77-year-old Honken tells about the incident in SVT's Helgstudion.
The former AIK goalkeeper had moved to the United States and the NHL in 1968 and was ready to sign a contract with the Boston Bruins.
Then he got the phone call that changed everything.
- If you play a single match over there, you will be dished out in Sweden.
As a 24-year-old, I thought about the consequences of failure, then you are washed.
But with the result in hand, I would have signed on, says Honken about the conversation from the then chairman of the Swedish Ice Hockey Association, Helge Berglund.
It would be ten years before Göran Högosta and Hardy Åström became the first Swedish NHL goalkeepers in the NHL season 1977-78.
The 1970 World Cup final was watched by five million viewers on SVT
The 1970 World Cup final against the then Soviet Union (today's Russia) was watched by a huge five million Swedish viewers on SVT, which was then the only channel, up to 82 percent of the adult population followed the match that the Soviet Union won 3-1 at Hovet.
That interest made Honken popular and he received 10,000 letters of admiration after the tournament.
- It was nice and it showed that I did something good, says Honken and says that people can come forward today as well.
- But it must be 60s and 70s to recognize me, Honken smiles.
Honken's national team career was between 1965 and 1975. He played 202 A-national matches and took three World Cup silver and four bronze.