Kingston’s Kirk Muller celebrated his 18^th birthday in Sarajevo at the 1984 Winter Olympics. Muller scored two goals in an 8-1 romp over Austria, two days earlier he became Canada’s youngest player to play Olympic hockey as a 17-year-old debuting in the tournament when Canada beat the defending gold medalists Team USA with a 4-2 victory.

Hall of Famer Mark Howe is the youngest to play in the Olympic tournament, amazingly he was added to Team USA as a 16-year-old at the 1972 games in Japan.

“We had a great group of guys,” Muller reflected on his ‘84 Olympic experience to Hockey Canada. “We were young and had a good mix of both junior and college guys bonding together quickly. We all had the same passion and shared the same goal; to do well over at the Olympics”.

Team Canada missed out on a medal, shutout in the last three games at the tournament they lost to Sweden in the bronze medal game.

“I really lucked out, the fact I was able to play in the Olympics,” Muller told the Calgary Sun in a 2022 interview. “People train their whole lives to be in the Olympics. And I’m like, ‘Oh my God, here I am, I’ve got a Team Canada jacket on and I’m in the opening ceremonies.”

Muller played six games at the Olympics (missing the Russian game with a strained knee), he had three goals and one assist including a key goal against Finland in a Team Canada win.

Canada had not planned to use junior-aged players at the Olympics. Muller played for Canada in the World Junior Hockey championships in Sweden over Christmas and rejoined the OHL’s Guelph Platers in early January.

Canadian coach Dave King invited him to join the national team for a four-game audition in an exhibition series against the touring Soviets and he earned a spot on the Olympic team.

“I am happy for Kirk in one sense, but realistically it would seem we are pushing the panic button by calling on kids to play against proven veterans and international players” said Guelph Platers owner Joe Holody.

Kirk showed he could play at that level and was joined by other junior players including Russ Courtnall, Dave Gagner and J.J. Daigneault (a teammate of Muller’s on the 1993 Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens).

A few months after the ’84 Olympics, Kirk was drafted second overall by New Jersey behind Mario Lemieux at the NHL entry draft and went on to a 19-year NHL playing career. Muller would represent Canada at four World Hockey Championships during his NHL career, winning two silver and a bronze.

Mark Potter is a member of the Kingston & District Sports Hall of Fame. Co-author of ‘Hockey’s Hub – Three Centuries of Hockey in Kingston’ and a 40-year Kingston broadcaster.