The Pittsburgh Penguins’ organizational history has a plethora of great players, and we’ve decided to go through the best Penguins’ players to wear each jersey number. Today, we continue the list by naming the best #5 in Penguins’ history.
And, in our eyes, there are a few good candidates for this one, but there’s only one who stands out: Ulf Samuelsson, once known as “the most hated man in hockey.”
© Pittsburgh Penguins – National Hockey League
His league-wide nickname kind of speaks for itself: The Swedish-born Samuelsson, aside from being a very good defensive defenseman, was known across the league for his rough, abrasive, physical style of play.
The most infamous moment of his career occurred during the 1991 Stanley Cup playoffs against the Boston Bruins, when he was involved in a knee-on-knee collision with star forward Cam Neely – igniting one of the most famous NHL “beefs” of all-time:
Many still debate whether or not Samuelsson’s hit on Neely was actually dirty, but, regardless, he earned a reputation for being one of the dirtiest players in the league. He eventually had to answer for it in the form of Tie Domi, who knocked him unconscious with a sucker punch while Samuelsson played for the Rangers in 1995.
But controversy aside, Samuelsson was also, simply put, one of the best and most underrated defensive defensemen of his time. Known for his work ethic and defensive smarts, he regularly shut down opposing stars, and he had the ability to contribute offensively as well – including his game-winning, Cup-clinching goal in Game 6 of the 1991 Stanley Cup Finals:
Samuelsson was drafted 67th overall by the Hartford Whalers in 1982 and was part of one of the biggest trades in Penguins history. On March 4, 1991, the Penguins sent forward John Cullen, defenseman Zarley Zalapsky, and forward Jeff Parker to the Whalers in exchange for Samuelsson, defenseman Grant Jennings, and Hall of Fame forward Ron Francis. The move helped the Penguins go back-to-back in 1991 and 1992, and it gave Samuelsson the space to thrive in Pittsburgh.
Over the course of his 18-year career, Samuelsson registered 57 goals and 332 points. He was traded to the New York Rangers in 1995 along with Luc Robitaille in exchange for Sergei Zubov and Petr Nedved. He would go on to play with New York until he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings in 1998, before spending his final NHL season with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1999-2000.
Since then, Samuelsson has had some stints as an NHL scout and as a coach. His son, Philip, was drafted by the Penguins in the second round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and played five games for them in 2013-14 before being traded to the Arizona Coyotes.
Honorable mentions: Bryan “Bugsy” Watson, Mario Faubert, Mike Matheson
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