Traded to Jets from Detroit Red Wings for cash ($30,000), December 23, 1974.
The Jets signed Thommie Bergman in December 1974 following his refusal to accept a minor league demotion from the Detroit Red Wings. The first Swedish player to make it in North American pro hockey gave the Jets a stong, physical presence on the blue line and he was an integral part of the Jets' first AVCO Cup championship team. He missed much of the 1976-1977 season with a recurring shoulder separation, but he rebounded with a strong season in 1977-1978. The Jets sold his contract back to the Red Wings late in that season after he requested a trade because of the Jets' financial problems.
Bobby Hull once described Bergman as “one of the 10 best defensemen in professional hockey”. Once, on national television in Sweden, he literally picked up and threw left winger Mats Soderholm after being struck by his high stick.
Bergman was a two-time WHA All-Star and represented Sweden in the 1976 Canada Cup tournament while with the Jets.
