteras in the league final.
The team which almost went bankrupt less than 2 years ago, was backed by the community of 70,000 on the south end of Sweden.
It was the most unexpected championship Moyer could have ever dreamed of.
“As a team we were expected to finish like 12th out of 14 teams, we had very, very low expectations,” said the North Bay native who is back home for the summer.
“I bet you there were 7 or 8 of us that were castoffs that couldn’t find contracts elsewhere. It almost ended up being a rallying point for our team. We had a couple guys that stepped up and had career years offensively and then it was a balance of the other guys that sort of bought into the system and did the dirty work and it was really the epitome of a team effort,” added Moyer, who played alongside Ottawa 67's alum Kelsey Tessier on the Black Bugs.
Unlike minor pro in North America, there is a bigger prize than a trophy that comes with a league championship. An Allsvenskan title allows the Black Bugs to move up to the SHL; Sweden’s version of the NHL.
“It’s the second time in 3 years I’ve been promoted,” Moyer said.
“I went from the third league to the second and now the second to the first, but this year it was probably one of the better feelings I’ve had in hockey. I think this would be right up there with when I won an OHL championship (with 67's in 2001). It was the biggest thing just because we were such an underdog team and its a small town. Even up until Christmas it was a far fetched chance that we could do it and we just kind of rallied and got on a good run, it was so much funny, it was pretty awesome.”
But now that the season is over, Moyer is a free agent and may need to find another home next year as the move up to the first division will allow the Black Bugs to access higher calibre import players such as late NHL and KHL cuts.
“I’d like to play at the highest level possible, wherever that may be but I don’t know if I will be back or not,” said Moyer.
However, being a leader on a team that made such an unpredictable run will likely open other doors next year if he doesn’t return to the Black Bugs of Karlskrona.
