Joe Mullen was among the first American NHL stars and the first American player to reach 500 goals. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in his fist year of eligibility.
But his regular season stats aren’t actually that great and are substantially helped by the era he played in.
So, does Joe Mullen belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame? Listen here:
Joe Mullen’s Career:
- NHL: 1981-97; 16 seasons, 14 quality
- Totals:
- 502G (5th American All Time; 25th All Time at his retirement, 1st American-born player)
- 561A (4th American-born player at his retirement) for
- 1063P (1st American-born player All Time at his retirement),
- +167 (6th American-born player at his retirement) in
- 1062 Games;
- 91.2 PS (5th American-born player All Time at his retirement)
- At his retirement, Mullen was 3rd All Time among American-born players in Offensive Point Shares
- Per Game:
- 4th American All Time in GPG
- 5th American All Time in PPG
- Draft: Undrafted – among all undrafted skaters (since expansion) Mullen is
- 4th in Goals
- 8th in GPG
- 10th in Assists
- 19th in APG
- 7th in Points
- 13th in PPG
- 28th in Plus/Minus
- 9th in Offensive Point Shares
- 18th in Defensive Point Shares among Forwards
- 17th in Point Shares
- 13th in Games Played
- Era: Of the 37 skaters to play in 984 Games (12 seasons) between 1981 and 1997, Mullen is
- 9th in Goals
- 7th in GPG
- 22nd in Assists
- 19th in APG
- 15th in Points
- 14th in PPG
- 17th in Plus/Minus
- 15th in Offensive Point Shares
- 27th in Defensive Point Shares (12th Forward)
- 19th in Point Shares
- 82-game average: 39G, 43A for 82P, +13
- 3-year peak (1986-89): 80-game average of 46G, 48A for 92P, +33 [Mullen’s three best seasons are nearly a decade apart]
- No possession stats
- Playoffs:
- 60G (3rd American All Time; 22nd All Time at his retirement),
- 46A for
- 106P,
- +15 in
- 143 Games
- Per Game: Not in the Top 25
- Era: Of the 153 skaters in to play in at least 82 playoff games between 1981 and 1997, Mullen is
- 10th in Goals
- 10th in GPG
- 48th in Assists
- 82nd in APG
- 25th in Points
- 43rd in PPG
- 40th in Plus/Minus
- Adjusted:
- Hockey-Reference:
- 432G
- 486A for
- 918P
- 82-game average: 33G, 38A for 71P (-11P per 82 games)
- Per Game: Obviously not in the Top 25
- Vsx:
- 443G
- 530A
- 858P
- Per Game: Not in the Top 25
- Hockey-Reference:
- Trades:
- Traded right before he turned 29 with Terry Johnson (25) and Rik Wilson (23) to the Flames for Eddy Beers (26), Charles Bourgeois (26) and Gino Cavallini (23)
- Traded at 33 to Pittsburgh for a 1990 2nd Rounder (nobody)
Joe Mullen’s Accomplishments:
- Lady Byng (‘87, ‘89)
- Top Player:
- Top 10 Player (by PS) once (‘89)
- Top 10 Offensive Player (by OPS) once (‘89)
- Goals:
- Leader-boards:
- Top 5 once
- Top 10 three times
- GPG leader-boards:
- Top 10 in GPG twice
- Single-season totals:
- 50 goals once
- 45 goals twice
- 40 goals seven times
- 35 goals nine times (1 of only 17 players)
- 30 goals ten times
- 25 goals eleven times
- Leader-boards:
- Assists:
- 50 assists twice
- 40 assists seven times
- Points:
- Leader-boards:
- Top 10 in Points once
- PPG leader-boards:
- Top 10 in PPG
- Single-season totals:
- 110 points once
- 90 points three times
- 80 points seven times
- 70 points nine times
- 60 points ten times
- 50 points eleven times
- Leader-boards:
- All Star:
- 1st Team All Star once (‘89)
- 3 All Star Game appearances
- VsX Peak:
- Big 7 Seasons:
- Goals: 107th All Time
- Assists: Doesn’t qualify
- Points: 175th All Time
- Big 10 Seasons:
- Goals: 84th All Time
- Assists: Doesn’t qualify
- Points: 158th All Time
- Big 7 Seasons:
Joe Mullen’s Great Teams:
- NHL:
- Best Forward (by points) on one Champion (‘89 Flames) and one Runner Up (‘86 Flames)
- Top 6 Forward (by points, led playoffs in plus/minus) on one Champion (‘91 Penguins)
- Injured (missed 12 games) on one Champion (‘92 Penguins)
- World/Canada Cup:
- Top 6 Forward (by points) on one Runner Up (‘91 USA)