Ulf Sterner Ulf " Uffe " Sterner ( born February 11 , 1941 ) is a Swedish retired 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 January 27 , 1965 , he became the first European - trained player to play in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) . 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 November 12 , 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 . His team won the game 5 – 3 and took the gold medal . At the 1963 World Championship , he scored a hat trick against Canada in a 4 – 1 win . After the game , he and teammate Tumba Johansson met King Gustaf VI Adolf and received a royal congratulations . 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 team won a silver medal . Sterner arrived for training camp in 1964 and 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 adapted and earned a promotion to the Baltimore Clippers of the American Hockey League . Finally , on January 27 , 1965 , he joined the Rangers in a game against the Boston Bruins , becoming the first European - trained player to play in the NHL . Ultimately , Sterner played only four games in the NHL , and he did not register a point . 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 going to return to the NHL . 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 and played in the NHL for 17 years .