Mikael Samuelsson

Mikael Samuelsson (born December 23, 1976 in Mariefred, Södermanland County) is a Swedish professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is a member of the exclusive Triple Gold Club, having won the Stanley Cup, Olympics, and World Championship.

San Jose Sharks
Samuelsson was drafted in the 5th round, 145th overall, by the San Jose Sharks in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. He was with the Sharks in 2000–01, played in four games and did not register any points.

New York Rangers
The following season he signed with the New York Rangers. Over the two seasons that he played for New York, he scored 14 goals and 24 assists for 38 points as a Ranger. During the 2002–03 season he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Pittsburgh Penguins
Samuelsson would go on to score 2 goals in 22 games. Looking to move up in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft the Pens traded him, along with their 1st and 2nd round picks, to the Florida Panthers. In return, the Pittsburgh Penguins would receive the first overall pick, which would be used to draft goaltender Marc-André Fleury. Pittsburgh also received Florida's third round pick, which was used to draft Daniel Carcillo.

Florida Panthers
Samuelsson was traded to the Panthers on June 21, 2003, the day of the NHL draft. The Florida Panthers also received Pittsburgh's first and second round picks, which were used to draft Nathan Horton and Stefan Meyer respectively. Samuelsson spent most of his time with the Panthers on the injured reserve list. On November 22, 2003, Samuelsson would fracture his jaw after being hit by Branislav Mezei's stick. He would not return until January 22, 2004, missing 22 games. Twelve days later, on January 23, 2004, Samuelsson would fracture his hand. He would miss another 21 games before returning on March 9, 2004. After scoring 9 points in 37 games, Samuelsson did not receive a qualifying offer from the Florida Panthers, therefore making him an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his professional career.

NHL Lockout
During the NHL lockout, Samuelsson played in Europe, splitting his time between Genève-Servette HC of the Swiss Nationalliga A and Södertälje SK of the Swedish Elitserien.

Detroit Red Wings
In the summer of 2005 Samuelsson was contacted by Håkan Andersson of the Detroit Red Wings. Andersson was aware Samuelsson did not have a contract, recommended him to the team, and Samuelsson subseqently signed a one-year contract with Detroit. During his first season with the Red Wings, Samuelsson recorded career NHL highs in games played, goals, assists, and points. In March 2006, Samuelsson signed a three-year contract extension with the Red Wings.

Samuelsson was an important piece of the Red Wings team during their 2008 championship run; he scored the first two goals of Game 1 of the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals. He soon raised the Stanley Cup after the Red Wings defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. The victory made Samuelsson a member of the exclusive Triple Gold Club, along with teammates and fellow Swedes Henrik Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall.

Vancouver Canucks
In the summer of 2009, Samuelsson signed a three year deal with the Vancouver Canucks worth $2.5 million a year.

International play
Played for Sweden in:
 * 2005 World Championships
 * 2006 Winter Olympics (gold medal)
 * 2006 World Championships (gold medal)