> [!quote|no-t c-p-sm bg-c-red txt-c] > “Your boyfriend sucks.” > [!infobox|wikipedia] > # Matti Årud > ![[matti.png]] > > | | | > | ---- | ---- | > | **Born** | 20 Jan 1984 (age 33) <br>Lycksele, Sweden | > ###### Player stats > | | | > | ---- | ---- | > | **Height** | 6 ft 7 in (201 cm) | > | **Weight** | 246 lbs (112 kg) | > | **Jersey** | Årud #77 (A) | > | **Nicknames** | Rudy, Mats | > | **Position** | Center | > | **Shoots** | Left | > | **NHA team** | *[[San Francisco Blades]]* | > | **Former teams** | [[Uppsala HF]] <br>[[Malmö IK]] | > | **National team** | Sweden | > | **NHA Draft** | 205th overall, 2002 <br>[[Minneapolis Moose]] | > | **Playing career** | 2001–present | > ###### Personal > | | | > | ---- | ---- | > | **Background** | Sami Swedish | > | **Languages** | Sami, Swedish, English | > | **Orientation** | Bisexual | > | **Gender** | Cis man | > | **Pronouns** | He/him | **Matti Robin Årud** (_MAHT-tee AW-rood_; born January 20, 1984) is a Swedish professional ice hockey center who plays for the [[San Francisco Blades]] in the [[National Hockey Association]]. He is currently serving as an alternate captain for the Blades. # Public history Årud was born to a family of Sami reindeer herders and his natural skating talent was recognized early. He was sent to an athletics high school in Sundsvall. Årud did well in school and sports, graduating secondary school at the age of 17. He moved to Uppsala after being offered a semi-professional contract with Uppsala HF. He was drafted in the seventh round, 205th overall, in the 2002 NHA Entry Draft by the [[Minneapolis Moose]]. Årud refused his initial entry-level contract with Minneapolis and continued playing for Uppsala. Minneapolis gave up their signing rights for Årud the next season, allowing the Blades to sign him in the 2003-04 NHA season as a restricted free agent. During the [[2014 NHA partial lockout]], the team that Årud was playing for, [[Malmö IK]], unexpectedly ceased operations and declared bankruptcy. Unlike his other Malmö teammates, he did not seek employment from other European teams afterwards. He returned to the San Francisco Blades for the 2015-16 season and has been playing for them since. Årud married teammate [[Khai Harper|Khai Harper]] in 2016, after thirteen years of being in the Blades organization together. They signed matching 4-year contract extensions the same year. --- > [!NOTE]- Private notes > Matti was previously married to [[Isak Axelsson]], long-time goalie for [[Malmö IK]], before their falling out and subsequent divorce in 2014. Isak's drunken assault on Matti led him to press charges against both Axelsson and Malmö IK. The pressure led to the exposure of an embezzlement scheme within the organization and eventually led to the team's collapse. Matti spent the rest of the season in his hometown of Lycksele recovering while Angel kept him company. ## Design Notes - Matti's eyes are hazel, but often appear blue-gray in bright lights or on the ice. - His eyelids have partial epicanthic folds (monolids). - Matti's beard is well-groomed and close cut. - He has several tattoos, most notably a full sleeve on his right arm and a diamond on the left side of his neck. His small moon on his left hand matches with [[Khai Harper|Khai]]'s sun. ## Trivia - Matti lived with [[Angel Sheppard|Angel Sheppard]] and played alongside him for Malmö IK during the 2014 NHA partial lockout. - He enjoys cooking and loves to barbeque. - Matti was only 6 ft 3 in and 220 lbs at the 2002 draft and did not stop growing until 2004, when he was 20. - He often underestimates his size and gets caught on doorways, light fixtures, and cobwebs. - Thinks it's illegal to eat candy on weekdays ## Likes - Chocolate!! - Sunny weather - Mountain biking - Stargazing and astronomy - Instrumental string music ## Dislikes - Solitude - Addressing his past - Staying still - Large birds - Schedules ## Relationships > [!kith|friend] **[[Angel Sheppard|Angel Sheppard]]** _Friend_ > “Me and Angel have been through a lot together. I'm glad we're reunited, I've missed talking to him.” > [!kith|friend] **[[Tomek Trčka|Tomek Trčka]]** _Friend_ > “I think he's starting to rub off on me too much, I said 'I'm gonna take a napperooskis' the other day and I hated it.” > [!kith|romantic] **[[Khai Harper|Khai Harper]]** _Wife_ > “Khai's the most talented, most beautiful, most caring woman this world has ever known. I'm lucky to be her teammate... and her husband.”