Ulf Sterner
Ulf Sterner in the early 1960's
Born (1941-02-11) 11 February 1941
Deje, Sweden
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 187 lb (85 kg; 13 st 5 lb)
Position Left wing
Shot Left
Played for Forshaga IF
Västra Frölunda HC
New York Rangers
Rögle BK
Färjestad BK
London Lions
National team  Sweden
Playing career 1956–1990

Ulf Ivar Erik Sterner (born 11 February 1941) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey forward. He played in nine IIHF World Championships for Sweden, where the team won seven medals: one gold, five silver, and one bronze. He was also a member of the silver medal team at the 1964 Winter Olympics. Sterner played for Forshaga IF from 1956–61, Västra Frölunda IF from 1961–64, and for the New York Rangers in 1964–65, before returning to Sweden to play for Rögle BK and Färjestads BK. He finished his career in England with the London Lions in 1973–74. On 27 January 1965, he became the first European-trained player to play in the National Hockey League (NHL).[1] He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2001.

Playing career

Sterner made his hockey debut at 15 when he was accepted onto a second division club where he made a name for himself with his speed and scoring ability. On 12 November 1959, he made his international debut with Tre Kronor in a friendly match against Czechoslovakia's team. He scored his first goal in that game, which Tre Kronor won 11–3. He was the team's youngest player of all time. Through the late 1950s and early 1960s, he was one of Sweden's most popular players. He is also credited with inventing the "stick to skate to stick" maneuver. At the 1962 World Ice Hockey Championships, Sterner scored what he described as his most memorable goal when he scored the 3–0 goal against Team Canada.[2] His team won the game 5–3 and took the gold medal.[3] At the 1963 World Championship, he scored a hat trick against Canada in a 4–1 win. After the game, he and teammate Sven "Tumba" Johansson met King Gustaf VI Adolf and received a royal congratulations.[2]

Sterner with Rögle BK

His first Olympics came in 1960 in Squaw Valley. The team did not earn a medal, but from that point on he was a dominating centre in international play. By 1963, the New York Rangers had taken interest, and in October, Sterner made the trip for training camp. The parties signed a five-game tryout agreement, but Sterner declined to play that season in order to conserve his amateur status for the 1964 Winter Olympics. The Swedish Olympic hockey team won a silver medal, and Sterner then attended the NY Rangers training camp in 1964 where he displayed excellent skills. However, the NHL, unlike the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), permitted hitting and physical play on any point of the ice; international players were not allowed to hit in the offensive zone. Allowing him time to adjust to the North American game, the Rangers offered him a start with the St. Paul Rangers of the Central League, which he accepted. After two months, he had adapted to the different style of play and was promoted to the Baltimore Clippers of the American Hockey League. Finally, on 27 January 1965, he joined the Rangers in a game against the Boston Bruins, becoming the first European to play in the NHL.[4]

Ultimately, Sterner played only four games in the NHL, and he did not register a point although Rangers coach Red Sullivan praised Sterner for his puckhandling skills. But he had been reluctant to play physically or to instigate physical play. He was sent back down to the AHL, and it soon became clear that he was not willing to return to the NHL for the 1965-66 season although he had signed a two year contract. As much as his skills carried him through games in the AHL, he simply did not have the training to play 60-minute games with full contact. In 1969, the IIHF adopted the same body-checking rules as the NHL, and four years later, Börje Salming joined the Toronto Maple Leafs, ending up playing 17 years in the NHL.[4] Eight years after leaving the Rangers, Sterner and the Swedish national team finally faced the best Canadian NHL players in two exhibition games in Stockholm that were part of Team Canada's preparation for the Summit Series against the USSR. On 16 September 1972, Sterner scored against Canada as the Swedes only narrowly lost the game. He was offered a contract by the Chicago Cougars of the rival World Hockey Association but declined the offer.[5]

Personal life

Sterner, his wife Pia, and their family currently live on a farm near Karlstad, where they keep four horses. He nicknames his horses after former teammates and friends; when one of the horses smashed his nose, he nicknamed it Alexander Ragulin.[2]

Statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
1956–57 Forshaga IF SWE 7303— —————
1957–58 Forshaga IF SWE 14202— —————
1958–59 Forshaga IF SWE 117815— —————
1959–60 Forshaga IF SWE 141762314 —————
1960–61 Forshaga IF SWE 13148222 —————
1961–62 Västra Frölunda HC SWE 131292126 764105
1962–63 Västra Frölunda HC SWE 14146206 774110
1963–64 Västra Frölunda HC SWE 12102126 714510
1964–65 New York Rangers NHL 40000 —————
1964–65 St. Paul Rangers CPHL 16129212 —————
1964–65 Baltimore Clippers AHL 5218264412 51012
1965–66 Rögle BK SWE.2 15321143— 612315—
1966–67 Rögle BK SWE.2 194111511 —————
1967–68 Färjestad BK SWE 211682419 —————
1968–69 Västra Frölunda HC SWE 1919203910 757122
1969–70 Färjestad BK SWE.2 17142236— 54372
1970–71 Färjestad BK SWE 6471113 141031314
1971–72 Färjestad BK SWE 1410152528 14561124
1972–73 Färjestad BK SWE 147152223 141021229
1973–74 London Lions GBR 64278811571 20220
1974–75 BK Bäcken SWE.3 2214304463 —————
1975–76 BK Bäcken SWE.2 2217234031 —————
1976–77 BK Bäcken SWE.2 24142438— —————
1977–78 Vänersborgs HC SWE.3 15171633— —————
1988–89 Hammarö HC SWE.3 ————— —————
1989–90 Hammarö HC SWE.3 10000 —————
SWE.2 totals 97819117231 11157222
SWE totals 172135104239147 7044307484
NHL totals 40000 —————

International

Ulf Sterner

Medal record
Representing  Sweden
Men's ice hockey
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1962 United States
Silver medal – second place 1963 Sweden
Silver medal – second place 1967 Austria
Silver medal – second place 1969 Sweden
Silver medal – second place 1970 Sweden
Silver medal – second place 1973 Soviet Union
Bronze medal – third place 1971 Switzerland
Winter Olympics
Silver medal – second place 1964 Innsbruck
   
YearTeamEvent GPGAPtsPIM
1960 Sweden OLY 50110
1961 Sweden WC 75052
1962 Sweden WC 797162
1963 Sweden WC 77292
1964 Sweden OLY 765110
1966 Sweden WC 74150
1967 Sweden WC 72357
1969 Sweden WC 1059148
1970 Sweden WC 101787
1971 Sweden WC 102242
1973 Sweden WC 95276
Senior totals 8641399036

Coaching

TeamYearRegular season
GWLTOTLPtsWin %Finish
Bayreuth SV1986–87 362196048.6673rd in 2.Bundesliga South
Munich Hedos1987–88 3625101051.7082nd in 2.Bundesliga South
Fuessen EV1988–89 3414175033.4586th in 2.Bundesliga South

Awards

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Ulf Sterner. sports-reference.com
  2. 1 2 3 "Ulf Sterner". Legends of Hockey. Retrieved 4 July 2008.
  3. ↑ "Tre Kronor's win over Canada becomes sports lore in Sweden". IIHF. Retrieved 4 July 2008.
  4. 1 2 "Swede Ulf Sterner - the first European in the NHL". IIHF. Retrieved 4 July 2008.
  5. ↑ "Den stora svenska pionjären - Hockeysverige – Mer av sporten du älskar".
  6. 1 2 3 "Ulf Sterner". Swedish Olympic Committee (in Swedish). 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
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