När kulturarvet fick rädda balansräkningen. Striden om hockeymuseet i Örnsköldsvik

Abstract

This article examines the debate surrounding an ice hockey museum in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. In 2013, the local ice hockey club, Modo Hockey, received a loan from Örnsköldsvik municipality to build an ice hockey museum in its home arena. The ice hockey museum was a part of a bigger heritage project that involved various sites in the area around Örnsköldsvik, with the intention of increasing the number of tourists and branding the region as an attractive destination. However, the museum was never built in its intended form. The financial resources were instead used to cover regular costs for the club. This led to a conflict between Modo Hockey, Örnsköldsvik municipality and parts of the civil society. Theoretically, this study is inspired by heritage theory, stating heritage as a social constructed collective memory, yet also something that can be used for marketing and commercial branding. Lastly, the article is positioned against previous research about sports heritage in general, revealing that the planned ice hockey museum in Örnsköldsvik could be seen as an example of the priority conflict between balancing the heritage and continuing to be a financially strong elite club.