ROOMIES
BEST ROOMMATES IN HOCKEY JOE MULLEN MAY BE IN THE HOCKEY HALL OF FAME. He may have amassed 1,063 points over the course of a 16-year National Hockey League career. He may have won three Stanley Cups. But perhaps Mullen’s most unheralded achievement was lucking out with the “best roommate in hockey,” his Pittsburgh Penguins teammate (and current Wolves general manager) Wendell Young. “Joe was the second-best roommate ever in hockey because I was first,” Young said, laughing. “We roomed together most of the time we were in Pittsburgh. He had a bunch of young kids at the time so when we got to our room we basically just slept. There was one night we went to our room and slept 14 hours. It was exhausting on the road, so lights went out early.” Like finding the perfect partner to play opposite you on the ice, finding a roommate you actually enjoy long road trips with can be
about when he’d come back from dinner and my dad would already be asleep, glasses on and everything, and it was the exact same scenario talking to Glen Murray (who played for the Penguins in 1996-97). When they were roommates, it was the same situation. My dad passed out on the bed, glasses still on, TV blaring. They’d have to put him to bed early.” Having the next generation of Mullen playing for his team is something Young actually worked to orchestrate, bringing the kid who used to run around the Penguins facility trying on goalie equipment into his fold. “I called Joe when Patrick was a free agent and I told him about what the Canucks and the Wolves were about,” he said. “I wanted him to play here. It’s funny, my wife saw him on video the other day and she just said, “he looks like a grown-up Patrick!” because he was such a young kid when we were in Pittsburgh but he looks exactly the same, just older.” Despite the years that have passed since the two shared hotel rooms around the country, Mullen and Young remain as tight-knit as ever. “Joe was such a nice guy,” he said. “Certain guys in hockey you remember and they become a big part of your life. Being such a great guy and a humble guy, he was great to be around. And
JOE WAS THE SECOND-BEST ROOMMATE EVER IN HOCKEY BECAUSE I WAS FIRST. – WENDELL YOUNG
5Wendell Young, left, and Joe Mullen pose with the Stanley Cup after the Pittsburgh Penguins captured the 1992 National Hockey League title.
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tricky. Fortunately for Young, he and Mullen clicked quickly. “We had a lot in common. We both have kids, we love hockey, that sort of thing,” he said. “There were some things we didn’t have in common, like he was really good at hockey and I wasn’t. We’re both bald. We have the same sense of humor. We just got along really well. He was a great teammate to everyone and that’s what I tried to be. We had a great support system and we were always there for each other.” And like any good roommate, Young took his responsibility in the relationship very seriously. “I had a job every night,” he said. “When Joe fell asleep, I had to try and get his glasses off his face so he didn’t break them during the night. It was a challenge every time. But I didn’t mind because he was great to have around, whether we were talking about family or hockey or whatever else.“ That story sounds familiar to Mullen’s son, Patrick, a defenseman who was signed by the Vancouver Canucks as a free agent this offseason and is now playing with the Wolves. In fact, Young isn’t the only one of his dad’s roommates to have been tasked with that particular job. “I always knew Wendell and my dad had fun together being roommates,” Mullen said. “But Wendell was telling me a story
we’re still friends. I went to a reunion recently and he was the one I was hanging out with. After the function, I was with one player off my team and that was Joe. We might not see each other for a while, but as soon as I see him walking down a hallway, we start laughing. It’s just one of those friendships. It’s heartwarming when I see him.” And the time-honored tradition of having a good roommate has been passed on to Patrick as well, who won’t be replacing his best road mate any time soon. “My buddy Jeff Zatkoff was my roommate in Manchester when we were playing for the Monarchs,” he said. “We switched teams after three years together last season and we told each other we wouldn’t get new roommates, so we’re not cheating on each other.” If he’s anything like his dad, c PLAY HOCKEY 20 years down the line, the relationship will remain. c BE BALD “There’s a lot of fun c LIKE TO SLEEP memories there,” Young said. “Even now, I’ll say to Pat, ‘Say hi c SENSE OF HUMOR to your dad. Remind him I’m the best roommate ever.’” c BE A FAMILY MAN
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c PUT JOE TO BED