JOE MULLEN NAMED PHANTOMS ASSISTANT COACH

Hall of Famer Will Join Club On Monday

PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia Flyers General Manager Paul Holmgren today announced that Hockey Hall of Famer Joe Mullen has been named assistant coach of the Philadelphia Phantoms. He will begin his duties with former teammate and current Phantoms Head Coach Kjell Samuelsson following the Phantoms weekend games.

“Joe is a tremendous addition to our staff,” said Holmgren. “He is a great teacher and his background speaks volumes to his talents. His offensive expertise will bring great balance to the Phantoms. Knowing that he already has great chemistry with Kjell, his transition to the Phantoms should be seamless.”

Noted Mullen, “I’m very excited to join the organization. Knowing Kjell for a long time, I think we’ll be good for each other. He was always a great defensive student during his playing days and my experience as an offensive player should make for a great mix. With offense being a big part of my playing days, and then as a coach with the Penguins, I look forward to developing these players and winning a championship along the way.”

Born in New York, NY, Mullen played four seasons at Boston College and was a two-time All-America selection. Following his senior season in 1979, he signed as a free agent with the St. Louis Blues and was assigned to the Salt Lake Golden Eagles of the Central Hockey League (CHL). In his first season with the club he was named the CHL Rookie of the Year. The following season he led the league with 117 points, finished second with 59 goals and was named the CHL Most Valuable Player.

He made his NHL regular season debut with St. Louis during the 1981- 82 season, finishing tied for fifth on the team with 59 points (25/34/59) despite appearing in just 45 games. Mullen played parts of five seasons in St. Louis, recording 335 points (151/184/335) in 301 games, twice leading the team in goal scoring with 41 goals in 1983-84 and 40 markers in 1984-85. They were the first two seasons of eight over his career where Mullen scored at least 40-goals.

Mullen was dealt to the Calgary Flames on Feb. 1, 1986 and went on to lead the team in goals and points in both the 1986-87 (47 and 87) and 1988-89 (51 and 110) seasons. He was named the winner of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for gentlemanly play in each of those seasons, and captured his first Stanley Cup championship in 1989 while also being named an NHL First-Team All-Star. He totaled 338 points (190/148/338) in 345 games as a member of the Flames.

Traded to Pittsburgh prior to the 1990-91 season, Mullen was a key member of the Penguins' Stanley Cup teams in both 1991 and 1992. He was a teammate of Samuelsson beginning with the Penguins second Cup run in 1992 and concluding at the end of the 1994-95 season when both departed Pittsburgh. Samuelsson came back to Philadelphia, while Mullen went on to play a season with the Boston Bruins and subsequently returned to Pittsburgh for a season to finish his playing career.

Mullen recorded 325 points (153/172/325) in 379 regular season games with the Penguins and finished his 18-year NHL career with 502 goals, 561 assists and 1,063 points in 1,062 games. He remains the top American-born goal scorer to this date.

Mullen became the first American-born player to record 1,000 points when he picked up an assist on Feb. 7, 1995, and became the first American to hit the 500-goal plateau on March 14, 1997. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2000, two years after his induction into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.

His coaching resume includes four seasons as an assistant coach in Pittsburgh. After serving as an assistant last season in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, he took over the reins of the Pens AHL affiliate after the promotion of Michel Therrien. He finished the season with a 28-16-3-5 mark.

Thursday, October 26, 2006