This article examines the role of equipment managers in Swedish male elite ice hockey. This is in relation to a major shift in terms of professionalization and commercialization that has occured within elite ice hockey as a whole during the past 40-50 years. The article themes are identified through an investigation of how equipment managers are portraited in Swedish media.

Additionally, in order to deepen the historical perspective, the article also features an interview with Anders Weiderstål, a former eqipment manager for Team Sweden. Said interview is analysed according to theories of professionalization and it reveals how both the daily work and the role within the team has changed. From being "another team member", "equipment manager" has become a professional role with a certain working language and a position of power within the team. However, many equipment managers still manifest values that can be traced back to former, more amateur-oriented ideals, which give them a unique position among players and leaders in today's elite ice hockey.