A native of Pitea, Sweden, Mikael Renberg was drafted from his hometown in 1990 by the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers selected Renberg 40th overall in the NHL Entry Draft. He remained in Sweden the next three season with Lulea HF and stints with the Swedish junior and national teams. In 1993 Mikael earned a silver medal with the national team at the World Championship and a chance to make the Flyer lineup in the fall. He made the most of his opportunity. Renberg performed so well that he just missed out on winning the Calder Trophy for best rookie.
It took the remarkable performance of Martin Brodeur to deny Renberg of the award. Renberg did settle for setting the Flyer rookie scoring record and being named as Philadelphia' s Pelle Linbergh Trophy winner. The following season Renberg teamed up with Eric Lindros and John Leclair to form the " Legion of Doom" line. The Flyers captured the Atlantic Division title and advanced as far as the Eastern Conference finals before bowing out. Renberg was recognized with the Viking Award as the league' s top Swedish player.
Injuries limited Renberg' s playing time in 1995-96 but he rebounded the next season by helping Philadelphia claim the Prince of Wales Trophy. The Flyers lost out to Detroit for the Stanley Cup. Sensing they were a player or two short of winning the NHL' s top prize, the Flyers traded Renberg to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 1997 off-season. Just over a year later the Flyers dealt with the Lightning to get Renberg back in the fold. In the meantime Mikael Renberg had represented his country in the 1998 Olympics and 1998 World Championship, winning gold in the latter tournament.
Renberg stayed with the Flyers until March 8, 2000, when he was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes. Mikael play just ten games and five playoff contests before returning to Sweden. The next season he opted to stay with his old club, Lulea HF, before returning in 2001 with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who had traded for his playing rights.
Prior to his arrival with the Leafs, Renberg representd Sweden at the 2001 World Championships. Upon his return to the NHL, Renberg went on to become a solid two-way player for the club, despite battling injuries and went on to represent his country for the second time at the Olympics, at the Salt Lake City Games in 2002.
