Dallas Stars coach Ulf Dahlen to coach in Sweden

by Mark Stepneski of of Andrew's Stars Page

DALLAS — Ulf Dahlen, who has been an assistant coach with the Dallas Stars the past two seasons, is heading back to his native Sweden to become a head coach.

Photo not provided by the Dallas Stars

The lure of home-cooked Swedish cuisine was just too much for Dahlen

The Frolunda Indians of the Swedish Elite League announced Tuesday that Dahlen had signed a three-year deal with the team.

Dahlen's departure to Sweden is not a big surprise. When Stars coach Dave Tippett and his staff received contract extensions in late December, Dahlen was offered one and passed, saying he wanted to assess his situation during the offseason.

"Had I been able to choose which job I would have preferred in Sweden, I would have selected Frolunda," Dahlen said Tuesday in a Frolunda news release.

Dahlen takes over a club that has had three head coaches over the past two seasons. Frolunda last won the Swedish Elite League championship in 2005. Current Dallas Stars Loui Eriksson and Joel Lundqvist were both members of that team.

Dahlen played 966 games in the NHL over 14 seasons with the New York Rangers, Minnesota/Dallas, San Jose, Chicago and Washington. He had 301 goals and 354 assists during his career. He played 369 games with the Stars franchise (1989-94 and 2002-03), registering 140 goals and 149 assists.

Dahlen led Sweden to the 1998 IIHF World Championship gold in Switzerland and also represented Sweden in the 1998 and 2002 Olympic winter games.

After serving as assistant coach for Sweden's national team for two years, Dahlen joined the Stars as a European scout in 2005. He was named assistant coach in 2006. Among his areas of focus was the Stars' power play.