In the aftermath of yesterday’s article about Darius KasparitisThe thought dived into my head to do a short series about the heaviest players in the history of Penguins.
As the old saying reads, the more the happier, right?
For today’s position I chose a defender, very much for kasparitis in terms of aggression and makeup.
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In a team that has not been noticed for the use of physical defenders, Ulf Samuelsson is as a striking exception to the rule. In many ways he was a dinosaur – a return to an earlier time when robust guards such as Debts’ Bill Barlko” Bobby Baun And Leo Boivin Bring the fear of God in opponents with their brutally efficient physical play.
There was nothing subtle about the game of Samuelsson. Although hardly a heavyweight, the edgy, born in Swedish, used an edgy, in your face style that delighted his teammates and furiously opponents. With an extra wide shoulder fillings, a facial shield and a grin, he looked like an on-ice version of “Robocop”.
Also played as one.
The lock was Ulfie’s peat. Opposite attacks that had the guts to venture were treated as intruders. He used every weapon in his considerable arsenal – body checks, cross checks, oblique stripes, elbows, rabbit punches and occasional facial wax – to ensure that they did not hold.
“I do what is needed,” he said. “Whatever it is needed to stop the other man.”
Samuelsson spent his forming years playing play in his native Sweden, where he played as a teenager for Leksands of the fast Swedish Elite League. Attracted by the tough, physical defense brand of the younger, the Hartford Whalers made him their fourth choice at the entrance of 1982. Almost six seasons he patroled the blue line of whalingers, pounding bodies and making enemies at a fast pace.
“No, I didn’t like him,” future black-gold teammate Rick Tocchet said. “In fact, like most people who don’t know him, I hated him.”
By 1990-91 the whale hunt was in turmoil. Armed with a mandate to shake up his team, or else, the general manager of Whalers Eddie Johnston Late Samuelsson, Ron Francis And Grant Jennings to the pens in a blockbuster six players trade.
Connected by the change of environment, Samuelsson hit every opponent who had the temerity to cross his path. He soon became a favorite of the Mellon Arena believers, who loved his take-no-prisoners style.
“I have the nickname Ulfie ‘Jack Lambert on skating’ because he crushed people one evening in Philly,” Paul Steigerwald said. “When we saw Ulfie boys hit in Philadelphia, it was the first sign we knew he was someone who would make a big difference.”
Samuelsson confirmed his physical reputation against the Bruins during the bitter fights from 1991 Wales Conference Final. He went against each other Cam NeelyAn old enemy from his days as a whaler. A 6-foot 1-inch, 210-pound plaque Graniet, Neely was considered by many as the top power in the competition, just as skilled in providing pulverizing body controls while scored goals.
“Cam Neely was a big, strong winger and he was very difficult to play against,” the late Bob Johnson recalled in the Highlight -Video, One of the heart. “Many players couldn’t handle him. He just physically overwhelmed them. Ulf has accepted the challenge. He is the most difficult man I have ever had.”
Through three emotionally charged matches, Samuelsson and Heely insisted on each other. Ulf continued to arrive completely relentlessly after the impressive brown.
The turning point of the series came late in game 3. With the penguins that protect a lead of two goals in a must-win game, Samuelsson Neely put in line again. At the last minute, the Boston Strongman took care of evasive action. The tough defender followed by his check, which resulted in a knee-on-knee collision. Neely went in a lot.
Samuelsson would be taxed for the hit for the rest of his career.
For Blood in Game 4, the revenge -made Bruins came to him with a bald anger. Ulf never staggered. Just like a best bullet, Boston faded while the pens won their first Stanley Cup.
In the next four seasons, the rugged Swede was the best at his head buttocks. He played a number of the best hockey of his career during the Mars from the Penguins to a second cup in 1992. The following season he registered a Sterling Plus/Min rating of Plus-36, while helping the team to a stunning 56-win season and the trophy of the presidents.
Penguins -fans hoped that Samuelsson would end his career in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately it wasn’t like that. In the summer of 1995 he was traded to the Rangers in a large swap with four players, which ended his run in the Steel City. He left as one of the most popular (and most difficult) players in team history.
#difficult #penguins #Ulf #Samuelson