Joe Cirella
Encyclopedia
Joseph Cirella is a retired Canadian
professional ice hockey
player who played in 828 games in the National Hockey League
(NHL). He currently serves as Assistant Coach & Assistant General Manager of the Oshawa Generals
of the Ontario Hockey League
.
's Oshawa Generals
at the age of 17 and served as team captain as the Generals won the J. Ross Robertson Cup
as OHL champions in 1983. He was selected fifth overall in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft
by the Colorado Rockies
.
Cirella played for the Rockies, New Jersey Devils
, Quebec Nordiques
, New York Rangers
, Florida Panthers
and Ottawa Senators
during an NHL career that lasted 14 seasons. He would score the game-winning goal in the 1984 NHL All-Star Game, and was the last former Colorado Rockies player in the NHL at the time of his final game. He retired in 1997 after playing one year in Germany
with the Kölner Haie
of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.
before returning to the Ontario Hockey League
where he served in the same capacity with the Oshawa Generals
for five seasons. After spending the 2009-10 season in the Peterborough Petes
' front office, he returned to the Generals as assistant general manager and assistant coach.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player who played in 828 games in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL). He currently serves as Assistant Coach & Assistant General Manager of the Oshawa Generals
Oshawa Generals
The Oshawa Generals are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They are based in Oshawa, Ontario. The team is named for General Motors, an early sponsor which has its Canadian headquarters in Oshawa. The Generals are one of the most successful franchises in Canadian Hockey League...
of the Ontario Hockey League
Ontario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League is one of the three Major Junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 15-20.The OHL also operates under the Ontario Hockey Federation of Hockey Canada....
.
Playing career
Cirella joined the OHLOntario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League is one of the three Major Junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 15-20.The OHL also operates under the Ontario Hockey Federation of Hockey Canada....
's Oshawa Generals
Oshawa Generals
The Oshawa Generals are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They are based in Oshawa, Ontario. The team is named for General Motors, an early sponsor which has its Canadian headquarters in Oshawa. The Generals are one of the most successful franchises in Canadian Hockey League...
at the age of 17 and served as team captain as the Generals won the J. Ross Robertson Cup
J. Ross Robertson Cup
The J. Ross Robertson Cup is an ice hockey trophy awarded annually to the winner of the Ontario Hockey League playoff championship. It was presented by and named for John Ross Robertson, the president of the Ontario Hockey Association who served from 1899 to 1905.Originally it was awarded to the...
as OHL champions in 1983. He was selected fifth overall in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft
1981 NHL Entry Draft
The 1981 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec. The National Hockey League teams selected 211 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in the reverse order of the 1980–81 NHL season and playoff standings. This is the list of those players...
by the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies (NHL)
The Colorado Rockies were an American professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League that played in Denver, Colorado, from 1976 to 1982. They were a relocation of the Kansas City Scouts, a 1974 expansion team. The franchise moved to East Rutherford, New Jersey, in 1982 and was...
.
Cirella played for the Rockies, New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, Quebec Nordiques
Quebec Nordiques
The Quebec Nordiques were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association and the National Hockey League...
, New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
, Florida Panthers
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in Sunrise, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their games at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise and are the...
and Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
during an NHL career that lasted 14 seasons. He would score the game-winning goal in the 1984 NHL All-Star Game, and was the last former Colorado Rockies player in the NHL at the time of his final game. He retired in 1997 after playing one year in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
with the Kölner Haie
Kölner Haie
The Kölner Haie are an ice hockey club based in Cologne, Germany that plays in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The team was one of the founding members of the DEL.The team colours are red and white....
of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.
Career statistics
--- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ----
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1980-81 Oshawa Generals OHL 56 5 31 36 220 -- -- -- -- --
1981-82 Oshawa Generals OHL 3 0 1 1 10 11 7 10 17 32
1981-82 Colorado Rockies NHL 65 7 12 19 52 -- -- -- -- --
1982-83 Oshawa Generals OHL 56 13 55 68 110 17 4 16 20 37
1982-83 New Jersey Devils NHL 2 0 1 1 4 -- -- -- -- --
1983-84 New Jersey Devils NHL 79 11 33 44 137 -- -- -- -- --
1984-85 New Jersey Devils NHL 66 6 18 24 143 -- -- -- -- --
1985-86 New Jersey Devils NHL 66 6 23 29 147 -- -- -- -- --
1986-87 New Jersey Devils NHL 65 9 22 31 111 -- -- -- -- --
1987-88 New Jersey Devils NHL 80 8 31 39 191 19 0 7 7 49
1988-89 New Jersey Devils NHL 80 3 19 22 155 -- -- -- -- --
1989-90 Quebec Nordiques NHL 56 4 14 18 67 -- -- -- -- --
1990-91 Quebec Nordiques NHL 39 2 10 12 59 -- -- -- -- --
1990-91 New York Rangers NHL 19 1 0 1 52 6 0 2 2 26
1991-92 New York Rangers NHL 67 3 12 15 121 13 0 4 4 23
1992-93 New York Rangers NHL 55 3 6 9 85 -- -- -- -- --
1993-94 Florida Panthers NHL 63 1 9 10 99 -- -- -- -- --
1994-95 Florida Panthers NHL 20 0 1 1 21 -- -- -- -- --
1995-96 Milwaukee Admirals IHL 40 1 8 9 65 5 0 1 1 20
1995-96 Ottawa Senators NHL 6 0 0 0 4 -- -- -- -- --
1996-97 Cologne Sharks DEL 49 2 7 9 164 -- -- -- -- --
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NHL Totals 828 64 211 275 1448 38 0 13 13 98
Coaching
After retiring as a player, Cirella served as an assistant coach with the NHL's Florida Panthers during the 1997-98 season1997-98 NHL season
-Stanley Cup Final:The 1998 Stanley Cup Final was played in the 105th year of the Stanley Cup. The series was played between the Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings and the Eastern Conference champion Washington Capitals. The Red Wings were led by Captain Steve Yzerman, Coach Scotty...
before returning to the Ontario Hockey League
Ontario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League is one of the three Major Junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 15-20.The OHL also operates under the Ontario Hockey Federation of Hockey Canada....
where he served in the same capacity with the Oshawa Generals
Oshawa Generals
The Oshawa Generals are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They are based in Oshawa, Ontario. The team is named for General Motors, an early sponsor which has its Canadian headquarters in Oshawa. The Generals are one of the most successful franchises in Canadian Hockey League...
for five seasons. After spending the 2009-10 season in the Peterborough Petes
Peterborough Petes
The Peterborough Petes are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The team has played in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, since 1956, and is the oldest continuously operating team in the league.-History:...
' front office, he returned to the Generals as assistant general manager and assistant coach.
Coaching statistics
Season Team Lge Type
1997-98 Florida Panthers NHL Assistant Coach
1998-99 Oshawa Generals OHL Assistant Coach
1999-00 Oshawa Generals OHL Assistant Coach
2000-01 Oshawa Generals OHL Assistant Coach
2002-03 Oshawa Generals OHL Assistant Coach
2003-04 Oshawa Generals OHL Assistant Coach
2009-10 Peterborough Petes OHL Defensive Consultant
2010-11 Oshawa Generals OHL Assistant Coach/Assistant GM