When professional hockey players decide to retire, the idea that they may be lacing up the skates soon after is relatively rare. While plenty of players decide to retract their retirement, not many of them are back on the ice within a year. However, this was not the case for Joe Whitney, a former American Hockey League (AHL) All-Star and two-time Boston College NCAA champion.
Whitney finished his professional career with the Iserlohn Roosters in Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) following the 2021-22 season’s conclusion. After deliberating on what to do with his wife, he decided to return back to the United States and spend time with his family. However, when approached with the opportunity to play summer hockey with 3ICE, Whitney decided that he received an opportunity to get the best of both worlds.
Whitney’s Electric Play Dominated 3ICE’s First Season
As many 3ICE players have made clear, transitioning to constant three-on-three hockey is something that takes a period of time. However, despite claiming that there was about a two-week period of time spent adjusting to the league, Whitney managed to end the very first week of the 2021-22 season with a much-coveted prize: the Golden Helmet.
“I ended up walking away with the Golden Helmet after we finished up our first week, which was a fun way to get things started,” Whitney said. “Team Mullen was pretty solid last year, and it made it easy to play my game and have fun with the guys.”
Whitney’s ability to finish the first week atop 3ICE’s point race was not an isolated event. By the end of the season, he managed to win the Joe Mullen Top Scorer Award alongside the John LeClair Plus-Minus Award. His performance was so impressive that Coach Mullen kept him in the draft alongside his son Patrick Mullen. Now, Whitney looks to complete his 3ICE prowess by winning the Patty Cup in the 2022-23 season.
Whitney Looking to Have Fun with His Brother While Winning the Cup
Because 3ICE’s teams change every year with the draft, Whitney is essentially starting over with the teammates around him. The chemistry he had been building up with last year’s team was largely disassembled. However, he’s fortunate enough to have some pre-established chemistry with some of his new teammates, notably his brother Steven and Paul Carey.
“I definitely miss the chemistry I had with the guys from Team Mullen last year,” Whitney said. “You get plenty of rivalries that get built up one year that don’t carry over into the next when the rosters change. This year, though, I get to play with my brother Steven and Paul Carey, who I won a championship with at Boston College, so I’m excited to be back on the same team as them.”
This year, Whitney’s goal is simple: finish the job from last year while enjoying the time he gets to spend with his coaches and fellow skaters.
Related: Patrick Mullen’s 3ICE Experience Means More Than Family
“It all starts with winning a game, which we have yet to do at this point of the season,” Whitney said. “I’m also excited to keep hanging out with the guys. The amount of good guys there are in the league is unreal. You get to hear war stories from these Hockey Hall of Fame coaches and sit back to drink a beer with the guys. More than anything, it’s just pure fun.”
The 3ICE season began on June 28 and is broadcast live by CBS Sports, TSN and TVA Sports. The season will run for six weeks before the championship game takes place on Aug. 12 in Philadelphia. Stay tuned for more content about 3ICE as the season progresses, and make sure to tune into 3ICE this summer to enjoy the best part of hockey each and every week.
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