Kirk Christopher Muller (born February 8, 1966) is a retired professional

Professional

A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...

 ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 centre who played in the National Hockey League

National Hockey League

The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

 for 19 seasons from 1984–85 until 2002–03. He currently serves as the head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes

Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center...

.

Playing career

Muller started his junior career with the Kingston Canadians

Kingston Canadians

The Kingston Canadians were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League from 1973 to 1988. The team played home games at the Kingston Memorial Centre in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.-History:...

 of the Ontario Hockey League

Ontario Hockey League

The Ontario Hockey League is one of the three Major Junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 15-20.The OHL also operates under the Ontario Hockey Federation of Hockey Canada....

, but his most successful junior seasons were with the Guelph Platers

Guelph Platers

The Guelph Platers were a junior ice hockey team in theOntario Hockey Association from 1975 to 1982, and the Ontario Hockey League from 1982 to 1989, based in Guelph, Ontario.-History:...

. There was a dispute in 1984 between the Platers and the Canadian Olympic Team, who wanted Muller to play with them at the 1984 Winter Olympics

1984 Winter Olympics

The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from 8–19 February 1984 in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. Other candidate cities were Sapporo, Japan; and Gothenburg, Sweden...

. The Platers owner was upset over losing Muller for so much time, but eventually they came to an agreement and Muller played in the Olympics. He was drafted second overall by the New Jersey Devils

New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

 in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft

1984 NHL Entry Draft

The 1984 NHL Entry Draft took place on June 9, 1984, at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec.The 1984 Entry Draft was noted for the unusually high number of future Hall of Famers picked, particularly in lower rounds. In addition to Mario Lemieux being taken first overall, Patrick Roy was chosen...

 behind Mario Lemieux

Mario Lemieux

Mario Lemieux, OC, CQ is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He is acknowledged to be one of the best players of all time. He played 17 seasons as a forward for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League between 1984 and 2006...

. "Captain Kirk" was the heart and soul of the Devils franchise, with his intensity and strong two-way play. However, New Jersey never became a serious Stanley Cup

Stanley Cup

The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...

 contender while Muller was with them, and he was traded along with Roland Melanson

Roland Melanson

Roland Joseph "Rollie the Goalie" Melanson is a former goaltender in the NHL and the goaltender coach for the Vancouver Canucks. He previously served as goaltender coach for the Montreal Canadiens...

 to the Montreal Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...

 for Stephane Richer

Stephane Richer

Stéphane Jean-Jacques Richer is a retired professional ice hockey left winger.-Playing career:Richer was drafted 29th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft. He played in 1,054 career NHL games, scoring 421 goals and 398 assists for 819 points. Richer won the Calder Cup in...

 and Tom Chorske

Tom Chorske

Thomas P. Chorske is an American retired professional ice hockey player. A forward, he played for eleven seasons in the National Hockey League . In September, 2006, he was named color commentator for New Jersey Devils radio broadcasts, a position he only held for one season before resigning...

 on September 20, 1991.

Muller quickly became a fan favourite in Montreal, and he helped them win the Stanley Cup in 1993

1993 Stanley Cup Finals

The 1993 Stanley Cup Final series was contested by the Los Angeles Kings and the Montreal Canadiens to decide the NHL championship for the 1992–93 season. It was the first appearance in the Final for the Kings, and the 34th for Montreal, their first since the 1989 Final. The Canadiens won the...

. However his time with the Canadiens was shorter than he would have liked, as he was shocked when he was traded to the New York Islanders

New York Islanders

The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

 during the 1994–95 NHL season. Initially, he was reluctant to report to the Islanders, then played a handful of games in an uninterested manner before team management decided that his poor attitude outweighed his potential contributions on the ice and barred him from the team. Eventually, they recalled him, but Muller refused to report, freeing the Islanders from their contractual obligations to pay him. Ultimately, Muller was traded at a discount to the Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

. Muller had his last 20 goal season with the Leafs the next season, but he was traded to the Florida Panthers

Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in Sunrise, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their games at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise and are the...

 as the Leafs fell out of the playoff picture.

Muller struggled in Florida, scoring just four goals in the whole 1998–99 NHL season. His last break came when he signed with the Dallas Stars

Dallas Stars

The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The...

 in the middle of the 1999–2000 season. Even though his scoring touch of old almost completely evaporated, he still managed to be a strong role player with the Stars for four seasons and was part of the "grumpy old men" line that included Mike Keane

Mike Keane

Michael John Keane is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey winger. Undrafted, Keane played over 1100 games in the National Hockey League from 1988 until 2004, and then played five seasons for his hometown Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League until he retired in 2010...

 and John MacLean

John MacLean (hockey)

John MacLean is a former Canadian ice hockey player, and former head coach of the New Jersey Devils. He is currently an assistant coach with the Carolina Hurricanes...

. He retired at the end of the 2002–03 season.

Coaching career

Muller began his coaching career with the Queen's University Golden Gaels

Queen's Golden Gaels

The Queen's Gaels are the athletic teams that represent Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Team colours are blue, red, and gold. Its main home is Richardson Memorial Stadium on West Campus....

. In 2005-06, Muller was Head Coach of the Queen’s University Golden Gaels, in his hometown of Kingston, posting an 8-13-1-2 record in the Ontario University Athletics Conference.

Muller also held the title of Assistant Coach to Marc Habscheid with Team Canada, winning the gold medal at the 2005 Lotto Cup Tournament in Slovakia. In March 2006, he served as Assistant Coach to Greg Gilbert at the Under-18 World Championship.

Kirk Muller returned to the Montreal Canadiens organization on June 20, 2006, when he was named Assistant Coach of the Canadiens.

On June 27, 2011, the Nashville Predators

Nashville Predators

The Nashville Predators are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...

 announced that Muller had been hired as the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals

Milwaukee Admirals

The Milwaukee Admirals are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They play in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA at the Bradley Center.-History:...

.

On November 28, 2011, Muller became coach of the Carolina Hurricanes, taking over for Paul Maurice

Paul Maurice

Paul Maurice is a former Canadian professional ice hockey player and twice head coach of the National Hockey League's Carolina Hurricanes. At age 43, Maurice became the youngest coach in NHL history to coach 1,000 games. Maurice reached this milestone on November 28, 2010...

.

Records

• New Jersey Devils franchise record for points in a single game (6 on Oct. 29, 1986)
• New Jersey Devils franchise record for assists in a single game (5 on Mar. 25, 1987)
• New Jersey Devils franchise record for points by a centre in a single season (94, 1987–88)

Career statistics

{| BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" width="75%"
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" |
! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" |
! ALIGN="center" colspan="5" | Regular season
! ALIGN="center" rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" |  
! ALIGN="center" colspan="5" | Playoffs


Season

Season (sports)

In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an...

Team
League
GP
G

Goal (ice hockey)

In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to...

A

Assist (ice hockey)

In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal...

Pts

Point (ice hockey)

Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one...

PIM

Penalty (ice hockey)

A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,...

GP
G
A
Pts
PIM


1980–81
Kingston Canadians

Kingston Canadians

The Kingston Canadians were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League from 1973 to 1988. The team played home games at the Kingston Memorial Centre in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.-History:...

OHL

Ontario Hockey League

The Ontario Hockey League is one of the three Major Junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 15-20.The OHL also operates under the Ontario Hockey Federation of Hockey Canada....

2
0
0
0
0
—
—
—
—
—


1981–82
Kingston Canadians
OHL
67
12
39
51
27
4
5
1
6
4


1982–83
Guelph Platers

Guelph Platers

The Guelph Platers were a junior ice hockey team in theOntario Hockey Association from 1975 to 1982, and the Ontario Hockey League from 1982 to 1989, based in Guelph, Ontario.-History:...

OHL
66
52
60
112
41
—
—
—
—
—


1983–84
Guelph Platers
OHL
49
31
63
94
27
—
—
—
—
—


1984–85
New Jersey Devils

New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

NHL

National Hockey League

The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

80
17
37
54
69
—
—
—
—
—


1985–86
New Jersey Devils
NHL
77
25
41
66
45
—
—
—
—
—


1986–87
New Jersey Devils
NHL
79
26
50
76
75
—
—
—
—
—


1987–88
New Jersey Devils
NHL
80
37
57
94
114
20
4
8
12
37


1988–89
New Jersey Devils
NHL
80
31
43
74
119
—
—
—
—
—


1989–90
New Jersey Devils
NHL
80
30
56
86
74
6
1
3
4
11


1990–91
New Jersey Devils
NHL
80
19
51
70
76
7
0
2
2
10


1991–92
Montreal Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...

NHL
78
36
41
77
86
11
4
3
7
31


1992–93
Montreal Canadiens
NHL
80
37
57
94
77
20
10
7
17
18


1993–94
Montreal Canadiens
NHL
76
23
34
57
96
7
6
2
8
4


1994–95
Montreal Canadiens
NHL
33
8
11
19
33
—
—
—
—
—


1994–95
New York Islanders

New York Islanders

The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

NHL
12
3
5
8
14
—
—
—
—
—


1995–96
New York Islanders
NHL
15
4
3
7
15
—
—
—
—
—


1995–96
Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

NHL
36
9
16
25
42
6
3
2
5
0


1996–97
Toronto Maple Leafs
NHL
66
20
17
37
85
—
—
—
—
—


1996–97
Florida Panthers

Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in Sunrise, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their games at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise and are the...

NHL
10
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4


1997–98
Florida Panthers
NHL
70
8
21
29
54
—
—
—
—
—


1998–99
Florida Panthers
NHL
82
4
11
15
49
—
—
—
—
—


1999–00
Dallas Stars

Dallas Stars

The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The...

NHL
47
7
15
22
24
23
2
3
5
18


2000–01
Dallas Stars
NHL
55
1
9
10
26
10
1
3
4
12


2001–02
Dallas Stars
NHL
78
10
20
30
28
—
—
—
—
—


2002–03
Dallas Stars
NHL
55
1
5
6
18
12
1
1
2
8


19 seasons
NHL totals

1349
357
602
959
1223
110
23
43
66
77

International play

• Played for Canada in the 1984 World Junior Championships.
• Played for Canada in the 1984 Olympics
  Ice hockey at the 1984 Winter Olympics
  At the 1984 Winter Olympics held in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, one ice hockey event was held: men's ice hockey. Most of the games were held at the Olympic Hall Zetra and some of the games in Skenderija II olympic hall.-Medalists:Source:* Gold -...
  
  
• Played for Canada in the World Championships (1985, 1986, 1987, 1989)
• Played for the NHL All-Stars in Rendez-Vous '87
  Rendez-vous '87
  Rendez-vous '87 was an international ice hockey series of games between the Soviet national ice hockey team and a team of All-Stars from the National Hockey League, held in Quebec City. It replaced the NHL's All-Star festivities for the 1986–87 NHL season...
  
  

International statistics
{| BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="3" CELLSPACING="0"
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! ALIGN="center" | Year
! ALIGN="center" | Team
! ALIGN="center" | Event
! ALIGN="center" | GP
! ALIGN="center" | G
! ALIGN="center" | A
! ALIGN="center" | Pts
! ALIGN="center" | PIM
|- ALIGN="center"
| ALIGN="center" | 1984
| ALIGN="center" | Canada
| ALIGN="center" | WJC
| ALIGN="center" | 7
| ALIGN="center" | 2
| ALIGN="center" | 1
| ALIGN="center" | 3
| ALIGN="center" | 16
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| ALIGN="center" | 1984
| ALIGN="center" | Canada
| ALIGN="center" | Oly
| ALIGN="center" | 6
| ALIGN="center" | 2
| ALIGN="center" | 1
| ALIGN="center" | 3
| ALIGN="center" | 0
|- ALIGN="center"
| ALIGN="center" | 1985
| ALIGN="center" | Canada
| ALIGN="center" | WC
| ALIGN="center" | 10
| ALIGN="center" | 2
| ALIGN="center" | 2
| ALIGN="center" | 4
| ALIGN="center" | 12
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| ALIGN="center" | 1986
| ALIGN="center" | Canada
| ALIGN="center" | WC
| ALIGN="center" | 9
| ALIGN="center" | 4
| ALIGN="center" | 3
| ALIGN="center" | 7
| ALIGN="center" | 12
|- ALIGN="center"
| ALIGN="center" | 1987
| ALIGN="center" | NHL All-Stars
| ALIGN="center" | RV
| ALIGN="center" | 2
| ALIGN="center" | 0
| ALIGN="center" | 0
| ALIGN="center" | 0
| ALIGN="center" | 0
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| ALIGN="center" | 1987
| ALIGN="center" | Canada
| ALIGN="center" | WC
| ALIGN="center" | 10
| ALIGN="center" | 2
| ALIGN="center" | 0
| ALIGN="center" | 2
| ALIGN="center" | 8
|- ALIGN="center"
| ALIGN="center" | 1989
| ALIGN="center" | Canada
| ALIGN="center" | WC
| ALIGN="center" | 9
| ALIGN="center" | 6
| ALIGN="center" | 4
| ALIGN="center" | 10
| ALIGN="center" | 6
|}

External links

• Total Hockey (Second Edition), Editor - Dan Diamond, ISBN 1–892129–85-X
• Hockey Draft Central