Jonatan Berggren's Red Wings career is just getting started. It nearly came to an end last week, along with his life.
The 22-year-old forward, who's currently playing for his native Sweden in the World Championships alongside fellow Red Wing Lucas Raymond, said he was centimeters away from being run over by a tram while crossing the street with two of his teammates on their walk to the arena for a game last Thursday in Gothenburg.
Berggren told reporters in Sweden that he was wearing headphones at the time of the near-fatal-collision and didn't realize how quickly the tram was approaching as he lagged behind his teammates.
"It was close," Berggren said. "I looked up at the last second and had to jump. First and hopefully last near-death experience for me."
“He was about to be run over,” said teammate Jonathan Pudas. “(The tram driver) never had time to stop.”
A superstitious player who's quick with a joke, Berggren said that after he played well in that day's win for Sweden, he might have to start incorporating tram-dodging into his pregame routine.
"We won that match, so all's well that ends well," he said with a laugh.
A second-round pick in 2018, Berggren had 15 goals in 67 games last season for the Red Wings. He has six points in six games so far at the Worlds, second on Team Sweden to only Raymond (seven points).
Sweden, with five wins to its name, finishes out group play Tuesday against Team USA.