Brian Mullen

Brian Patrick Mullen (born March 16, 1962) is an American former professional ice hockey player who spent eleven seasons in the NHL playing for the Winnipeg Jets, New York Rangers, San Jose Sharks, and New York Islanders. Mullen appeared in 832 career NHL games, recording 260 goals and 622 points, along with 30 playoff points in 62 post-season games.

Brian Mullen
Brian Mullen on November 30, 2019
Born (1962-03-16) March 16, 1962
New York City, New York, U.S.
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position Left Wing
Shot Left
Played for Winnipeg Jets
New York Rangers
San Jose Sharks
New York Islanders
National team  United States
NHL Draft 128th overall, 1980
Winnipeg Jets
Playing career 1982–1993

Amateur career

Mullen grew up in an Irish-American family in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, New York.[1] He and older brother Joe Mullen played roller hockey in the streets of Manhattan as children. After landing a job as a stick boy for the New York Rangers, he and Joe were offered a spot on a junior league team coached by Ranger head coach Emile Francis.

Mullen won an athletic scholarship to the University of Wisconsin–Madison where he played under legendary college hockey coach "Badger" Bob Johnson.

Professional career
Brian Mullen in 1988.

Mullen was selected in the seventh round of the 1980 NHL Entry Draft by the Winnipeg Jets. Two years later, he signed with the Jets and scored an impressive 24 goals and recorded 50 points during his rookie season. He spent five seasons with Winnipeg before joining his hometown New York Rangers where he spent four seasons. Mullen also represented the United States in the 1989 and 1991 Ice Hockey World Championship tournaments after the Rangers were knocked out in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs (he was also a member of the 1984 Canada Cup team). Mullen spent the 1991–1992 season with the Sharks and the following season with the Islanders.

On August 9, 1993, Mullen suffered a small stroke caused by a blood clot in his brain.[2] The stroke severely impacted his motor skills and he required open heart surgery. Mullen was recovering well and his reflexes largely returned to normal. He hoped to one day return to action in the NHL but a subsequent seizure in 1994 ended his dreams of a comeback and he was forced to retire from hockey.[2]

Post career
Brian Mullen at a Junior Rangers hockey program at the Protec Ponds Training Center in Somerset, New Jersey on November 30, 2019.

After his retirement, he worked for the NHL front office for eight years. He also worked as a radio color analyst for the New York Rangers alongside play-by-play announcer Kenny Albert for the 2002-2003 and 2003–2004 seasons. He is currently a youth hockey coach with the Protec Ducks of the New Jersey Youth Hockey League (NJYHL) who skate out of Protec Hockey Ponds in Somerset, New Jersey.

Awards and accomplishments

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1977–78 New York Westsiders NYJHL 33 21 36 57 38 — — — — —
1978–79 New York Jr. Rangers NYJHL 36 47 45 92 — — — — — —
1979–80 New Jersey Rockets NYJHL 23 45 31 76 — — — — — —
1980–81 University of Wisconsin WCHA 38 11 13 24 28 — — — — —
1981–82 University of Wisconsin WCHA 33 20 17 37 10 — — — — —
1982–83 Winnipeg Jets NHL 80 24 26 50 14 3 1 0 1 0
1983–84 Winnipeg Jets NHL 75 21 41 62 28 3 0 3 3 6
1984–85 Winnipeg Jets NHL 69 32 39 71 32 8 1 2 3 4
1985–86 Winnipeg Jets NHL 79 28 34 62 38 3 1 2 3 6
1986–87 Winnipeg Jets NHL 69 19 32 51 20 9 4 2 6 0
1987–88 New York Rangers NHL 74 25 29 54 42 — — — — —
1988–89 New York Rangers NHL 78 29 35 64 60 3 0 1 1 4
1989–90 New York Rangers NHL 76 27 41 68 42 10 2 2 4 8
1990–91 New York Rangers NHL 79 19 43 62 44 5 0 2 2 0
1991–92 San Jose Sharks NHL 72 18 28 46 66 — — — — —
1992–93 New York Islanders NHL 81 18 14 32 28 18 3 4 7 2
NHL totals 832 260 362 622 414 62 12 18 30 30

International
Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
1980 United States WJC 5 2 3 5 0
1981 United States WJC 5 0 2 2 6
1984 United States CC 4 0 0 0 0
1989 United States WC 10 2 3 5 4
1991 United States WC 10 4 4 8 6
Junior totals 10 2 5 7 6
Senior totals 24 6 7 13 10
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References
  1. Allen, Kevin. "Mullen brothers come long way from Hell's Kitchen", USA Today, February 7, 1989. Accessed August 11, 2009.
  2. "Mullen strolls down memory lane". Winnipeg Free Press. October 21, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
  3. Cohen, Russ; Halligan, John; Raider, Adam (2009). 100 Ranger Greats: Superstars, Unsung Heroes and Colorful Characters. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0470736194. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
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