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Greg Millen

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Greg Millen
Born (1957-06-25)June 25, 1957(age 67)
Toronto,Ontario,Canada
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Right
Played for Pittsburgh Penguins
Hartford Whalers
St. Louis Blues
Quebec Nordiques
Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit Red Wings
National team Canada
NHL draft 102nd overall,1977
Pittsburgh Penguins
Playing career 1978–1992

Gregory H. Millen(born June 25, 1957) is a Canadian hockeycommentator-analyst and a former professionalice hockeygoaltenderwho played 14 seasons for six teams in theNational Hockey League(NHL). He is currently acolour commentatoronHockey Night in Canadaand theNHL on Sportsnet,primarily covering theCalgary Flames.

Playing career

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As a youth, Millen played in the 1968, 1969 and 1970Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournamentswithminor ice hockeyteams fromToronto.[1]

Pittsburgh Penguins

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The Toronto native was chosen 102nd overall by thePittsburgh Penguinsin the1977 NHL Amateur Draft,while he was in the midst of a fineOntario Hockey Association(OHA) season with theSault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.He had played for thePeterborough Petesin the OHA from 1974 to 1977. In1978–79,he looked solid in 28 games as a rookie and became a fan favourite at theCivic Arenain Pittsburgh. Two years later, Millen won 25 games and nearly led his team to a first round upset over theSt. Louis Blues,losing the decisive fifth game in double overtime.

In spite of his post season heroics, the Penguins allowed Millen to leave the club that summer. In June 1981, theHartford Whalerssigned him as a restrictedfree agent;the Penguins had the right to match the offer but their general manager,Baz Bastien,was on vacation and was unaware that Millen had signed, and as a result the deadline for the Penguins to match passed. In compensation, the Penguins received forwardsPat BoutetteandKevin McClelland.[2][3]

Hartford Whalers

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With the Whalers, Millen pushed incumbent starterJohn Garrettinto the backup role and logged a heavy workload. After playing in 55 games for the Whalers in1981–82,Millen represented Canada at the1982 Ice Hockey World Championships.In1983–84,he led the NHL with 60 appearances, but he could not get the lowly Whalers into the post-season. During the 1984–85 season he was involved in a blockbuster trade that sent him to the St. Louis Blues withMark Johnsonfor goaltenderMike Liutand forwardJörgen Pettersson.[4][5]

St. Louis Blues

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In St. Louis, Millen formed a solid goalkeeping tandem withRick Wamsleyand helped the club reach the Conference Finals in1986,where they were defeated in seven games by theCalgary Flames.During the Division Semifinal against theMinnesota North Stars,Millen started and won two games, including the series-clinching game 5. Then in the Division Final, St. Louis defeated theToronto Maple Leafs4 games to 3. He posted a record of 4–2 and once again was in net for the series clincher. He played in two of theCampbell Conferencefinal games as Wamsley was the starter for the rest. Wamsley was traded to Calgary during the 1987–88 season, making Millen the undisputed starter in St. Louis and he enjoyed his best year with the club the following year.[6]In1988–89,Millen registered an NHL-high six shutouts along with 22 wins while making 52-starts, all highs for his Blues career.

The following year netminderVincent Riendeaubegan taking a bigger share of the starts and with college free agentCurtis Josephin the wings, Millen was being pushed out. On December 13, 1989, he was packaged with centreTony Hrkacand traded to the lowlyQuebec Nordiquesin exchange for offensive defensemanJeff Brown.Millen was shocked by the deal: "I was devastated. My family was just entrenched in St. Louis. We were involved with the community, and we really enjoyed St. Louis an awful lot."[7]

Quebec Nordiques

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With the Nordiques, Millen won only 3 of 18 starts while his goals against average ballooned to 5.28. Clearly unhappy and with the team in last place, Millen wanted out. He made it clear to the management that he had no intention of playing out his career in that kind of situation.[7]In March, the Nordiques included him in a package that saw Hall of Fame wingerMichel Gouletleave the Nordiques in a six-player trade with theChicago Blackhawks.[8]

Chicago Blackhawks

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The Blackhawks goaltending tandem consisted ofJacques CloutierandAlain Chevrierin 1989–90, but the day after Millen was acquired, Chevrier was traded to thePittsburgh Penguins.[9]Millen played ten games down the stretch for the Blackhawks and was in net when the playoffs started. Chicago coachMike Keenanwas quick to change up his netminders and that spring actually saw three different goalies (Millen, Cloutier and rookieEd Belfour) start games, but Millen, with 15 appearances led the way as the Hawks advanced all the way to the Western Conference Finals before losing to theEdmonton Oilers.[10]The following season, Millen lost his starting job and nearly found himself out of the league altogether. Belfour took the starting job and ran with it playing 74 games and posting 43 wins and a stingy 2.24 goals against average. "Eddie answered the Bell," Millen explained. "He probably had as good a year I'd ever seen a goalie play in the NHL. It was a kick in rear for me, a little bit demoralizing."[7]With Cloutier as Belfour's backup, and aDominik Hašeknow in the Chicago system, Millen was not only limited to just 58 minutes of game play in the entire season, but also his stint as a Blackhawk was over.[11]In September 1991, Millen was traded to theNew York Rangersfor future considerations.

New York Rangers

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The Rangers were involved with prolonged contract negotiations withMike Richterand they acquired Millen as an "insurance policy". The 1991–92 season started with Richter un-signed, so Millen wasJohn Vanbiesbrouck's back-up for the first two games of the year. On October 7, the Rangers signed a new deal with Richter and Millen was assigned to theSan Diego Gullsof theInternational Hockey League(IHL). After a five-game stint in the IHL, Millen was dealt to theDetroit Red Wings.

Detroit Red Wings

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Detroit hadTim Cheveldaeas their starting goaltender but needed a backup for the 1991–92 season. At the start of the year they had acquired Millen's former teammate Vincent Riendeau, who then injured his knee in his Detroit debut which sidelined him long term. Other solutions likeAllan BesterandScott Kinghad not worked out, so the Red Wings made a move for Millen. With Cheveldae carrying a heavy load, Millen was used sparingly but made the last ten appearances of his career in the Red Wings net before hanging up his pads for good at the end of the season.

Broadcasting career

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After ending his career, Millen became the colour commentator on television broadcasts for the expansionOttawa Senators.During his eleven seasons affiliated with the Senators, his play-by-play partners includedDon Chevrier,Rob Faulds,andDean Brown.He also paired with Chevrier as the lead broadcasting team forCTV's ice hockey coverage at the1994 Winter Olympics.

Beginning in the1995 season,he joined theCBC'sHockey Night in Canada.After a year withCTV Sportsnet,he rejoinedHNICin 1999–2000 as the colour commentator of the network's secondary broadcast team, first paired withChris Cuthbertand thenJim Hughson,mostly covering the second game of weekly doubleheader and three playoff rounds.[12][13]He was promoted to the lead team in 2007, working alongsideBob Cole.In this role he worked on CBC's coverage of the2007and2008 Stanley Cup Finals.[14][15][16][17][18]

In 2005, he moved from the Senators to the Maple Leafs local broadcast team,[19]and in2007he became the Leafs' lead television colour commentator, working alongsideJoe BowenonSportsnet OntarioandLeafs TV.[20]

As of 2014 he works exclusively forRogers Communications,both on telecasts that are part of thenational television contractunder theHockey Night in Canada,Rogers Monday Night HockeyorScotiabank Wednesday Night Hockeybanners. He previously worked as an analyst on the Maple Leafs regional package that appears on Sportsnet Ontario. He now works primarily onCalgary Flamesbroadcasts under the Hockey Night in Canada banner.

Personal life

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Millen is married and has four children,[21]including a son, Charlie, a goaltender, who most recently played for theOrlando Solar Bearsof theECHL.[22]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
1973–74 Markham Waxers OPJHL — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
1974–75 Peterborough Petes OMJHL 27 — — — 1584 90 2 3.41 — — — — — — — — —
1975–76 Peterborough Petes OMJHL 58 — — — 3282 233 0 4.26 — — — — — — — — —
1976–77 Peterborough Petes OMJHL 59 — — — 3457 244 0 4.23 — 4 — — 240 23 0 5.75 —
1977–78 Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds OMJHL 25 — — — 1469 105 1 4.29 — 13 — — 774 61 0 4.73 —
1977–78 Kalamazoo Wings IHL 3 — — — 180 14 0 4.67 — — — — — — — — —
1978–79 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 28 14 11 1 1532 86 2 3.37 .888 — — — — — — — —
1979–80 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 44 18 18 7 2586 157 2 3.64 .881 5 2 3 300 21 0 4.20 .868
1980–81 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 63 25 27 10 3721 258 0 4.16 .864 5 2 3 325 19 0 3.51 .893
1981–82 Hartford Whalers NHL 55 11 30 12 3201 229 0 4.29 .873 — — — — — — — —
1982–83 Hartford Whalers NHL 60 14 38 6 3520 282 1 4.81 .863 — — — — — — — —
1983–84 Hartford Whalers NHL 60 21 30 9 3583 221 2 3.70 .878 — — — — — — — —
1984–85 Hartford Whalers NHL 44 16 22 6 2659 187 1 4.22 .855 — — — — — — — —
1984–85 St. Louis Blues NHL 10 2 7 1 607 35 0 3.46 .870 1 0 1 60 2 0 2.00 .943
1985–86 St. Louis Blues NHL 36 14 16 6 2168 129 1 3.57 .886 10 6 3 586 29 0 2.97 .911
1986–87 St. Louis Blues NHL 42 15 18 9 2482 146 0 3.53 .873 4 1 3 250 10 0 2.40 .918
1987–88 St. Louis Blues NHL 48 21 19 7 2854 167 1 3.51 .880 10 5 5 600 38 0 3.80 .849
1988–89 St. Louis Blues NHL 52 22 20 7 3019 170 6 3.38 .880 10 5 5 649 34 0 3.14 .890
1989–90 St. Louis Blues NHL 21 11 7 3 1245 61 1 2.94 .890 — — — — — — — —
1989–90 Quebec Nordiques NHL 18 3 14 1 1080 95 0 5.28 .853 — — — — — — — —
1989–90 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 10 5 4 1 575 32 0 3.34 .880 14 6 6 613 40 0 3.92 .867
1990–91 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 3 0 1 0 58 4 0 4.14 .875 — — — — — — — —
1991–92 San Diego Gulls IHL 5 2 3 0 296 20 0 4.05 — — — — — — — — —
1991–92 Detroit Red Wings NHL 10 3 2 3 487 22 0 2.71 .896 — — — — — — — —
1991–92 Maine Mariners AHL 2 5 2 599 37 0 3.71 .868 — — — — — — — —
NHL totals 604 215 284 89 35,377 2281 17 3.87 .873 59 27 29 3383 193 0 3.42 .885

International

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Year Team Event GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA
1982 Canada WC 5 2 1 2 300 14 1 2.80

References

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  1. ^"Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA"(PDF).Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament.2018. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on March 6, 2019.RetrievedJanuary 8,2019.
  2. ^Starkey, Joe (2006).Tales from the Pittsburgh Penguins.Sports Publishing LLC. p. 61.ISBN978-1-58261-199-0.RetrievedApril 15,2020.
  3. ^"Penguins win compensation decision - UPI Archives".UPI.RetrievedSeptember 20,2023.
  4. ^Hafner, Dan (February 23, 1985)."NHL Roundup: Wamsley Makes a Stand as Blues Beat Sabres, 4-1".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedSeptember 20,2023.
  5. ^"SPORTS PEOPLE; Whalers Trade for Liut".The New York Times.February 23, 1985. p. 18.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedSeptember 20,2023.
  6. ^Meyer, Mike (August 9, 2023)."Revisiting the Blues' Trade for Brett Hull".The Hockey Writers.RetrievedSeptember 20,2023.
  7. ^abcHadad, Dana (October 25, 1991)."Millen Hopes His Stint With the Gulls is a Minor Detour: Hockey: Goaltender still trying to figure out what brought him from Stanley Cup playoffs to the IHL".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedApril 15,2020.
  8. ^Kiley, Mike (March 6, 1990)."MILLEN TO HAWKS".Chicago Tribune.RetrievedSeptember 20,2023.
  9. ^"Blackhawks trade Chevrier to Penguins - UPI Archives".UPI.RetrievedSeptember 20,2023.
  10. ^Lapointe, Joe (May 8, 1990)."A Turbulent Ride Through N.H.L. Playoffs".The New York Times.p. D27.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedSeptember 20,2023.
  11. ^Murphy, Robert J."Millen's Blackhawk days over - UPI Archives".UPI.RetrievedSeptember 20,2023.
  12. ^Houston, William (July 28, 2005)."HNIC's new voice adds to hockey's buzz".The Globe and Mail.RetrievedJanuary 26,2024.
  13. ^Houston, William (October 4, 2005)."CBC returns before whistle".The Globe and Mail.RetrievedJanuary 26,2024.
  14. ^Houston, William (April 24, 2007)."CBC has its wish granted".The Globe and Mail.RetrievedJanuary 26,2024.
  15. ^Houston, William (May 24, 2007)."Greg Millen: pizzazz producer".The Globe and Mail.RetrievedJanuary 26,2024.
  16. ^Houston, William (May 21, 2008)."Broadcasters piecing together on-air rosters".The Globe and Mail.RetrievedJanuary 26,2024.
  17. ^Houston, William (May 24, 2008)."CBC delighted with Stanley Cup 'dream series'".The Globe and Mail.RetrievedJanuary 26,2024.
  18. ^Hackel, Stu (August 1, 2008)."The Morning Skate: Scotty's Motives, Lowe's Promotion, Sundin's Dithering".Slap Shot.RetrievedJanuary 26,2024.
  19. ^Houston, William (October 3, 2005)."Millen leaves Sens for job with Leafs".The Globe and Mail.RetrievedJanuary 26,2024.
  20. ^Houston, William (October 1, 2007)."Neale leaving Leafs for Buffalo job".The Globe and Mail.RetrievedJanuary 26,2024.
  21. ^"Program Guide - Personalities".cbc.ca.RetrievedApril 24,2020.
  22. ^Money, Don (January 7, 2019)."Millen, Olson star as Solar Bears beat Stingrays".Pro Hockey News.RetrievedApril 24,2020.
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