The 27-year-old Frölunda player made her debut in the women's national team as a 16-year-old talent in 2015.
The year before, the women's team had played the Olympic bronze-medal match against Switzerland in Sochi and lost; they will face Switzerland again on Thursday.
Few could then have predicted the setbacks that would follow for the women's national team.
Their worst Olympic result came in 2018, finishing seventh; they were relegated from the A-World Cup the following year; and in the fall of 2019 the team went on a players' strike, demanding better financial conditions and higher status.
The strike lasted two months before it ended and the players' demands were met.
“Became a turning point”
Would you be standing here today with a chance of a medal without the strike?
I don't know. We felt that Swedish women's hockey was going in the wrong direction, and with Erika Grahm and those at the helm, who had been around for a while, we did it for the future. You can see how many steps we have taken since then - it was a turning point.
She says the national team is taken more seriously by the federation and those around them today.
Absolutely. We have full support, a record number of leaders, and that increases our chances of success. But it's also up to the players themselves, and we have developed the home environments. I can only speak for how it is in Frölunda, but I feel that I am developing every day.
“The biggest match”
Sweden has not won a championship medal since the World Championship bronze in 2007, and their last Olympic medal was the silver in Turin 20 years ago.
In terms of the national team, this is the biggest match, but I have also won Swedish championship gold with Frölunda at Scandinavium.
Despite Hanna Olsson's strong performance at the Olympics and the fact that she is only 27, she would not confirm whether she will remain with the national team.
I don't know. We'll see. We'll make sure to take this bronze medal and then we'll evaluate afterwards.
Considering that former Damkronor star and current Frölunda coach Erika Holst will take over as national team coach after the season, she will certainly want to have a say in the team.
For outgoing national coach Ulf Lundberg, it will be his last match with the team.
I'm not very sentimental. I usually find it quite easy to look up and take a helicopter perspective. It's just a favor to coach this fantastic group for another game.
Goran Sundberg/TT
Facts: The fall and rise of the women's Tre Kronor
TT
2014: Lost the bronze-medal match against Switzerland at the Sochi Olympics.
2018: Finished seventh at the Pyeongchang Olympics, the Swedish women's worst Olympic result to date.
2019: Were relegated from the A-World Cup in Finland, and in the fall the national team went on a players' strike, demanding better conditions.
2022: Qualified for the Olympics and finished eighth. Later got a free ticket back to the A-World Cup (replacing Russia) and finished seventh.
2026: Broke the quarterfinal curse in the championship, beat the Czech Republic, then lost the semifinal to the USA, but will play for a bronze medal on Thursday against Switzerland.
