# Joe Cirella

Joseph Cirella (born May 9, 1963) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in 828 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). He has additionally served as assistant coach and assistant general manager of the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League. Cirella was born in Hamilton, Ontario, but grew up in Stoney Creek, Ontario.

## Playing career

Cirella joined the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) 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.
He was traded along with Claude Loiselle from the New Jersey Devils to the Quebec Nordiques for Walt Poddubny on June 17, 1989.
Cirella played for the Rockies, Devils, Nordiques, New York Rangers, Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators during an NHL career that lasted 14 seasons. He scored the first goal, and also registered an assist on the game-winning goal in the 36th National Hockey League All-Star Game, played in his home arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in 1984. He 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.

## Career statistics
### Regular season and playoffs

| | | | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1979–80 | Hamilton Tiger Cubs | Midget | 21 | 5 | 26 | 31 | | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1980–81 | Oshawa Generals | OHL | 56 | 5 | 31 | 36 | 220 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1981–82 | Colorado Rockies | NHL | 65 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1981–82 | Oshawa Generals | OHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 32 |
| 1982–83 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1982–83 | Oshawa Generals | OHL | 56 | 13 | 55 | 68 | 110 | 17 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 37 |
| 1982–83 | Oshawa Generals | MC | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 10 |
| 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 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1995–96 | Milwaukee Admirals | IHL | 40 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 65 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 20 |
| 1996–97 | Kölner Haie | DEL | 49 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 164 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| NHL totals | NHL totals | NHL totals | 828 | 64 | 211 | 275 | 1448 | 38 | 0 | 13 | 13 | 98 |

### International

| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1983 | Canada | WJC | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |

## Coaching

After retiring as a player, Cirella served as an assistant coach with the NHL's Florida Panthers during the 1997-98 season 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.
| Season | Team | League | 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 |
| 2012–Present | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | OHL | Assistant Coach |