Mats J Larsson: Now, can Skellefteå AIK:s historical era to be over

Skellefteå AIK is a club where my dad is in the picture from the beginning of the 50's, with the shirt in the Skellefteå museum (in and of itself in ungdomsbandy). My father took me to the first CHAMPIONSHIP final in 1978 against AIK from Solna, which ended with the gold.

Then it went steep – a slope that ended with 16 years outside the top flight. Association, 1997 was minutes from bankruptcy, which the journalist Jonas Fahlman, depicted in several books.

that created a march back after a few lost years where to and with club name and crest were removed. In the autumn of 2006 came the club, now in old shirts and with the withdrawal club name, back in the maximum series. Since 2008/2009 the svartgula the pride from the north of Västerbotten and never missed a playoff game.

The two straight guilders in 2013 and 2014, which I got to celebrate with my two sons, marked the peak of an era that many thought was over two years ago, when Frölunda turned 1-3-a disadvantage in matches, and made to Skellefteå missed the final for the first time in six years.

Is the era to an end now? The question was asked then, and after a, to say the least in an oscillating fjolårssäsong there were few of the supporters thought of a new SM-final. But there it was, the seventh in eight years.

After semifinalsegern with 4-2 in matches against Djurgården plummeted, however, korthuset together in the final. Only one goal in four games against Växjö was a new lows in the SHL for a losing finalist.

the Question was asked again when the team that is the worst low of eleven in the table in this year's season. When the team captain Jimmie Ericsson fell like a statue with a cut achilles tendon, it looked like a symbolism that may be the end of the series the elder player that won the gold medal in the world CHAMPIONSHIPS, KHL and SHL.

But Jimmie Ericsson and with the knife towards the throat led coach Tommy Samuelsson still team up. With luck and skill bounced västerbottningarna up to fifth place and a slutspelsserie against Djurgarden for the second year in a row.

At a lunch with a supportive network of members in Stockholm in connection with the last seriematchen in Stockholm concluded with Pea Israelsson, which existed during the greater part of the journey:

" What we have done is unique.

from the municipality where the gold bars are cast have lost 300-400 season tickets the last few years and the economy has been increasingly difficult to get together.

the Concern is that the descent after the last, shorter framgångsepoken should be as steep there of the most faithful supporters.

Such signs, and that the best players from the golden age is starting to become elderly, give me the odds 60: 40 ratio for that era is over.

But I sincerely hope that I am wrong.