| Gene Ubriaco | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 26, 1937 Sault St. Marie, ON, CAN |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Weight | 175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb) |
| Position | Left Wing |
| Shot | Left |
| Played for | Chicago Black Hawks Oakland Seals Providence Reds (AHL) Pittsburgh Penguins Baltimore Clippers (AHL) Hershey Bears (AHL) Rochester Americans (AHL) Pittsburgh Hornets (AHL) |
| Playing career | 1960–1970 |
Eugene Stephen Ubriaco (born December 26, 1937 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario) is a retired professional ice hockey forward who played three NHL seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Oakland Seals, and Chicago Black Hawks.
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Ubriaco had played nine minor league seasons before the 1967 NHL Expansion gave him the chance to play pro with the newly formed Pittsburgh Penguins. He retired two seasons later in 1970 following 177 NHL games. Ubriaco recorded 39 goals and 35 assists for 74 career points.
Ubriaco turned to coaching and was in charge of the Lake Superior state hockey program by 1972–1973. After coaching in a number of leagues, Ubriaco was named Pittsburgh Penguins coach in 1988, replacing Pierre Creamer. Ubriaco's 1988–1989 Penguins, led by Mario Lemieux's 85 goals and 199 points, as well as Rob Brown's 115 points, finished second in the Patrick Division and qualified for the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons. In the 1989 playoffs, the Penguins swept the New York Rangers before losing to the Philadelphia Flyers in 7 games in the Patrick Division Finals. Ubriaco's Penguins then got off to a slow start in the 1989–1990 season. Ubriaco as well as the man who hired him, Penguins General Manager Tony Esposito, were both fired and replaced by Craig Patrick in December 1989.
Ubriaco coached the Italian Olympic ice hockey team during the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. His coaching career then brought him to the then IHL's Chicago Wolves, where he coached their inaugural 1994–1995 team. He currently holds the positions of Assistant General Manager and Director of Hockey Operations with the Wolves, now in the AHL.[1]
On April 8, 2010, Ubriaco was part of the Mellon Arena final regular season game ceremony as one of five men in Penguins history to play for the Penguins and later coach them, sharing that distinction with Ken Schinkel, Lou Angotti, Rick Kehoe, and Ed Olczyk.
| Preceded by Pierre Creamer |
Head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins 1988-89 |
Succeeded by Craig Patrick |
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