Of course, that heart of a lion was part of a complete package, which included a pretty good set of hands that came with that pint-sized 5'9" 180 pound frame.
From the day the right winger was acquired from the St. Louis Blues on Feb. 1, 1986, he became a fan favourite. It was more than the 16 goals and 22 assists he tallied in his 29 games the rest of that 1985-86 season. It was the grit, guts and offensive touch he added in the playoffs, leading all playoff scorers with 12 goals and guiding the Flames to the Stanley Cup Final against the Montreal Canadiens.
Over the next 4 seasons, he was as consistent as any scorer in the NHL, firing 47, 40, 51 and 36 goals.
"I tried to give it 100% and play both ends of the rink," says Mullen. "I tried to concentrate on my defensive side of my game. Once we turned it over and we had the puck, it was all out offense. Get the puck to the center and try to get in the open, get it back and shoot."
No mater the score, Mullen never took a night off.
"He goes where the heavy going is, comes in front of the net and is smart enough to know how to take a check," former Flames coach Terry Crisp once said. "A lot of players give you a first effort and that's it. With Mully, you'll see a second and third and sometimes even a fourth effort where he scores from his knees. He simply refuses to accept the fact they are trying to take him out o the play."
GM Cliff Fletcher or Trader Cliff, as he came to be known, had upgraded the talent and competitive level by stealing sniper Joe Mullen from St. Louis.