Were it not for a summer vacation, the fortunes of Greg Millen and the Penguins could have been very different.
After the Penguins nearly upset the St. Louis Blues in a preliminary round series during the 1981 playoffs, Millen was a restricted free agent in the ensuing offseason. He and his agent, Pat Caputo, were up front about trying to get the best possible deal for the young goaltender and openly courted offers from other teams.
While restricted free agents occasionally get offers from other teams today, it was virtually unheard of in this era.
Millen agreed to a lucrative offer from the Hartford Whalers in June but wanted to give the Penguins an opportunity to match and a copy of the contract he agreed to was sent to the Penguins’ offices for general manager Aldege “Baz” Bastien to review.
The only problem was Bastien was on vacation and — at a time before cellular phones or other forms of immediate communication — could not be reached.
After receiving no response from the Penguins, Millen formally signed with the Whalers, who, per the rules of the day, had to compensate the Penguins by sending forwards Pat Boutette and Kevin McClelland to Pittsburgh.
The NHL is saddened by the passing of Greg Millen, a veteran of 14 NHL seasons as a goaltender and more than three decades as a broadcaster. Millen will be missed as a respected TV analyst on Hockey Night in Canada and with Sportsnet. Our thoughts are with his family, his… pic.twitter.com/JpKfRNbSWi
— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) April 8, 2025
Three years later, the Penguins were the worst team in the NHL and were in position to draft franchise icon Mario Lemieux. Had Millen remained with the team, Lemieux might have worn a different sweater during his career.
The Penguins wound up reaching the sport’s greatest heights in the ensuing four decades Lemieux has been associated with the franchise while Millen enjoyed a solid but nomadic career over 14 seasons with six franchises before becoming a national broadcaster in Canada.
Millen died on Monday. The NHL Alumni Association announced Millen’s death via social media but did not provide further details such as a cause.
A native of Toronto, Millen was 67.
The Penguins selected Millen in the sixth round of the 1977 draft, and he made his debut in 1978-79 at the age of 21, appearing in 28 games and going 14-11-1 as Denis Herron’s backup.
By 1979-80, the Penguins were so confident in Millen that they traded Herron to the Montreal Canadiens and handed the starting role to Millen. He rewarded that faith by going 18-18-7 in 44 games with two shutouts and led them to a near-upset of the favorite Boston Bruins in the qualifying round, falling, 3-2, in the best-of-five series.
At a time when most sports fans in Pittsburgh largely focused on the champion Pirates and Steelers, Millen became a popular attraction for the mostly unremarkable Penguins.
Millen regressed a bit in 1980-81, appearing in 63 games and going 25-27-10 but set a still-standing franchise record for goaltenders with 26 consecutive games played. After his strong playoff effort that spring, the Penguins thought they had a franchise goaltender for the first time in the club’s history but ultimately lost him to Hartford.
In addition to the Penguins and Whalers, Millen suited up for the St. Louis Blues, Quebec Nordiques, Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings before retiring in 1992.
After his playing career, Millen became a color commentator for the iconic Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts on the CBC as well as with Sportsnet, also in Canada. In that capacity, Millen covered Stanley Cup Finals, All-Star Games and Olympic tournaments.
Per the NHL’s Alumni Association, Millen is survived by his wife and four children.