Ulf Bo Samuelsson (born March 26, 1964) is a Swedish-American former professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...
defenceman
Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the latter a reference t ...
who formerly served as assistant coach of the
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference, and initially played their home g ...
of the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...
. He played several seasons in the NHL with the
Hartford Whalers
The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut. The club played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 until 1979, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979 to ...
,
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...
, New York Rangers,
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference, and are ...
, and
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...
. He was a two-time
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
champion as a member of the Penguins in 1991 and 1992 and is the first European-born player to have
2,000 career penalty minutes.
During his playing career, Samuelsson was viewed by NHL stars as "the most hated man in hockey"; he was described to the
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
as "the lowest form of human being" and someone whose play is all about "trying to hurt you and knock you out of the game". He is also infamous for his knee-to-knee hit on Boston Bruins
Cam Neely
Cameron Michael Neely (born June 6, 1965) is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player. Neely played right wing for the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1983 to 1996. Nicknamed " ...
during the 1991 playoffs that was a contributing factor of Neely's early retirement five years later.
Playing career
Samuelsson was selected 67th overall by the
Hartford Whalers
The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut. The club played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 until 1979, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979 to ...
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
An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or d ...
for the 1986–87 season.
He was traded to the
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...
along with
Ron Francis
Ronald Michael Francis Jr. (born March 1, 1963) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He is the general manager of the Seattle Kraken that inaugurated its first season in 2021. Drafted fourth overall in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, ...
in 1991 and was a member of Pittsburgh's
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
winning team in 1991 and 1992. He scored the 1991 Stanley Cup-winning goal in game six of the
finals
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
against the
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...
, at 2:00 of the first period in what became an 8–0
blowout
Blowout or Blow out may refer to:
Film and television
*''Blow Out'', a 1981 film by Brian De Palma
* ''The Blow Out'', a 1936 short film
* ''Blow Out'' (TV series), a TV series on Bravo
* "Blow Out" (''Prison Break''), an episode of ''Prison ...
victory for Pittsburgh.
In a game versus the
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making ...
during the
1991 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Samuelsson hit Bruins' star forward
Cam Neely
Cameron Michael Neely (born June 6, 1965) is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player. Neely played right wing for the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1983 to 1996. Nicknamed " ...
with a knee-on-knee check that injured Neely and caused him to develop a condition called
myositis ossificans
Myositis ossificans comprises two syndromes characterized by heterotopic ossification (calcification) of muscle. The World Health Organization, 2020, has grouped myositis ossificans together with fibro-osseous pseudotumor of digits as a single spec ...
, which ultimately ended his career.
As a member of the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its ho ...
in 1995, Samuelsson was famously knocked
unconscious by a
sucker punch
A sucker punch (American English), also known as a dog shot, coward punch, king hit or one-punch attack
( Australian and New Zealand English) or cold-cock (American English), is a punch made without warning or while the recipient is distracted ...
to the face from
Tie Domi
Tahir "Tie" Domi (born November 1, 1969) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Known as an enforcer, he played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers and Winnipeg Jets over a 16-year NHL career. He is the Maple Leafs' al ...
of the
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
. Domi received an eight-game suspension and a fine for the incident, described by some as one of the
cheapest shots in NHL history. Domi insisted that Samuelsson provoked the punch by repeatedly calling him "dummy".
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
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 ( ja, 長野1998), was a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Japan, with some events taking place in the ...
, 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. The entire ordeal was listed as the seventy-second most important international story by the
IIHF
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; french: Fédération internationale de hockey sur glace; german: Internationale Eishockey-Föderation) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 83 m ...
in their centennial celebrations in 2008.
Transactions
*March 4, 1991 – traded by the Hartford Whalers, along with Ron Francis and
Grant Jennings
Grant Curtis Jennings (born May 5, 1965) is a former National Hockey League defenceman.
Career
Jennings played Midget AAA for the Notre Dame Hounds of Wilcox, Saskatchewan and then moved onto play Junior A hockey in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey ...
, to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for
John Cullen,
Jeff Parker, and
Zarley Zalapski
Zarley Bennett Zalapski (April 22, 1968 – December 10, 2017) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played from 1987 to 2010.
Playing career
Zalapski's career started with the Fort Saskatchewan Traders of the Alberta Junior Hock ...
*August 31, 1995 – traded by the Pittsburgh Penguins, along with
Luc Robitaille
Luc Jean-Marie Robitaille (born February 17, 1966) is a Canadian–American professional ice hockey executive and former player. He currently serves as president of the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL).
During his 19-seaso ...
, to the New York Rangers in exchange for
Petr Nedvěd and
Sergei Zubov.
*March 23, 1999 – traded by the New York Rangers to the
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference, and are ...
in exchange for Detroit's 1999 second round draft choice and the Rangers' 1999 third round draft choice.
*June 25, 1999 – traded by the Detroit Red Wings to the
Atlanta Thrashers
The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League (NHL) on June 25, 1997, and became the League's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 seaso ...
in exchange for future considerations.
*October 19, 1999 – signed as a free agent by the
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...
.
Personal life
Samuelsson is a resident of
Scottsdale, Arizona
, settlement_type = City
, named_for = Winfield Scott
, image_skyline =
, image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg
, image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg
, nic ...
. Samuelsson's sons,
Philip
Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who populariz ...
,
Henrik and Adam are professional hockey players. His daughter, Victoria, played hockey at
Penn State University
The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...
.
Coaching career
On May 2, 2011, Samuelsson accepted the head coaching position of
Modo Hockey
Modo Hockey (or MoDo with uppercase letters) is a professional ice hockey club in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. The team plays in Sweden's second-tier league HockeyAllsvenskan. The club was founded in 1987 and has won one SHL championships; in 2007 ...
,
a position he held for two seasons.
On May 31, 2016, it was announced that Samuelsson accepted a head coach position with the
Charlotte Checkers
The Charlotte Checkers are a minor-league professional ice hockey team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the American Hockey League (AHL), and are the top minor league aff ...
of the
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the lea ...
.
In 2017 Samuelsson was hired as an assistant coach with the
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Divisio ...
of the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...
. On November 6, 2018, he was fired along with head coach
Joel Quenneville.
* 2003–04, head coach, Phantoms Ice Hockey Club squirt minor AAA
* 2004–05, assistant coach,
Avon Old Farms School
, motto_translation = Aspiring and Persevering
, address = 500 Old Farms Road
, city = Avon
, state = Connecticut
, zipcode = 06001
, country = United St ...
* 2005–06, assistant coach,
Hartford Wolf Pack
The Hartford Wolf Pack are a professional ice hockey team based in Hartford, Connecticut. A member of the American Hockey League (AHL), they play their home games at the XL Center. The team was established in 1926 as the Providence Reds. After a ...
* 2006–11, assistant coach,
Phoenix Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mull ...
* 2011–13, head coach,
Modo Hockey
Modo Hockey (or MoDo with uppercase letters) is a professional ice hockey club in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. The team plays in Sweden's second-tier league HockeyAllsvenskan. The club was founded in 1987 and has won one SHL championships; in 2007 ...
* 2013–16, assistant coach,
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its ho ...
* 2016–17, head coach,
Charlotte Checkers
The Charlotte Checkers are a minor-league professional ice hockey team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the American Hockey League (AHL), and are the top minor league aff ...
* 2017–18, assistant coach,
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Divisio ...
* 2019–20, pro scout,
Seattle Kraken
The Seattle Kraken are a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle. The Kraken compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and began play during the league's 2021–22 season. ...
* 2019–20, head coach,
Leksands IF
* 2020–21, assistant coach,
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference, and initially played their home g ...
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
Career achievements
* 2× Stanley Cup champion –
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...
,
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engin ...
See also
*
List of NHL players with 1,000 games played
*
List of NHL players with 2,000 career penalty minutes
This is a list of ice hockey players who have accumulated at least 2,000 Penalty (ice hockey), penalties in minutes (PIMs) in the National Hockey League (NHL) through the end of the 2018–19 NHL season, 2018–19 NHL regular season.
3,000 or mo ...
References
External links
*
Hockey Draft Central
{{DEFAULTSORT:Samuelsson, Ulf
1964 births
Living people
Arizona Coyotes coaches
Binghamton Whalers players
Chicago Blackhawks coaches
Detroit Red Wings players
Hartford Whalers draft picks
Hartford Whalers players
Ice hockey players at the 1998 Winter Olympics
Leksands IF players
National Hockey League All-Stars
New York Rangers players
New York Rangers coaches
Olympic ice hockey players of Sweden
People from Moorestown, New Jersey
People with acquired American citizenship
Philadelphia Flyers players
Pittsburgh Penguins players
Stanley Cup champions
Swedish emigrants to the United States
Swedish expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Swedish ice hockey coaches
Swedish ice hockey defencemen