"Florida Panthers" Kirk Muller Hand Signed 8X10 Color Photo COA

Description

Up for auction the "Florida Panthers" Kirk Muller Hand Signed 8X10 Color Photo.
This item is certified authentic by Professional Autograph Authentication Service (PAAS) and comes with their Certificate of Authenticity and matching hologram.
ES-3628D
Kirk Christopher Muller
(born February 8, 1966) is a
Canadian
former
professional
ice hockey
winger who played in the
National Hockey League
for 19 seasons from
1984–85
until
2002–03
. He was also the head coach of the National Hockey League's
Carolina Hurricanes
from 2011 to 2014. Since
2016
, he has been an associate coach with the
Montreal Canadiens
, where he previously served as assistant coach from
2006
to
2011
. Muller started his junior career with the
Kingston Canadians
of the
Ontario Hockey League
, but his most successful junior seasons were with the
Guelph Platers
. 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
. 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
in the
1984 NHL Entry Draft
behind
Mario Lemieux
. "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
contender while Muller was with them, and he was traded along with
Roland Melanson
to the
Montreal Canadiens
for
Stéphane Richer
and
Tom Chorske
on September 20, 1991. Muller quickly became a fan favourite in Montreal, and he helped them win the
Stanley Cup in 1993
. However, his time with the Canadiens was shorter than he would have liked, when he was traded to the
New York Islanders
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, the Islanders recalled Muller, but he 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
, in a three team trade that saw Muller and
Don Beaupre
go to the Maple Leafs,
Martin Straka
,
Ken Belanger
and the rights to
Bryan Berard
go to the Islanders while
Damian Rhodes
and the rights to
Wade Redden
went to the
Ottawa Senators
. Muller had his last 20 goal season with the Maple Leafs the next season, but he was traded to the
Florida Panthers
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
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
and
John MacLean
. He retired at the end of the 2002–03 season.