Hockey opportunities haven't been easy to come by for T.J. Mulock since the former Surrey Eagles forward completed his junior hockey career. But the 24-year old has proven that if you’re persistent enough, good fortune will eventually come your way.
Despite an up-and-down journey through the junior ranks, the 24-year-old has reaped the rewards of dogged determination with a unique opportunity to compete for Germany on the world’s biggest stage — the Winter Olympics — which happen to be in his home town.
“It’s the experience of a lifetime,” says Mulock. who played two seasons in the BCHL before joining Eisenbaren Berlin of the German Elite League. “Definitely the biggest moment of my hockey career, if not my life. Just facing off against guys you idolized growing up, it was pretty surreal at first. You’re pretty nervous with the crazy fans and your country cheering you on, [but] I’ve just tried to enjoy it.”
In Berlin, he’s a top-six forward playing on a line with former NHLer Jeff Friesen and he receives his fair share of time on the power play. This season, he's scored 13 goals and 31 points in 36 games this season, which helped him earn his spot on the National Team.
“Every time I put on the Germany jersey it’s a rush,” he says.
After spending his first three years of junior hockey in the WHL playing for the Vancouver Giants and Regina Pats, Mulock jumped to the BCHL and became a big part of the Eagles organization from 2003 to 2005, scoring 50 goals and 157 points in two seasons.
“I feel like I really developed as a player and came into my own with those two years [in Surrey]. I got ample ice time and lots of opportunity to develop and I think that’s what really helped me become who I am right now,” says the Langley native. “I wouldn’t be playing in the Olympics for Germany if I hadn’t gone back to the BCHL.”
Five years later and his hockey career has almost come full circle, returning to his roots at the 2010 Vancouver Games.
“It's really weird,” says Mulock, on playing back in his hometown with Germany. “I was sitting there with the other German-Canadians as we watched the Opening Ceremony. You’re so proud of your nation, you’re watching everything and you’re proud, [but] you’re sitting on the German side. It’s not your ideal dream growing up, but it’s definitely a dream, maybe a little different than putting on the Canada sweater.”
Since his maternal grandfather was born near Leipzig before making the trek over to Canada following the Second World War, Mulock qualified for dual citizenship and a spot on Germany’s 23-man roster. It’s afforded Mulock – as one of four German-Canadians playing on the national team – the Olympic experience of a lifetime that many hockey players never have the opportunity to live.
In addition to playing with the six Germans who play in the NHL, including Christian Ehrhoff of the Vancouver Canucks, he’s played in awe against the likes of Sweden's Peter Forsberg, Henrik Zetterberg, and Henrik and Daniel Sedin, as well as Finland’s Teemu Selanne, who broke the Olympic record for points on Friday night against Germany.
“That was pretty cool. I was actually on the ice, so I don’t know if he’s going to thank me personally,” jokes Mulock.
For a guy who went undrafted, opportunities in the game of hockey simply weren’t cropping up after his final junior season. So Mulock packed his bags and followed his older brother Tyson to Germany, where the two play together in Berlin.
“Germany just looked like a better option for me,” Mulock says. “It’s so tough to make it over here, period, let alone not being drafted or being pursued heavily by an NHL team. That was a big part of it, but also my brother was just loving it over there, and I wanted to see a different part of the world.”
The older Mulock, Tyson, took a similar path to the family’s homeland as T.J., playing four seasons in the WHL before helping the Nanaimo Clippers win the Fred Page Cup in his 20-year-old season in 2004. While Tyson didn’t make the cut with the national side, T.J. impressed German coach Uwe Krupp and has enjoyed every moment of his return home, despite the team failing to win a single game to this point. Ironically, he’s actually rooming with another former Surrey Eagle, Jakub Ficenec, a Czech-German who’s also playing for the national team in the Olympic hockey tournament.
Mulock’s Olympic journey will continue on Tuesday when Germany faces off against Canada in the qualification playoffs with a berth in the Quarter-Finals on the line. Regardless of the outcome, he’s been soaking up the kind of incredible hockey opportunity that has escaped him for most of his career.
“It’s amazing. Just having your friends and family here supporting you, it’s definitely a dream come true.”
And Mulock has his fingers crossed that at some point he'll get a shot at a pro job closer to home.
“That's definitely something I’m working towards back in Germany. I’d love to come back over to North America if that opportunity arises, but if not I have a pretty good thing going in Germany.”
