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| 1980 NHL DRAFT PICK |
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Brian Mullen
Selected in
seventh round
No. 128 overall by Winnipeg Jets
Born March 16, 1962
 | Position:
Center / Left Wing
Height: 5-10 Weight: 170
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| BEFORE THE DRAFT |
Last Team:
New Jersey (NYMJHA)
Birthplace: New York, New York (USA)
Hometown:
New York, New York |
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| PRE-DRAFT
STATISTICS | | Year |
Team | League |
GP | G |
A | TP |
PIM | | 1977-78 |
N.Y. Westsiders | NYMJHA |
33 | 21 |
36 | 57 |
38 | | 1978-79 |
N.Y. Westsiders | NYMJHA |
36 | 47 |
45 | 92 |
-- | | 1979-80 |
New Jersey | NYMJHA |
-- | -- |
-- | -- |
-- |
|
PRE-DRAFT AWARDS AND HONORS
World Junior Championships: 1980 (seventh place)
Miscellaneous: Worked as visiting teams' stick boy during New York Rangers
games from 1977 to 1979 and during the 1979 NHL-USSR Challenge Cup series. He got the job because his father was on the maintenance
crew at Madison Square Garden. ... Played roller hockey with his older
brothers Ken, Tom and Joe at the New York School of Printing throughout his
childhood in the city's Hell's Kitchen section. ... Did not play ice hockey
for the first time until he was 12 years old. |
| NHL CAREER |
Debut: October 6, 1982 (Minnesota at
Winnipeg)
Numbers: 19 (Winnipeg); 19
(N.Y. Rangers); 19 (San Jose); 16 (NYI)
Stanley Cup: Never won.
Playing Status: Retired January 23, 1995 |
| CAREER NHL STATISTICS | | Years |
Teams | GP |
G | A |
TP | PIM | | 1982-1993 |
WIN, NYR, SJ, NYI | 832 |
260 | 362 |
622 | 414 |
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| CAREER NHL PLAYOFF STATISTICS | | Years |
Teams | GP |
G | A |
TP | PIM | | 1983-1993 |
WIN, NYR, NYI | 62 |
12 | 18 |
30 | 30 |
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NHL
AWARDS AND HONORS
Lester Patrick Trophy (Contribution to U.S. Hockey): 1994-95
(co-winner with Joe Mullen)
All-Star Game: 1989 (N.Y. Rangers)
Winnipeg Emery Edge Award (+/- Leader): 1982-83 (plus-11)
N.Y. Rangers Boucher Trophy (Most Popular): 1989-90
N.Y. PHWA Mitchell Award (Service to N.Y. Hockey): 1988-89
Winnipeg Playoffs Points Leader: 1984 (3)
Winnipeg Playoffs
Assists Leader: 1984 (3)
1991-92: Played on first San Jose Sharks team.
Management Career:
Named NHL director of off-ice programs prior to 1995-96 season and remained in
position through 2001-02 season.
Broadcasting Career: Named N.Y.
Rangers radio color commentator on Aug. 20, 2002, and remained in position
into 2003-04 season.
Miscellaneous: Was first player in NHL history drafted off
roster of a New York Metropolitan Junior Hockey Association team. ... Had assist in his first NHL game.
... Played on line with Dale Hawerchuk and Paul MacLean for Winnipeg in
1982-83 and 1986-87. ... Played on line with Dale Hawerchuk for Winnipeg from
1983-84 season through 1985-86 season. ... Missed part of 1984-85 season with
knee injury. ... Scored at 7:56 of second overtime of Game 1 of Winnipeg's
first-round playoff series vs. Calgary on April 10, 1985. ... Realized
childhood dream when he joined N.Y. Rangers prior to 1987-88 season. ...
Shifted from left wing to right wing while playing for N.Y. Rangers in
1987-88. ... Played on line with Kelly Kisio and John Ogrodnick for N.Y.
Rangers in 1987-88. ... Missed part of 1987-88 season with bruised left knee,
an injury suffered in January 1988. ... Joined brother Joe as part of first
U.S.-born brother combination to play in the same NHL All-Star Game in 1989.
... Was part of first official player trade in San Jose Sharks history on May
30, 1991. San Jose traded Tim Kerr to N.Y. Rangers
for Mullen. ... Missed part of 1991-92 season with sprained knee, an injury
suffered during San Jose's Jan. 3, 1992, game vs. Philadelphia. ... Missed
part of 1992-93 season with muscle spasms in neck, an injury suffered during
N.Y. Islanders' Nov. 28, 1992, game vs. Philadelphia. ... Scored at 14:50 of
second overtime of Game 2 of N.Y. Islanders first-round playoff series at
Washington on April 20, 1993.
The End of Mullen's Career: While preparing for the upcoming season with the N.Y.
Islanders, Mullen, then 31, suffered a mild stroke on Aug. 11, 1993. The problem began
with a blood clot in his left leg. When the clot dissolved, part of the
clot moved up into Mullen's heart through a tiny hole and and then to the
right side of his brain, where it blocked an artery. Mullen underwent nine
days of tests to determine if he was at risk for another stroke, but doctors
found no evidence of a chronic problem or long-term neurological damage. On
Sept. 13, 1993, Mullen underwent open-heart surgery by Dr. Craig R. Smith
at New York's Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center to close the small hole in his
heart. At the time, doctors felt that Mullen would have to miss the 1993-94
season but would be able to return to hockey after that. He resumed
skating with the Islanders in October 1993, and hoped he could make a
comeback after he was taken off blood-thinners on Feb. 16, 1994. Later in
February, doctors gave him permission to engage in full practices with the
Islanders. But things took a dramatic turn for the worse on March 20, 1994.
Shortly after learning he would go to the team's IHL affiliate in Salt
Lake City on a conditioning assignment, Mullen collapsed
during a 3-on-3 drill in the Islanders' morning skate at
the Nassau Coliseum. Doctors determined that Mullen had a seizure. Such seizures are not uncommon in stroke victims because of the scar
tissue left in their brains, and it was feared that if Mullen resumed his career,
he might have further seizures. Mullen was released from the hospital on March
22, 1994, with no intention of returning to the NHL for any part of the
1993-94 season. On Aug. 23, 1994, Mullen met with N.Y. Islanders general
manager Don Maloney, who suggested he retire and take a front-office job with
the team. The Islanders were not prepared to offer Mullen a playing contract
for 1994-95, and if Mullen wanted to continue his career, his best shot would
be catching on with the Florida Panthers, who had showed interest in him.
Mullen decided to compromise and try to win a spot on the Islanders' roster
out of training camp. If he failed to do that, he agreed to retire and finish
out the 1995 season working
for the team in another capacity. On Sept. 14, 1994, Mullen returned to the Nassau Coliseum ice as
the Islanders opened camp. The Islanders were skeptical of Mullen's ability to
play again, and told him he would not be protected for the 1994 NHL Waiver
Draft. Unfortunately for Mullen, a labor dispute led the NHL to lock out its
players for the start of the 1994-95 season, while his name still dangled on
the waiver wire. Despite the lockout, Mullen continued to skate with teammates
in preparation for resuming his career. But once the season resumed in January, Mullen
failed to make the Islanders roster and opted to retire at age 32. |
| NON-NHL CAREER |
Post-Draft Teams: Wisconsin (WCHA);
Canada Cup: 1984
(fourth place), 1991 (second place) (did not play)
World Championships: 1989 (sixth place), 1991 (fourth
place)
World Junior Championships: 1981
(sixth place)
NON-NHL
AWARDS AND HONORS
NCAA Championship:
1981 (Wisconsin)
U.S. National Sports Festival MVP: 1981
Wisconsin Kelsey Award (Most Competitive): 1980-81
Wisconsin
Rookie of Year: 1980-81
Education: Majored in science at
University of Wisconsin.
Miscellaneous: Competed in 1980 and 1981
U.S. National Sports Festivals. ... Never played in minor leagues. ...
Appeared on Nickelodeon children's TV show "Don't Just Sit There" in August
1988. ... Was active in charitable causes during his playing days in New York,
including work on the early Ice Hockey in Harlem clinics and work with the
Leukemia Society. ... Put together an online clinic of hockey drills for NHL.com
during his years working in the league's fan development department as its
director of off-ice programs.
Personal: Full name is Brian
Patrick Mullen. ... Younger brother of former NHL player and Hockey Hall of
Famer Joe Mullen. ... Son of former Madison Square Garden maintenance worker
Tom Mullen. |
| HOW HE GOT AWAY |
| TRADE: Winnipeg traded Mullen and 1987
10th-round pick (Brett Barnett) to N.Y. Rangers for 1988 fifth-round pick
(Detroit) (Benoit Lebeau) and 1989 third-round pick (later traded) on June 8,
1987. |
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SNAPSHOT '80 | | Total Selected: |
210 | | Forwards: |
122 | | Defense: |
71 | | Goaltenders: |
17 | | Major Junior: |
138 | | Tier II Junior: |
7 | | College Players: |
42 | | High School: |
8 |
| Canadian: |
159 |
| Euro-Canadian: |
3 | | USA Citizens: |
35 | | U.S.-Born: |
35 |
| European: |
13 |
| Reached NHL: |
132 |
| Won Stanley Cup: |
24 | | Hall of Fame: |
4 |
| All-Star Game: |
17 |
| Year-end All-Star: |
5 |
| Olympians: |
19 |
| Picks Traded: |
25 |
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