Kirk Muller

Kirk Muller
Kirk Muller
Born	Kirk Christopher Muller; February 8, 1966 (age 60); Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Occupation(s)	Ice hockey centre, coach
Years active	1984–2003 (player), 2005–present (coach)
Known for	NHL player, Stanley Cup champion (1993), NHL coach

Kirk Christopher Muller (born February 8, 1966) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre and currently serves as an assistant coach for the Washington Capitals in the National Hockey League (NHL). His playing career spanned 19 NHL seasons from 1984–85 through 2002–03, during which he played for teams including the Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, and Toronto Maple Leafs. Muller secured a Stanley Cup championship in 1993 while with the Montreal Canadiens. His coaching résumé includes a head coaching role with the Carolina Hurricanes from 2011 to 2014, as well as two tenures with the Canadiens: initially as an assistant coach from 2006 to 2011 and later as an associate coach between 2016 and 2021.

Playing career

Muller launched his junior hockey journey with the Kingston Canadians in the Ontario Hockey League but gained greater recognition playing for the Guelph Platers. In 1984, a conflict emerged between the Platers and the Canadian Olympic Team regarding his participation in the Winter Olympics; ultimately, a compromise permitted him to compete. Selected second overall in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft by the New Jersey Devils—just after Mario Lemieux—Muller experienced limited team achievements despite a notable playoff performance in 1988. Following a contract disagreement in 1991, he was traded along with Roland Melanson to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Stéphane Richer and Tom Chorske.

While with Montreal, Muller became highly regarded by fans and played a key role in the Canadiens’ Stanley Cup triumph in 1993. During the 1994–95 season, he was dealt to the New York Islanders but initially resisted joining the team and displayed minimal effort, prompting management to suspend him temporarily. After declining to report when recalled, he was traded at a reduced value to the Toronto Maple Leafs via a three-team transaction involving Don Beaupre, Martin Straka, Ken Belanger, Bryan Berard, Damian Rhodes, and Wade Redden. Muller notched his final 20-goal campaign while with Toronto before being sent to the Florida Panthers for prospect Jason Podollan as Toronto’s playoff hopes faded.

His output diminished during his time with Florida, tallying only four goals in the 1998–99 season. He revived his career by signing mid-season with the Dallas Stars in 1999–2000 and spent four seasons playing alongside Mike Keane and John MacLean before retiring after the conclusion of the 2002–03 season.

Muller participated in six NHL All-Star Games (1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, and 1993).

Coaching career

Muller's coaching path began at Queen's University with the Golden Gaels hockey program in Kingston, where he compiled an 8-13-1-2 record during the 2005-06 season of the Ontario University Athletics Conference.

He assisted Marc Habscheid as an assistant coach for Team Canada when they secured gold at the 2005 Lotto Cup held in Slovakia and supported Greg Gilbert at the 2006 Under-18 World Championship.

On June 20, 2006, Muller was appointed assistant coach of the Montreal Canadiens. He later took on the head coaching position for the Milwaukee Admirals, Nashville Predators’ AHL affiliate, on June 27, 2011. By November 28 of that year, he was promoted to head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes, succeeding Paul Maurice. His tenure ended on May 5, 2014.

Shortly thereafter, on May 13, 2014, Muller joined the St. Louis Blues staff as an assistant coach. He returned to Montreal as associate coach on June 2, 2016.

In August 2020, Muller stepped in temporarily for head coach Claude Julien during his hospitalization. Both coaches were dismissed on February 24, 2021; former assistant Dominique Ducharme was named interim head coach.

On June 10, 2021, Muller accepted an associate coaching role with the Calgary Flames under Darryl Sutter. He later joined the Washington Capitals as an assistant coach on July 20, 2023.

Records

Holds the New Jersey Devils franchise record for most points in a single game (6) – October 29, 1986
Set the New Jersey Devils franchise record for most assists in one game (5) – March 25, 1987

Regular season and playoffs

get=1989–90 New Jersey Devils NHL 80 30 56 86 74 6 1 3 4 11 get=1990–91 New Jersey Devils NHL 80 19 51 70 76 7 0 2 2 10 get=1991–92 Montreal Canadiens NHL 78 36 41 77 86 11 4 3 7 31 get=1992–93 Montreal Canadiens NHL 80 37 57 94 77 20 10 7 17 18 get=1993–94 Montreal Canadiens NHL 76 23 34 57 96 7 6 2 8 4 get=1994–95 Montreal Canadiens NHL 33 8 11 19 33 — — — — — 1994–95 New York Islanders NHL 12 3 5 8 14 — — — — — get=1995–96 New York Islanders NHL 15 4 3 7 15 — — — — — 1995–96 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 36 9 16 25 42 6 3 2 5 0 get=1996–97 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 66 20 17 37 85 — — — — — 1996–97 Florida Panthers NHL 10 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 get=1997–98 Florida Panthers NHL 70 8 21 29 54 — — — — — get=1998-99 Florida Panthers NHL 82 4 11 15 49 — — — — — get=1999-2000 Dallas Stars NHL 47 7 15 22 24 23 2 3 5 18 get=2000-01 Dallas Stars NHL 55 1 9 10 26 10 1 3 4 12 get=2001-02 Dallas Stars NHL 78 10 20 30 28 — — — — — get=2002-03 Dallas Stars NHL 55 1 5 6 18 12 1 1 2 8

			Regular season					Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1980–81	Kingston Voyageurs	MetJHL	42	17	37	54	5	—	—	—	—	—
1980–81	Kingston Canadians	OMJHL	2	0	0	0	0	—	—	—	—	—
1981–82	Kingston Canadians	OHL	67	12	39	51	27	4	5	1	6	4
1982–83	Guelph Platers	OHL	66	52	60	112	41	—	—	—	—	—
1983–84	Guelph Platers	OHL	49	31	63	94	27	—	—	—	—	—
1983–84	Canada	Intl	15	2	2	4	16	—	—	—	—	—
1984–85	New Jersey Devils	NHL	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	>—	>—	>—	>—	>—
Career totals in NHL			1,349	357	602	959	1,223	127	33	36	69	153

International

Year	Team	Tournament	Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	Penalty Minutes
1984	Canada	WJC	7	2	1	3	16
1984	Canada	OG	6	2	1	3	0
1985	Canada	WC	10	2	2	4	12
1986	Canada	WC	9	4	3	7	12
1987	Canada	WC	10	2	0	2	8
1989	Canada	WC	9	6	4	10	6
Career senior totals			42	16	10	26	38

Head coaching record

Team	Season	GP	W	L	OTL	Pts	Division Standing	Playoff Wins	Playoff Losses	Outcome
CAR	2011–12	57	25	20	12	(62)	5th in Southeast	—	—	Did not qualify for playoffs
CAR	2012–13	48	19	25	4	42	3rd in Southeast	—	—	Failed to reach playoffs
CAR	2013–14	82	36	35	11	83	7th in Metropolitan Division	—	—	Missed postseason
Aggregate		187	80	80	27			—	—

External links

Total Hockey (Second Edition), Editor - Dan Diamond,