Ex-Penguins defenseman Ulf Samuelsson still hopes to coach in NHL

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Ulf Samuelsson enjoys the sleek and skilled NHL of 2020. Honest.

“Obviously, more speed now,” Samuelsson said. “Skill is utilized. I think they’ve done a tremendous job with the game. I love it how fast it is.”

But …

“Sometimes, I wish it was a little more physical,” said Samuelsson, one of the most violent — and, not coincidentally, popular — players in Penguins history. “It’s hard to be a physical player nowadays because if you get into a situation a little bit wrong or hit in the head, you get suspended. So you’ve got to be really careful and selective. The way the players respect each other now, I think (commissioner Gary) Bettman and company have done a tremendous job.”

To hear Samuelsson lament the dispersion of the sport’s physical element isn’t surprising. After all, in a 16-year career as a defenseman, he racked up 2,453 penalty minutes, 26th most in NHL history. A member of the Penguins’ first two Stanley Cup championship teams in the early 1990s, his hostile methods made him a favorite of none other than Steelers great Jack Lambert.

It shouldn’t be surprising, either, that he is so well-versed in the modern game. Especially given his current vocation.

In September, Samuelsson was hired as a scout for the NHL’s still-unnamed Seattle expansion franchise by general manager Ron Francis, his longtime teammate with the Hartford Whalers as well as the Penguins.

The position filled a void in Samuelsson’s life after he was fired as an assistant coach by the Blackhawks in November 2018.

“Ronnie and I talk all the time,” Samuelsson said. “This thing came about. He asked me if I’d do some scouting. I started to do it, and I’m really glad I did it because now, I’ve got the itch back for hockey. I haven’t done much before this since I got fired from the Blackhawks. It was a good little breather, a little break. Now, I’m really hungry and anxious to get involved in the game again.”

Out of work in hockey for the first time since he began playing professionally in 1980, Samuelsson saw benefit in being unemployed.

“I feel like I’ve been doing a lot of hockey ever since I started,” said Samuelsson, 55. “I haven’t had any breaks. I haven’t been fired before. It’s kind of just gone on season after season. I have four kids involved in hockey. So watching their games, talking to them, doing video.

“It’s been a lot of hockey and a lot of coaching. It was actually not bad for me to take a little breather because now I really feel pumped up to be involved again. I realize how lucky I am to still be involved in this game.”

His current involvement is unique given he is scouting for a team that doesn’t exist yet. Based out of San Diego, Samuelsson scouts the West Coast and the Southwest at NHL and AHL games.

“(Seattle management is) building a database from scratch,” Samuelsson said during an interview with the Tribune-Review during the Penguins’ game against the Arizona Coyotes on Jan. 12 in Gila River Arena.

“They don’t have anything, obviously, so you try to get as much information on as many players as possible. As it gets closer to the end of the season, particularly next year, we’ll continue to build the database and focus in on the players available in the expansion draft (in 2021).

“It’s very exciting. A whole opportunity to be involved with this group. Tremendous ownership. … I know Ron Francis obviously, a quality person and a real good general manager as well. It’s definitely a unique opportunity here to be involved from the bottom up.

Samuelsson also hopes there is further opportunity to coach. He has served as an assistant or associate coach with the Blackhawks, Coyotes and New York Rangers and has been head coach of the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers as well as MODO in the Swedish Hockey League.

The native of Fagersta, Sweden, retains his dream of being only the third European-born and trained head coach in NHL history.

“That’s a big goal of mine,” said Samuelsson, a candidate for the Penguins’ vacant head coaching position in 2014. “Working hard towards building a resume and a career here. I feel like I’m taking strides each time I work for (a team).

“This is pretty fun, but I think the longer it goes now, the more I miss coaching. I’m keeping all the doors open, obviously, but I’m really starting to miss coaching.”

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