Islanders Core of the Four Anders Kallur: Swedish Army Knife

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NASHVILLE, TN – JUNE 21: (L to R) Doug Gibson, first round draft pick (#15 overall) Robert Nilsson, Tony Feltrin and Anders Kallur of the New York Islanders pose for a portrait on stage during the 2003 NHL Entry Draft at the Gaylord Entertainment Center on June 21, 2003 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images/NHLI) /

For the second part of my look at the New York Islanders “Core of the Four” I’m looking at Swedish player Anders Kallur and his impact on the Isles dynasty.

The “Core of the Four” are 17 players that were part of the New York Islanders core of players that helped them win four straight Stanley Cups between 1980 and 1983. In my first review, I looked at player-coach Lorne Henning and his two cups as a player and two as an assistant coach.

The Core of the Four: Lorne Henning – The Player Coach

While there’s debate about whether or not Henning is actually part of the Core of the Four, there is no question that Anders Kallur is part of the elite group. Henning didn’t play on all four cup teams, Kallur certainly did.

Getting to Isles

Unlike a number of players from the Isles core, Kallur wasn’t drafted by Bill Torrey. Instead, Kallur was signed straight out of Europe in 1979. At the end of the 1978-79 season, he was awarded the Goldenpucken after an impressive 47 points in 36 games for Djugardens IF.

According to Kallur, when he arrived at Isles training camp in 1979 he was so focused on making the team that he didn’t notice players were taking runs at him to test his toughness:

The funny thing is, people have told me that when I first came to Long Island guys tested me. They were running me to make sure I was tough enough to play, and I really didn’t notice because I was so motivated to make the team. I was so concentrated on my job, it never occurred to me they were trying to run me through the boards!

Kallur would clearly pass the test and establish himself with the Isles full-time that season.

UNIONDALE, NY – MARCH 02: Denis Potvin of the ‘Core of the Four’ New York Islanders Stanley Cup victories take part in a ceremony prior to the Islanders game against the Florida Panthers at the Nassau Coliseum March 2, 2008 in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Time with Isles

He’d join the Isles for the 1979-80 season and his impact was felt almost immediately. Kallur put up his first career NHL goal and assist in a 6-1 win over the Hartford Whalers. That was the third game of his NHL career.

That season Kallur would put up 22 goals and 30 assists for 52 points. With 35 points at 5on5, 13 on the power play, and four shorthanded points (all goals) Kallur’s importance to the Isles in all situations was clear.

He’d follow up that ‘rookie’ season (he was 27 when he made the jump to the NHL), with a 64 point sophomore year. Again, he’d produce in every situation for the Isles. Forty-one points at 5on5, 14 on the powerplay, and nine shorthanded points (six goals and three assists).

Throughout his NHL career, Anders Kallur would record 211 points in 383 games. He’d also score 19 shorthanded goals. Only Wayne Gretzky (40) and Butch Goring (20) would have more shorthanded goals in that stretch.

Kallur was used not only in every situation but just about everywhere in the lineup. He was primarily a middle-six player, but it wasn’t rare to see him move up to the top line for a shift or two. I like to think of him as the Swedish Army Knife.

He was just as productive when it came to the playoffs. In 78 career playoff games, Kallur has 35 points. During the Isles fourth championship run, Kallur put up three goals and 12 assists for 15 points.

In those 78 career playoff games, he also recorded five shorthanded goals. Only Wayne Gretzky has more shorthanded goals over that stretch with eight.

In 1980, along with teammate Stefan Persson, he became one the first European’s to win the Stanley Cup.

It wasn’t an incredibly long career with only six years in the NHL, but then again he didn’t get to the NHL until he was 27 years old. While his NHL career may have been short it was an impactful one.

CHICAGO, IL – JUNE 24: (L-R) Anders Kallur and Nikolai Bobrov of the New York Rangers attend the 2017 NHL Draft at the United Center on June 24, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Time After Isles

After retiring from the NHL, Kallur went back to Europe. He became a coach in Italy and France before taking a job as Director of Player Development for Swedish team Falu IF.

By 1989, Kallur was back under the umbrella of the Islanders. This time as a European scout. He’d fill that role for the Isles from 1989 to 2013.

Leading up to the 1996 draft, Kallur convinced the Islanders to draft Czech defenseman Zdeno Chara. The Isles would take the big man in the third round with the 56th overall.

Here he is discussing the pick with the Globe and Mail back in 2003:

The Islanders acquired film of Chara and watched it on the wall in a team office. New York scout Anders Kallur said it was enough to convince the Islanders to draft Chara in the third round. “He played hard, he played smart, he played with passion,” Kallur said. “He had good mobility for a man of any size. People called him raw, or a project, because of his size. But he was no more a project than any 18-year-old.”

Kallur would leave the Isles in 2013 and join the Rangers as a European scout until 2016-17 when he retired.

At the 2017 draft, Kallur pointed the Rangers towards picks Filip Chytil and Lias Andersson. While Andersson still hasn’t been a factor in the NHL for the Rangers, Chytil is clearly an NHL caliber player with back to back 23 point seasons.

Next. Core of the Four: Lorne Henning

Thinking of the 17 players that formed the “Core of the Four” Anders Kallur is one of the names that typically gets forgotten. He didn’t have the same production as the big names, but he was a vital part of the Isles dynasty.

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