50 Most Outstanding Players in St. Louis Blues History: 30-21
22. Joe Mullen
Forward, 1981-86; 301 games, 151 goals, 184 assists, minus-4 rating, 45 PIM
Of all the Hockey Hall of Famers who spent substantial time in St. Louis, Joe Mullen may be the most underappreciated by Blues fans. The diminutive winger came into the league as a 24-year-old with the Blues in 1981-82, and though he played in just 45 games that season, he received consideration for the Calder Trophy as he collected 25 goals and 34 assists, averaging 1.31 points per game. He continued to dominate during the postseason, scoring seven goals and adding 11 assists as the Blues advanced to the second round of the playoffs.
Though he was held back by injuries in 1982-83, Mullen once again averaged nearly a point per game with the Blues during his sophomore campaign, collecting 17 goals and 30 assists in 49 games. He really broke out in full force during the 1983-84 season–which really was the first season he’d been afforded the full schedule to prove himself–scoring 41 goals with 44 assists in 80 games.
As if that wasn’t impressive enough, Mullen outdid himself again in 1984-85, scoring 40 goals while adding 52 assists over 79 games. He looked like he’d become a key member of the Blues’ core for the long haul, joining Bernie Federko and rising star Doug Gilmour. But in a surprising turn of events, the Blues traded Mullen during the middle of the 1985-86 season after he’d scored 28 goals with 24 assists in the team’s first 48 games.
In what was probably one of the worst trades in franchise history, the Blues dealt Mullen, Terry Johnson, and Rik Wilson to the Calgary Flames on February 1, 1986 for forwards Gino Cavallini and Eddy Beers and defenseman Charlie Bourgeois. Mullen went on to win three Stanley Cups, play in three All-Star Games, win two Lady Byng trophies, and register four more seasons with 40-plus goals over the remainder of his 16-year NHL career. Beers, the player with the most upside in the deal, suffered a career-ending back injury a little bit more than seven months after the trade, while Cavallini was a middle-of-the-pack forward and Bourgeois was strictly an enforcer.
Despite the relatively short amount of time he spent in a Blues uniform, Mullen’s name appears several times in the Blues’ record book. He ranks fourth in franchise history in goals per game (0.50), seventh in assists per game (0.61), fifth in points per game (1.11), and eighth in career shooting percentage (16.9%).