Kirk Muller

Kirk Muller began his junior ice hockey career with the Kingston Voyageurs of the Metro Junior A Hockey League before joining the Kingston Canadians of the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League for two games at the end of the 1980-81 season. After a full season with the Canadians, he joined the Guelph Platers for another two years. At the end of his tenure, he was selected to represent Canada in the tournament at the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics, where his nation just missed a medal in fourth. Canada also placed at fourth that year’s World Junior Championships. He was then drafted second overall in the National Hockey League draft (behind Mario Lemieux) by the New Jersey Devils.

Muller remained with the Devils through 1991, when he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens due to a contract dispute. During this time, he represented Canada at four editions of the World Championships, winning silver in 1985 and 1989, and bronze in 1986, and coming in fourth in 1987. He remained with the Canadiens through part of the 1994-95 season, winning the Stanley Cup in 1993, before being traded to the New York Islanders. He saw only limited action with the team due to his unwillingness to play for them, and was then sent to the Toronto Maple Leafs part way through the 1995-96 season. After playing most of the 1996-97 season with the Leafs, he was traded to the Florida Panthers, where he remained through 1999. His final team prior to his 2003 retirement was the Dallas Stars.

Muller took up coaching soon after his retirement, beginning with Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. He then had a series of assistant coaching positions before becoming the head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes from 2011 through 2014. When the team missed the playoffs every year, he was replaced and has since acted as an assistant coach for several teams.