March 26, 2006
COACH MULLER LEARNING THE UNIVERSITY ROPES
By The Edmonton Journal Staff
EDMONTON - Meet Kirk Muller, university hockey coach.
\"I always said I'd make university somehow,\" laughed the former NHLer, who surprised many when he bypassed several NHL assistant coaching possibilities to take a job with the Queen's Golden Gaels, the Kingston school which turns out more engineers than hockey players.
Muller played major junior hockey in Kingston and Guelph before the New Jersey Devils selected him as the No. 2 overall pick in 1984. He had never seen a college game live -- until Queen's sounded him out.
\"They called and said they'd never had a full-time coach before and I thought, 'You know, it's a great opportunity to get my feet wet ... to learn how to coach, to recruit, to budget,' \" said Muller, who's in town for the University Cup, the first time he's been here since the Heritage Classic in 2003, when he suited up with the Canadiens legends.
The university job seems more intriguing now than a job in the pros.
\"I've got kids in high school in Kingston and I don't want to bump them around (with an NHL job). And for now, I want to do this on my own ... Heck, I should find out first if I even like coaching,\" said Muller.
Coaching hockey at Queen's, however, is no picnic. Muller had just one player with major junior experience this season. His team posted a 7-17 record. However, they did learn how to play and have some fun. Muller's connections allowed his players to attend NHL games in Montreal, Toronto and New Jersey, where he played during his 19 NHL seasons.
Muller has discovered it's a different mind-set when you're behind the bench.
\"When you're a player, you leave the rink some nights going, 'I stunk tonight, Why? Or I played great ... why?' But when you leave the rink after a loss as a coach, you're saying, 'Geez, did I prepare them right?' You're so accountable.''
Muller has borrowed some coaching strategy from his former bench bosses.
\"I was amazed how prepared Hitch (Ken Hitchcock) had his players for games ... believe me I knew everything there was to know about the Edmonton Oilers when I played in Dallas.\"
The hot rumour is that Muller will wind up in Montreal with his good friend Guy Carbonneau.
\"The big question I get is whether I'm going there with Carbo taking over next year as head coach,\" said Muller. \"But I haven't talked to him.\"
(Reprinted with permission from The Edmonton Journal.)
(Photo: Queen's head coach Kirk Muller works the bench. Photo by Don Empey.)
