Ulf Samuelsson
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| Position | Defence |
| Shot | Left |
| Nickname(s) | Tuffe Uffe Robocop |
| Height Weight |
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 203 lb (92 kg/14 st 7 lb) |
| Pro clubs | SEL Leksands IF AHL Binghamton Whalers NHL Hartford Whalers Pittsburgh Penguins New York Rangers Detroit Red Wings Philadelphia Flyers |
| Nationality |  Sweden & United States |
| Born | March 26, 1964 , Fagersta, SWE |
| NHL Draft | 67th overall, 1982 Hartford Whalers |
| Pro career | 1981 – 2000 |
Ulf Samuelsson (b. March 26, 1964, Fagersta, Västmanlands län, Sweden) is a retired Swedish-American professional ice hockey player and currently an assistant coach with the Phoenix Coyotes. He played for the Hartford Whalers, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers.
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[edit] Biography
He was known as one of the most hated players in the NHL, specialising in heavy body checks and agitating opponents, who largely considered him a pest. His playing style also prompted his English nickname Robocop for the suit of armor like padding he wore and Tuffe Uffe ("Tough Ulf" in Swedish) in Sweden.
Labels of "dirty player" and "cheap-shot artist" stuck with Samuelsson throughout his NHL career and he is remembered by many for delivering two career ending hits. He is well known for administering a knee on knee and a knee on thigh hit to Cam Neely during Game 3 of the 1991 Prince of Wales Conference Finals, and again in game 6, which in turn, was the hit which forced Neely into early retirement.[1] Later in the 1991 playoffs, in the Stanley Cup Finals, against the Minnesota North Stars, he delivered a knee on knee hit to Brian Bellows. In addition, he ended the career of forward Pierre Mondou with a high stick to the eye while playing for Hartford in a game versus Montreal March 9, 1985.[2] His knee on knee hits and aggressive play earned him the reputation of a "dirty" player. He was later knocked out by fellow NHL player Tie Domi shortly after Domi was called for a penalty and had his stick grabbed behind the goal by Samuelsson. In a 2002 ESPN poll, Samuelsson was voted the 4th dirtiest professional sports player of all time.[3]
Samuelsson is a resident of Moorestown Township, New Jersey.[4]
[edit] Playing career
Samuelsson was selected 67th overall by the Hartford Whalers in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft. He was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991 with Ron Francis in a deal that helped them win Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992.
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 a US citizenship.[citation needed] His Swedish citizenship was revoked and he wasn't allowed to play. In 2003, when Sweden permitted double citizenships, Ulf got his Swedish passport back.
[edit] Transactions
- March 4, 1991- Traded by the Hartford Whalers, along with Ron Francis and Grant Jennings, to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for John Cullen, Jeff Parker and Zarley Zalapski
- August 31, 1995- Traded by the Pittsburgh Penguins, along with Luc Robitaille, to the New York Rangers in exchange for Petr Nedved and Sergei Zubov.
- March 23, 1999- Traded by the New York Rangers to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for Detroit's 1999 2nd round draft choice and the Ranger's 1999 3rd round draft choice.
- June 25, 1999- Traded by the Detroit Red Wings to the Atlanta Thrashers in exchange for future considerations.
- October 19, 1999- Signed as a free agent by the Philadelphia Flyers.
[edit] Coaching career
- 2003-04 Head Coach Phantoms Ice Hockey Club Squirt Minor AAA
- 2004-05 Assistant Coach Avon Old Farms School
- 2005-06 Assistant Coach Hartford Wolf Pack
- 2006-07 Assistant Coach Phoenix Coyotes
[edit] Awards
- Played in "Rendez-vous '87". The two games between the NHL All-Stars and the Soviet national team in Quebec City, 1987.
[edit] Records
[edit] 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 | ||||
[edit] International play
| Medal record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Men's ice hockey | |||
| World Championships | |||
| Silver | 1990 | Sweden | |
- Played for Team Sweden in the World Junior Championships 1982, -83 and -84.
- Played for Team Sweden in the European Junior Championships 1982.
- Played for Team Sweden in the World Championships 1985 and -90.
- Played for Team Sweden in the Canada Cup 1992.
- Played for Team Sweden in the Olympics 1998 (first part only).
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 |
| 1992 | Sweden | Canada Cup | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 1998 | Sweden | Olympics | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Aftonbladet: Svenskens fula tackling knäckte ”Bam-Bam Cam” (Swedish). aftonbladet.se (2006-05-30). Retrieved on 2007-04-11.
- ^ Legends of hockey: Pierre Mondou (English). Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum (2001-2007). Retrieved on 2007-04-12.
- ^ Readers: Dirtiest pro players. ESPN.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-23.
- ^ 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 Philadelphia suburb of Moorestown, N.J., with his family."
