Mikael Samuelsson: Versatile Forward Clicked with Red Wings

On November 16 & 17, the Detroit Red Wings will face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators at Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden as part of the 2023 NHL Global Series. To commemorate this historic event and pay tribute to Detroit's Swedish connection, each week leading up to the Global Series, we will feature a Swedish Red Wings story in our series, 'How Swede It Is' presented by JP Wiser's. Each story is a testament to the dedication and resolve between the players and the Red Wings to build upon and maintain a tradition of excellence between Swedish hockey and the Red Wings. We continue our series with forward Mikael Samuelsson.

When the NHL resumed play after the cancellation of the 2004-05 season due to a labor dispute, the league was forever changed.

Gone were the free-spending days where teams could load up on high-end talent by outbidding their rivals, because until the 2005-06 season, the NHL did not have a salary cap.

This new NHL, with a salary cap of $39 million created a challenge for the Detroit Red Wings, who had a payroll of over $77.8 million for the 2003-04 season.

Many pundits predicted that without their deep pockets, the Red Wings would tumble from the ranks of the NHL’s elite.

“Coming out of the work stoppage in ’04-’05, we had about an $80 million team, ’04-’05, we were going down to a $39 million salary cap,” said former Red Wings general manager Ken Holland. “We ended up buying out (Darren) McCarty, bought out (Ray) Whitney, bought out (Derian) Hatcher. I said to my people, ‘We have to find some players that can play at $500,000. I want you guys to get to work here and dig up some.’

“Mikael Samuelsson was one of the players actually. We were going to go to Johan Franzen, and Dan Cleary was also a guy that came into Detroit. So (Red Wings director of European scouting) Hakan Andersson told me, ‘Ken, there’s a Swedish guy that had been drafted, I think he was drafted by San Jose, and he’s gone back home, I’ve been watching him play in the Swedish Elite League. I think he can help us.’”

Holland knew of Samuelsson, whom he saw play in the 2005 IIHF World Championship in Innsbruck, Austria. Andersson became aware of Samuelsson’s availability by watching the news in Sweden.

“There was a funny little incident. It was the lockout year. Kenny was at the World Championships, Samuelsson was playing with the Sedin twins,” Andersson said. “Samuelsson is friends with one of our really good tennis players in Sweden (Joachim Johansson), high-end guy.

“In August (2005), I’m sitting at home watching the news and on the sporting section, there was a little thing about how Mikael Samuelsson is training together with his buddy, the tennis player, and he’s still looking for an NHL deal.

“I called Kenny right away and I said, ‘Kenny, you know that guy you saw play with the Sedin twins when you were at the World Championships?’ He doesn’t have a contract. I’ll find out who his agent is.’ It took like 48 hours, then he was signed with us.”

Samuelsson’s version differs a bit, but he was working out with Johansson, played with the Sedin twins at the Worlds and was still seeking an NHL deal.

“That summer before I signed with the Red Wings, I had a really tough time to get a contract. The lockout year for me was so good because I was bouncing around the NHL, I didn’t really find a home,” Samuelsson said. “I was injured down in Florida the year before, I broke my jaw and my thumb. I couldn’t really get it going in the NHL. The whole summer I was working out, I was training.

“To this day, I haven’t been in better shape than I was going into the Red Wings in ’05-’06. That summer, I worked out with (Johansson’s) staff. That was a big thing for me. I was in shape but nothing like the shape like I was that year.”

Kris Draper said Samuelsson was “probably one of the best conditioned hockey players that I played with throughout my career. Sammy was in incredible shape, hard worker. He had a great personality.”

After a call from Andersson to confirm his availability, Holland called next and according to Samuelsson, they had “a good conversation A deal was worked out shortly thereafter with his agent and Samuelsson was a member of the Red Wings.

“I jumped on a plane and I came to the Red Wings probably five days before the season opener that year,” Samuelsson said. “(I was told) they needed to add something to the team and I was the perfect fit. All of a sudden, my five first games with the Red Wings, I scored in each game.

“It was like, what kind of start is this? I remember Brendan Shanahan on the plane, he tapped me on the shoulder, ‘You know what? I don’t really know you, but I’m supposed to be the goal scorer on this team.’ He was laughing about it.”

Samuelsson meshed right into Detroit’s puck possession system, which allowed him to unleash his extremely accurate and hard shot. He played mostly on the Red Wings’ second or third line and on the power play, where his right-handed shot proved to be a weapon.

In the playoffs, he had a knack for scoring timely goals and admits he always upped his game during postseason play.

“Sometimes in the regular season, I loved my job, but you know how it goes, it’s a grind, too,” Samuelsson said. “I never felt that in the playoffs. Every game mattered. That was my mindset. I wasn’t nervous at all. I was just really focused. I took it from there.

“It usually went my way. Just the feeling that knowing, okay, one shot can be the difference-maker in the whole series. That kind of triggered me, too.”

Looking back on winning the 2008 Stanley Cup, Samuelsson had three distinct memories all from the final series.

“In the first game against Pittsburgh, I happened to score the first and second goal (both unassisted). We set the tone right away,” said Samuelsson, who was named first star of the game. “In the last game (Game 6), Pittsburgh wasn’t going anywhere. They were right in the game until the very end. I think it was (Sidney) Crosby that had a really good backhand that (Chris) Osgood saved, which actually would have tied the game with a couple seconds left.

“When the whistle sounded and I realized we won, I felt obviously happy, but also felt so tired. On the ice lifting the Cup, it was really heavy. I didn’t expect the Cup to be that heavy. That was a combination of me being tired or me getting tired from the whole experience, the playoff experience, and the Cup is pretty heavy. It’s like 16 kilos (35 pounds) I didn’t expect that either. It’s small things like that.”

Samuelsson recorded 163 points (68-95-163), a plus-42 rating and 152 penalty minutes in 308 games with the Red Wings from 2005-09 and 2012-14.

Today, Samuelsson works as a player development coach for the Vancouver Canucks. He ran into Holland last year in British Columbia.

“I met Kenny Holland in Penticton last year and I still thank him for taking a chance on me,” Samuelsson said. “That changed my whole life and changed my career, coming on the Red Wings. In my mind, I fit in so well. Kenny gave me a chance.”

Tickets, Fan Travel Packages Available for NHL Global Series in Sweden

Red Wings fans can inquire here about fan travel options, including packages that include airfare, hotel accommodations, tickets to both Red Wings games, ground transportation, sightseeing, select meals and more.