Calgary Flames 7 days until the season starts: #7 Joe Mullen

There’s only a week until the season starts! With seven days left, let’s take a look at a former Calgary Flames player with that number.

Since the start of August, we’re counting down the number of days left until the regular season starts up again! Every day until the start of the season, we’ll be talking about a Calgary Flames player whose number correlates with how many days there are left.

Last time, we talked about a player who is known as one of the best players in Flames franchise history. That was #9 Lanny McDonald. Before him, we talked about #10 Gary Roberts.

Let’s keep the ball rolling and for the third time in a row, talk about a player who was also a part of the 1989 Stanley Cup winning Flames team. With seven days left (only one week!) until the season starts, let’s look at #7 Joe Mullen.

Who is Joe Mullen?

Name: Joseph Patrick Mullen

Birthplace: New York, NY, USA

Position: RW

Shoots: Right

Birthdate: 1957-02-26

Height: 5’9″ / 175 cm

Weight: 82 kg / 180 lbs

Drafted by: Undrafted

Stats with all NHL teams, regular season:

Going undrafted, Joe Mullen went off to college and spent four years playing for the Eagles at Boston College. In those four years, Mullen broke the record for goals (110) and points (212) (the records have since been broken).

But after a successful college run, he caught the eye of several NHL teams. Even Team USA for the Olympics in 1980. But instead fulfilling his Olympic dream, he decided to fulfil his initial dream, signing with an NHL team, and he signed with the St. Louis Blues before the season started in 1979. Fun fact (maybe not so fun for Mullen), but Team USA won the Gold Medal that Olympics. He did, however, play with Team USA at the World Championship that year in 1979 and he put up seven goals and eight points in eight games.

Mullen spent the entire first season down with the Blues’ CHL affiliate, before getting called up to play in one playoff game with the Blues when his season was over. He was pointless.

The following season was the same. He spent the whole year down in the CHL, but put up an impressive 59 goals and 117 points in 80 regular season games. He also had 20 points in 17 playoff games.

Calgary Flames

The next year, after putting up 21 goals in 27 games, the Blues said, “enough’s enough” and called him back up. He never went back down. The rest of the year with the Blues, he had 25 goals and 59 points in 45 regular season games. Pretty decent for a rookie. The Blues went on to the playoffs.

Mullen? He had seven goals and 18 points in 10 playoff games. Mullen was tied in fifth for playoff points that year, even with only playing 10 games. Out of all rookies during the regular season, hew as third in points per game (it’s fairer to judge on p/gp since he didn’t play a full season).

The following season, he got injured, but still managed 47 points in 49 games. The next few years, Mullen would constantly have over one point per game. Then during the 1985-86 season, Mullen was traded to the Calgary Flames. This may have something to do with some contract disputes Mullen and the Blues were having prior to the season starting which prompted him to miss some of training camp. After signing a one-year deal, there may have still been some hostility on both ends, and a trade was easier. He was part of a six-player trade.

With the Flames, Mullen had 38 points in 29 games and was helping to fulfil what the Calgary Flames needed – more offence. He was a classy guy on the ice and became a fan-favourite. The Flames went to the playoffs and made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history. Mullen had 12 goals and 19 points in 21 playoff games. But unfortunately, the Flames lost to the Montreal Canadiens. Mullen also had the most goals in the playoffs.

The next year, Mullen scored 87 points in 79 games. And with just 14 PIM, he won the Lady Byng Trophy.

Two years later, Mullen again won the Lady Byng. The Flames also made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals again.. and this time, they won the cup! That year, Mullen reached the 50 goal mark for the first time in his career and reached 100 points for the first time as well. And he also had a +51, winning the Bud Light Trophy for the best +/-.

In the playoffs, Mullen was a big factor in why they even won a cup. He had 16 goals and 24 points in 21 playoff games. He again had the most goals among all skaters in the playoffs.

The following year, Mullen’s point-production took a massive dip and suddenly, he wasn’t the Mullen the Calgary Flames initially traded for. So after that year, they traded him to the Pittsburgh Penguins. It came at the right time. That first season with the Pens, he won another Cup. He had eight goals and 17 points in 22 playoff games. The following year, he won another cup again with the Pens.

Mullen would end up playing for Pittsburgh for the rest of his career, spending one year with the Boston Bruins, but then heading back to Pittsburgh to finish his career off. He decided to hang his skates up in 1997.

Besides that one World Championship I mentioned earlier, Mullen would go off to play in three Canada Cups and one more World Championship.He may

Mullen was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000. He now spends his time with the Philadelphia Flyers coaching staff.

Next: Flames Daily - Who's making the final cut?

He may not have played in the NHL right away, but he still managed played over 1000 games. A great feat, and adding some Cups and induction to the HHOF to the mix, you’ve got yourself a great career.

Who says you need to be drafted?