Ulf Samuelsson

Ulf Samuelsson
Born (1964-03-26) March 26, 1964
Fagersta, Sweden
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 203 lb (92 kg; 14 st 7 lb)
Position Defense
Shot Left
Played for Hartford Whalers (1984–1991)
Pittsburgh Penguins (1991–1995)
New York Rangers (1995–1999)
Detroit Red Wings (1999)
Philadelphia Flyers (1999–2000)
National team  Sweden
NHL Draft 67th overall, 1982
Hartford Whalers
Playing career 19812000

Ulf Bo Samuelsson (born March 26, 1964) is a retired Swedish professional ice hockey defenseman and currently the head coach for the Charlotte Checkers.[1] He played several seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Hartford Whalers, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, and Philadelphia Flyers. He is a two-time Stanley Cup champion, as a member of the Penguins in 1991 and 1992.

Playing career

Samuelsson has the reputation as one of the dirtiest players in the history of the NHL and one who excelled at antagonizing opponents. He was given the nickname "Robocop" for the body armor he wore on the ice, and Tuffe Uffe ("Tough Ulf" in Swedish) in Sweden.

Samuelsson was selected 67th overall by the Hartford Whalers in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft. In February, 1987, Samuelsson played in the "Rendez-vous '87" series as a member of the NHL All-Stars. The two game series between the NHL All-Stars and the Soviet national team took place in Quebec City and replaced the NHL's mid-season all-star game for the 1986-87 season.

He was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins along with Ron Francis in 1991 and was a member of Pittsburgh's Stanley Cup winning team in 1991 and 1992. He scored the 1991 Stanley Cup-winning goal in game six of the finals against the Minnesota North Stars, at 2:00 of the first period in what became an 8–0 blowout victory for Pittsburgh.

In a game versus the Boston Bruins during the 1991 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Samuelsson hit Bruins' star forward Cam Neely with an illegal body check that injured Neely and caused him to develop a condition called myositis ossificans, which ultimately ended his career.[2] Many Bruins fans still consider this to be a deliberate play. It was partially responsible for shortening Neely's hall of fame career.

As a member of the New York Rangers in 1995, Samuelsson was famously knocked unconscious by a sucker punch to the face from Tie Domi of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Domi received an eight-game suspension and a fine for the incident, described by some as one of the cheapest shots in NHL history.[3] Domi insisted that Samuelsson provoked the punch by repeatedly calling him "dummy".[4] Samuelsson himself received criticism for his style of play during his playing career.

Samuelsson played 1,080 career NHL games, scoring 57 goals and 275 assists for 332 points. He accumulated 2,453 penalty minutes over the course of his career.

During the Nagano Olympics, he was ejected from the Swedish team when it was discovered that he had requested and received US citizenship. His Swedish citizenship was revoked and he was not allowed to play. In 2003, when Sweden permitted dual citizenships, Samuelsson got his Swedish citizenship back. The entire ordeal was listed as the seventy-second most important international story by the IIHF in their centennial celebrations in 2008.[5]

Transactions

Personal

Samuelsson is a resident of Scottsdale, Arizona.[6] Samuelsson's sons, Philip,[7] Henrik and Adam as well as his daughter Victoria[8] are all aspiring hockey prospects. They have come up through the US National Team Development Program, choosing to represent the US internationally as opposed to their father's native Sweden. Philip was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft in the second round, 61st overall. The Phoenix Coyotes drafted Henrik in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft in the first round, 27th overall. Victoria signed to play her NCAA D-1 collegiate career at Penn State University, beginning in the 2015–16 season.[9]

Coaching career

On May 2, 2011, Samuelsson accepted the head coaching position of Modo Hockey,[1] a position he held for two seasons.[10][11]

On May 31, 2016, it was announced that Samuelsson has accepted a head coach position of Charlotte Checkers [12]

Career statistics

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1981–82 Leksands IF SEL 31 3 1 4 40
1982–83 Leksands IF SEL 33 9 6 15 72
1983–84 Leksands IF SEL 36 5 11 16 53
1984–85 Hartford Whalers NHL 41 2 6 8 83
1984–85 Binghamton Whalers AHL 36 5 11 16 92
1985–86 Hartford Whalers NHL 80 5 19 24 174 10 1 2 3 38
1986–87 Hartford Whalers NHL 78 2 31 33 162 5 0 1 1 41
1987–88 Hartford Whalers NHL 76 8 33 41 159 5 0 0 0 8
1988–89 Hartford Whalers NHL 71 9 26 35 181 4 0 2 2 4
1989–90 Hartford Whalers NHL 55 2 11 13 177 7 1 0 1 2
1990–91 Hartford Whalers NHL 62 3 18 21 174
1990–91 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 14 1 4 5 37 20 3 2 5 34
1991–92 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 62 1 14 15 206 21 0 2 2 39
1992–93 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 77 3 26 29 249 12 1 5 6 24
1993–94 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 80 5 24 29 199 6 0 1 1 18
1994–95 Leksands IF Stars SEL 2 0 0 0 8
1994–95 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 44 1 15 16 113 7 0 2 2 8
1995–96 New York Rangers NHL 74 1 18 19 122 11 1 5 6 16
1996–97 New York Rangers NHL 73 6 11 17 136 15 0 2 2 30
1997–98 New York Rangers NHL 73 3 9 12 122
1998–99 New York Rangers NHL 67 3 9 12 93
1998–99 Detroit Red Wings NHL 4 0 0 0 6 9 0 3 3 10
1999–00 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 49 1 2 3 58
Elitserien totals 102 17 18 35 173
AHL totals 36 5 11 16 92
NHL totals 1080 57 275 332 2453 132 7 27 34 272

International play

Ulf Samuelsson
Medal record
Men's ice hockey
World Championships
1990 Sweden

International statistics

Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM
1982 Sweden WJC 7 1 3 3 18
1982 Sweden EJC 5 2 1 3 10
1983 Sweden WJC 1 0 1 1 0
1984 Sweden WJC 7 1 4 5 18
1985 Sweden WC 9 1 2 3 22
1990 Sweden WC 7 2 0 2 18
1991 Sweden Canada Cup 3 0 0 0 4
1998 Sweden Olympics 3 0 1 1 4

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Ulf Samuelsson Named Charlotte Checkers Head Coach". OurSports Central. May 31, 2016.
  2. "The One That Got Away". nwsportsbeat.com. 25 March 2012. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  3. "The NHL's cheapest shots - Tie Domi on Ulf Samuelsson". msn.com. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  4. Dreger: Sucker-punch considered among most dangerous http://www.tiedomi.com/?p=843
  5. "Reporter's scoop reveals that Samuelsson is not a Swede in Nagano-98". IIHF. 2008. Retrieved 2009-04-09.
  6. O'Donell, Chuck. "Ulf Samuelsson: the fearsome defender recalls the night the Penguins' bid for a third straight Stanley Cup title came to an end – The Game I'll Never Forget", Hockey Digest, May 2003. Accessed December 8, 2007. "Samuelsson has dabbled in broadcasting, calling the Salt Lake City Olympics for a television station in Sweden. But mostly, he enjoys hanging out in his home in the Arizona suburb of North Scottsdale, A.Z., with his family."
  7. Gintonio, Jim. Samuelsson's son makes name for himself, Arizona Republic, April 12, 2009. Accessed April 30, 2009
  8. Wolfe, Cory. WHL gets defensive, Saskatoon Star Phoenix, April 29, 2009. Accessed April 30, 2009.
  9. 1 second ago. "Penn State Welcomes Four for 2015-16 Season :: Official Athletic Site of Penn State :: Official Athletic Site of Penn State :: Women's Ice Hockey". Gopsusports.com. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  10. "MODO Hockey". Eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  11. "MODO Hockey". Eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  12. "Ulf Samuelsson to coach Charlotte Checkers | News & Observer". Newsobserver.com. 2016-05-31. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
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