| Joe Mullen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hockey Hall of Fame, 2000 | |||
 Mullen in 2007 | |||
| Born | (1957-02-26)February 26, 1957 (age 68) New York City, U.S. | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | ||
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb) | ||
| Position | Right Wing | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for | St. Louis Blues Calgary Flames Pittsburgh Penguins Boston Bruins | ||
| National team |  United States | ||
| NHL draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 1979–1997 | ||
Joseph Patrick Mullen (born February 26, 1957) is an American former professionalice hockey player. He played 16 seasons in theNational Hockey League (NHL) with theSt. Louis Blues,Calgary Flames,Pittsburgh Penguins andBoston Bruins between 1980 and 1997. He was a member of threeStanley Cup championship teams, winning with the Flames in1989 and the Penguins in1991 and1992. Mullen turned to coaching in 2000, serving as an assistant in Pittsburgh and briefly as head coach of theWilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He was an assistant with thePhiladelphia Flyers from 2007 to 2017.
Anundrafted player, Mullen was an all-star for theBoston College Eagles before turning professional in the Blues' organization. He was named theCentral Hockey League (CHL) rookie of the year in 1980 and most valuable player in 1981 as a member of theSalt Lake Golden Eagles. He won theLady Byng Memorial Trophy as the NHL's most gentlemanly player on two occasions as a member of the Flames, as well as theNHL Plus-Minus Award. Mullen was named to thefirst All-Star team in1988–89 and played in threeNHL All-Star Games.
Mullen played with theUnited States National Team on several occasions, including threeCanada Cup tournaments. He was the first American player to score500 goals and to reach1,000 points in his career. Mullen received theLester Patrick Trophy in 1995 in recognition of his contributions to the sport in the United States. He was inducted into theUnited States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1998 and theHockey Hall of Fame in 2000.
Born February 26, 1957, inNew York City, Mullen grew up in theHell's Kitchen neighborhood ofManhattan when it was controlled byMickey Spillane (Last Gentleman Gangster).[1] It was a rough neighborhood; Mullen later said that many of the people he grew up with fell into gangs and drug use, and several died before turning 21.[2] He has three brothers, Ken, Tom Jr. andBrian, and a sister, Debbie.[3]
The Mullen family lived less than a block from the old site of the thirdMadison Square Garden on Eighth Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets. Joe's father Tom was a longtime employee on the ice and maintenance staffs at the current Garden.[4] Joe and his brothers often hung around the arena with their father, taking old sticks to play with.[3] He began playingroller hockey at the age of five, playing in a concrete schoolyard and using a sanded down roll of electrical tape as a puck.[2] The boys' schoolyard games served as a partial inspiration forNew York Rangers' general manager,Emile Francis, to create theMetropolitan Junior Hockey Association in 1966.[1] Mullen did not learn to ice skate until he was ten years old, but at the age of 14 joined the Metropolitan association as one of the league's youngest players.[3] Mullen played four seasons in the league between 1971 and 1975.[5] He scored 71 goals in 1973–74, then 182 points in 40 games the following season. Mullen's 110 goals in 1974–75 was 52 more than his nearest competitor.[3]
Boston College offered Mullen a partial scholarship for the 1975–76 season to attend and play for theEagles hockey program. He paid $700 out of his own pocket in the first year, but after scoring 34 points in 24 games as a freshman, the school gave him a full scholarship.[6] Including tournament games, he led the Eagles in goals the following three seasons with 39, 38 and 30 respectively, and points in 1977–78 with 68 and in 1978–79 with 56.[7] Mullen led the Eagles to theEastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) championship in 1977–78, and was named an all-star of the1978 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament.[8] He scored a goal in the championship game, but the Eagles lost to cross-town rivalBoston University, 5–3.[9]
In four seasons with Boston College, Mullen set school records of 110 goals and 212 points (both subsequently broken).[10] He was named to the All-ECAC, All-New England and NCAA All-American teams in 1978 and 1979.[6][11] He won theWalter Brown Award in 1978 as the top American-born player in New England,[9] and was the team captain in 1978–79.[12] Boston College has twice honored Mullen; He was inducted into the school's Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 1998, while the hockey program retired his jersey number 21 the following year.[13]
While Mullen had a successful college career, he wentundrafted by anyNational Hockey League (NHL) team.[1] His small stature, coupled with a general bias against American players at the time, especially from non-traditional development areas, contributed to his failure to be selected.[14] However, he received interest as afree agent from several teams following graduation as well as theUnited States Olympic Team.[3] He passed up the opportunity to play in the1980 Winter Olympics and signed with theSt. Louis Blues on August 16, 1979.[15] The Blues assigned Mullen to theirCentral Hockey League (CHL) affiliate, theSalt Lake Golden Eagles for the 1979–80 season. In 75 games with the Golden Eagles, Mullen scored 40 goals and 72 points.[5] He was named to the CHL's second all-star team and was voted rookie of the year.[6] He made his NHL debut in the1980 Stanley Cup Playoffs, appearing in one game for the Blues.[6]
Mullen returned to Salt Lake for the 1980–81 season where he scored 59 goals and led the league with 117 points.[16] He was named to the first all-star team and won the CHL's Most Valuable Player Award.[15] Opening the 1981–82 season with Salt Lake, Mullen had 21 goals in 27 games before he was recalled to St. Louis.[5] He scored his first two NHL goals on January 5, 1981, against theMinnesota North Stars. They came eight seconds apart and set a Blues' franchise record for fastest two goals by one player.[3] Mullen scored 25 goals for the Blues that season and became the first player in history to score at least 20 goals in both the minor leagues and the NHL in the same season.[1]
Injuries reduced Mullen to 49 games with the Blues in1982–83,[17] but he still scored 47 points.[5] His 41 goals in1983–84 set a record as the most scored by an American-born player in NHL history (broken byBobby Carpenter the following season).[18] He again reached the 40-goal plateau in1984–85, and had 92 points total.[17] He missed the first three days of the Blues' training camp prior to the1985–86 season in a contract dispute before agreeing to a one-year deal.[19] On February 1, 1986, the Blues dealt him to theCalgary Flames as part of a six player trade. Mullen went to Calgary, along withTerry Johnson andRik Wilson, forEddy Beers,Charlie Bourgeois andGino Cavallini.[20]
The Flames felt they needed a quality offensive player and expected Mullen to fulfill that role.[20] As it was the first time in his career he had been traded, Mullen was initially upset at the move. He was awed by the reaction he received from fans in Calgary however; fans greeted him warmly even as his flight landed to arrive in the city. Mullen described the experience as being "almost like ... an instant celebrity".[6] He quickly established himself as a fan favorite, scoring 38 points in 29 games to end the regular season.[21] He then led the league with 12 goals in the1986 Stanley Cup playoffs.[15] The Flames reached theFinals for the first time in franchise history, but lost to theMontreal Canadiens in five games.[17] Mullen set a personal best of 47 goals in his first full year in Calgary,1986–87, and with only 14penalty minutes on the season, was voted the winner of theLady Byng Memorial Trophy as the NHL's most gentlemanly player.[16]
Mullen's 40 goals in1987–88 was the fifth consecutive season he reached that total.[5] He won his first of three consecutiveMolson Cups as the Flames player with the mostthree star selections during the season.[22]1988–89 was Mullen's best season in the NHL.[1] He reached the50 goal and100 point milestones, leading the Flames with 51 and 110 respectively, and won his second Lady Byng Memorial Trophy.[21] He was named afirst-team All-Star at right wing and won thePlus-Minus Award at+51.[23] Additionally, he played in his firstNHL All-Star Game, appearing opposite his brother Brian.[24] He led the1989 Stanley Cup playoffs with 16 goals as the Flames defeated the Canadiens to win their firstStanley Cup championship.[21]
Though he played in his second All-Star Game in1990,[23] Mullen's production fell by 41 points, to 69, and he failed to score at least 40 goals for the first time in six seasons.[5] Concerned about his age, the Flames chose to trade the 33-year-old Mullen following the season.[25] He was sent to thePittsburgh Penguins in adraft day trade on June 16, 1990, in exchange for Pittsburgh's second round selection.[26]
The move to Pittsburgh brought Mullen closer to his New York home and fulfilled his desire to raise his family in his native United States. He also appreciated that the Penguins felt he could aid their team. Penguins' head coachBob Johnson, who had previously coached him in Calgary, influenced the team's decision to acquire him.[6] Mullen played only 47 games in1990–91, scoring 17 goals and 39 points. He missed the last two months of the regular season after having surgery to remove a herniated disc in his back,[27] an injury for which he could not identify a specificcheck or incident as the cause.[28] He returned for the third game of the Penguins' Division Semifinals series against theNew Jersey Devils, scoring a goal. Mullen finished the1991 Stanley Cup playoffs with eight goals, including two in game six of theFinals, an 8–0 victory over the Minnesota North Stars that clinched Pittsburgh's first Stanley Cup.[27]
Healthy throughout the1991–92 season, Mullen rebounded offensively to score 42 goals and 87 points in 77 games.[5] Midway through the season, he became the first player in Penguins' history to have consecutive four-goal games, doing so against theNew York Islanders on December 23, 1991, and theToronto Maple Leafs three days later.[29] He appeared in only nine playoff games, however, as he suffered a knee injury that required surgery to repair in the second game of Pittsburgh's Division Final series against the New York Rangers.[30] Mullen watched from the sidelines as the Penguins repeated as Stanley Cup champions.[6]
Mullen testedfree agency prior to the1992–93 season, but ultimately chose to remain with the Penguins.[30] He missed the first month of the season while recovering from his knee surgery,[30] but finished the season with 33 goals and 70 points in 72 games. He added 6 points in 12 playoff games,[5] but the Penguins' attempt at a third consecutive championship ended with a Division Final loss to the New York Islanders.[31] A 38-goal season in1993–94 led to Mullen'sthird All-Star Game appearance. The game was a homecoming of sorts for Mullen, as it was played in Madison Square Garden.[32]
In thelockout-shortened1994–95 season, Mullen scored 37 points in 45 games.[5] He scored the1,000th point of his career with a pair of assists on February 7, 1995, in a 7–3 victory over theFlorida Panthers.[33] He left the Penguins following the season, signing a one-year contract as a free agent with theBoston Bruins. Mullen chose to wear number 11 with the Bruins as his usual number 7 had been retired by the Bruins in honor ofPhil Esposito.[34] He missed the majority of the season after requiring surgery for another herniated disc,[35] then suffering a sprainedmedial collateral ligament.[36] He appeared in only 37 games, scoring 15 points.[5]
Mullen rejoined the Penguins for the1996–97 season, signing a one-year contract.[37] He appeared in 54 games and scored 22 points.[5] He scored his500th career goal on March 14, 1997, in a 6–3 loss to theColorado Avalanche.[38] He retired as a player following the season.[39]
Mullen made his first appearance with the United States National Team following his graduation from Boston College.[17] He appeared in eight games at the1979 World Ice Hockey Championships, scoring seven goals and adding an assist for the seventh place Americans.[40] He was a member of threeCanada Cup teams, appearing at the1984,1987 and1991 tournaments.[5] He scored two goals in the 1991 tournament, both of which came in a 7–3 semi-final victory overFinland that led the United States into their first tournament final.[41] The Americans settled for second place, however, after losing toCanada in the championship series.[40]
At the age of 41, Mullen emerged from retirement to join the Americans for a qualifying tournament leading into the1999 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships.[42] The United States had a disastrous 12th-place finish in the1998 tournament, requiring them to go into a qualifying round to avoid relegation to the B division for 1999.[43] As the qualifying tournament was played in November, American NHL players were not available.[42] Mullen recorded three assists in three games,[5] and helped the Americans stay in the top division for the 1999 tournament.[44]
"Mully spent a career excelling in areas of the ice a lot of guys wouldn't visit on a threat of death. Great balance on his skates. Great desire. Great teammate. A little guy with big talent and a huge heart."
Mullen arrived in the NHL possessing great balance on his skates, an ability his teammates and coaches believed he gained from playing roller hockey.[3] His coaches praised his willingness to play in the difficult areas of the ice, even though he stood only five foot nine inches tall and knew he would have to take a hit to make a play.[21] Penguins' play-by-play announcerMike Lange nicknamed Mullen "Slippery Rock Joe" for his ability to evade opposing players.[45]
The first American player in NHL history to score 500 goals and 1,000 points,[15] Mullen's career totals of 502 goals and 1,063 points stood as American records until surpassed byMike Modano[46] andPhil Housley,[47] respectively. Along with his brother Brian, Mullen was named a recipient of theLester Patrick Award in 1995 in recognition of his contributions to hockey in the United States.[48] He was inducted into theUnited States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1998,[49] thePittsburgh Penguins Hall of Fame as well and two years later, to theHockey Hall of Fame.[50] In 2011, the St. Louis Blues honored four players who wore uniform number 7 for their team. Mullen,Red Berenson,Garry Unger andKeith Tkachuk were each celebrated as part of the ceremony.[51]
Mullen turned to coaching in 2000, joining the Penguins' staff as an assistant underIvan Hlinka.[52] He remained on the staff when Hlinka was fired one year later, under replacementRick Kehoe,[53] thenEd Olczyk. Mullen was removed from his role midway through the2005–06 NHL season when the Penguins fired Olczyk and his entire staff. He was retained by the organization, however, and named interim head coach of theWilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the remainder of theAmerican Hockey League (AHL) season.[54] In 52 games, Mullen achieved a record of 28 wins, 16 losses, 3 ties and 5 overtime losses.[55] The Penguins chose not to retain Mullen following the season.[56] He moved to Pittsburgh's cross-state rival, thePhiladelphia Flyers, first as an assistant with the AHL'sPhiladelphia Phantoms in2006–07,[55] then joining the NHL team in 2007.[57] Mullen coached the team'spower play, and was a member of the staff when the team reached the2010 Stanley Cup Finals.[58] He remained on the Flyers' staff through the end of2016–17 season.[59]
Mullen and his wife, Linda, have four children: sons Ryan, Michael andPatrick, and a daughter: Erin.[60] Patrick is also a professional hockey player. He signed a contract with theOttawa Senators organization for the 2013–14 season.
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1971–72 | New York 14th Precinct | NYJHL | 30 | 13 | 11 | 24 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1972–73 | New York Westsiders | NYJHL | 40 | 14 | 28 | 42 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | New York Westsiders | NYJHL | 42 | 71 | 49 | 120 | 41 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 0 | ||
| 1974–75 | New York Westsiders | NYJHL | 40 | 110 | 72 | 182 | 20 | 13 | 24 | 13 | 37 | 2 | ||
| 1975–76 | Boston College Eagles | ECAC | 24 | 16 | 18 | 34 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Boston College Eagles | ECAC | 28 | 28 | 26 | 54 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | Boston College Eagles | ECAC | 34 | 34 | 34 | 68 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978–79 | Boston College Eagles | ECAC | 25 | 32 | 24 | 56 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | CHL | 75 | 40 | 32 | 72 | 21 | 13 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 0 | ||
| 1979–80 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1980–81 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | CHL | 80 | 59 | 58 | 117 | 8 | 17 | 11 | 9 | 20 | 0 | ||
| 1981–82 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | CHL | 27 | 21 | 27 | 48 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 45 | 25 | 34 | 59 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 4 | ||
| 1982–83 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 49 | 17 | 30 | 47 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 80 | 41 | 44 | 85 | 19 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1984–85 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 79 | 40 | 52 | 92 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1985–86 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 48 | 28 | 24 | 52 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 29 | 16 | 22 | 38 | 11 | 21 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 4 | ||
| 1986–87 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 79 | 47 | 40 | 87 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 1987–88 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 80 | 40 | 44 | 84 | 30 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 10 | ||
| 1988–89 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 79 | 51 | 59 | 110 | 16 | 21 | 16 | 8 | 24 | 4 | ||
| 1989–90 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 78 | 36 | 33 | 69 | 24 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 1990–91 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 47 | 17 | 22 | 39 | 6 | 22 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 4 | ||
| 1991–92 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 77 | 42 | 45 | 87 | 30 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 1992–93 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 72 | 33 | 37 | 70 | 14 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 6 | ||
| 1993–94 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 84 | 38 | 32 | 70 | 41 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1994–95 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 45 | 16 | 21 | 37 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 1995–96 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 37 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 54 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| NHL totals | 1,062 | 502 | 561 | 1,063 | 241 | 143 | 60 | 46 | 106 | 42 | ||||
| Year | Team | Comp | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | United States | WC | 8 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 2 | |
| 1984 | United States | CC | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | |
| 1987 | United States | CC | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 1991 | United States | CC | 8 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1999 | United States | WC | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | |
| Senior totals | 29 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 4 | |||
| League | Team | Season | Regular season | Post season | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pct | Division rank | Result | |||
| AHL | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | 2005–06 | 52 | 28 | 16 | 3 | 5 | .615 | 1st East Division | Lost in second round |
| 3ICE | Team Mullen | 2022 | 21 | 16 | 5 | — | — | .762 | 1st place | Lost in Patrick Cup Finals |
| 2023 | 6 | 3 | 3 | — | — | .500 | 5th place | Missed playoffs | ||
| AHL totals | 52 | 28 | 16 | 3 | 5 | .615 | ||||
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| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | ECAC Hockey Most Outstanding Player in Tournament 1978 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Winner of theTommy Ivan Trophy 1980–81 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Winner of theLady Byng Trophy 1986–87 1988–89 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Winner of theNHL Plus/Minus Award 1989 | Succeeded by |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by | Head coach of theWilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 2006 | Succeeded by |