Joe Whitney has scored plenty of goals in his impressive hockey career, but two might stand out more than most. The first came fairly close to home in Worcester, Mass.
It was a goal that sent Boston College to the Frozen Four. The second was scored in the same city in which he hoisted his second NCAA championship trophy.
Still a prominent force on the ice, Whitney, a Reading, Mass., native, hopes he has one or two more big ones left in him.
Since he was a young kid hanging out with his good buddy Kevin McNamara (who would go on to play at Colgate), Whitney wanted to play at Boston College. It’s not an abnormal aspiration for a hockey player from Massachusetts. It does appear a bit more ambitious, however, when that player tops out at 5 feet 6 inches. Still, his production at Lawrence Academy was hard to overlook, and the dream was soon set to become reality.
“I worked my butt off and hoped one day Jerry York would knock on my door or give me a call,” Whitney said. He was made to sweat it out a little, though.
“BC was probably the last school. I had pretty much all the Hockey East schools,” he said.
While Whitney didn’t scoff at his other offers, when the Eagles finally showed interest, he didn’t spend too much more time to decide. “I said, ‘Dad, who am I kidding looking at these other schools? I’m going to BC. I’ve wanted to do that my whole life.’ ”
Finally walking around Chestnut Hill as an official Eagle, Whitney joined a Boston College team that had just lost in the NCAA final two years in a row. Whitney didn’t have to personally bear the disappointment of those shortcomings, but he could still sense the ghost in the locker room.
“I had heard how much it weighed on (returning players). Those upperclassmen were kind of on a mission to not let it happen again. The focus was just a national championship. For everyone else, it was, ‘Don’t let those guys down.’ ”
When BC made it back to the NCAA tournament in 2008, little doubt could exist about their primary objective. It wouldn’t be an easy road. It’s one that took them through perennial powerhouses (especially at that time) Minnesota and North Dakota. It required beating Notre Dame in the final. However, their most harrowing victory came in the regional final. Paired up with Miami (Ohio), the two teams battled into overtime. It was a period that Whitney admitted belonged to Miami. Yet, one bounce is all it can take. That bounce went off the goalie’s right pad and into the slot. Flying more like Bobby Orr than an eagle, Whitney swatted the loose puck into the back of the net. Of the 51 points he accumulated as a freshman wearing the maroon and gold, that might have been the most important.
Whitney would add one in the final as well against Notre Dame. Boston College shook the demons of the past two seasons, and Whitney helped lift the team to the top in year one.
Year two would prove less successful. Both Whitney and the Eagles came down to earth. Whitney chalked it up to a reboot of sorts.
“Emotionally, for a lot of those guys, I feel like it was a lot,” Whitney evaluated. “It’s hard when you’re at the top to stay there. We just didn’t have the team chemistry. …We still had really good players. We brought in a great class, too. Kind of just a tough year all around.”
The Eagles wouldn’t spend long outside the mix. As a junior, Whitney couldn’t help but reminisce on the how fun his freshman year was. With perhaps an even more talented group in year three, Whitney and other upperclassmen instilled how amazing winning truly felt. They didn’t want a repeat of the year prior. In 2009-10, BC did a lot of winning, and Whitney captured his second title. With 45 points, he was a huge factor in a nearly unstoppable offense. In their four NCAA tournament games that year, the Eagles averaged six goals a game, blitzing Wisconsin, 5-0, for the championship.
So high were the Eagles flying at that time that Whitney was shocked they couldn’t repeat in 2011. However, he was still satisfied with his time at Boston College. He wasn’t intending to rest on those laurels, though. His dreams of playing in Conte Forum had proven an even greater reality than he might have hoped. Now, he set his sights on loftier targets.
While some organizations balked at Whitney’s stature, the New Jersey Devils had benefitted from another undersized former Eagle — Brian Gionta — not long before. Always showing a little favoritism toward NCAA players, then-GM Lou Lamoriello (Johnston, R.I.) decided to take a chance on another one.
“Lou and Chris Lamoriello gave me an opportunity to play,” Whitney said. “You’re never really comfortable … under Lou. It was a good fit for me. Hopefully, they got a good return as well, because I gave everything I had.”
Although Whitney wouldn’t quite match Gionta’s success, he certainly proved his worth. As a rookie, he led the Albany Devils in scoring. He would do that each of his four seasons, with his point total increasing each time. It was the production that could not be overlooked. Whitney earned his way into five NHL games. On New Year’s Eve of 2014, he found himself in Detroit again. After helping to force an offensive-zone turnover, the puck bounced back to Whitney on the left dot. With a quick release, he beat Jimmy Howard for his first NHL goal.
“It’s pretty cool because it was a great moment for myself and my family,” Whitney said. “There’s a lot of good players that don’t even get a chance to play one game in the NHL. To play five, I’m very thankful for. Obviously, to put one in the back of the net is a cherry on top.”
Whitney would play three more seasons in the AHL. Asked why he continued to plug away, he answered in quintessential hockey form. “You’re always chasing,” he admitted, acknowledging the taste of the NHL left him wanting more. “You’re always holding on as a North American to play in the NHL. You want to play more. Maybe, you can play a full season and things like that.”
Only in 2018-19 did he finally set his sights on a new mission. He reflected on his time at Boston College, and he realized he wanted some of that camaraderie back.
“I kind of wanted to get back to the college mindset of winning games and you have your team and that is what you have. (Europe offers) more of a ‘let’s try to win a championship together’ type thing than a development, moving up and down.”
His first pursuit was in Linköping, Sweden. Similar to his time at Boston College, he joined former Yale player Broc Little as the driving force of the team’s offense. Without the depth that Whitney had at BC, Linköping couldn’t match the group's success.
Despite being a premier scorer for the team in both seasons, he couldn’t help propel the team into the playoffs.
With COVID beginning to interfere and the dynamics of the European leagues changing, Whitney switched to the German DEL. Amidst the chaos of last season, he made a strong first impression. He led the league in scoring with 45 points as he helped guide Iserlohn into the playoffs. He immediately felt at home. Aiding in that sensation, Whitney was able to play with his brother, Steve, for the first time since college.
“It was awesome for not only my family and my two kids to see Uncle Steve in town overseas, (but) also for him to get his foot in the door in Europe. Along the way, you make memories. That’s one thing in the journey that will stick out when it’s all said and done.”
This season has been more trying. Iserlohn has struggled to string together wins. Whitney attributes poor fortune on bounces to some of those struggles, and he admits that he needs to find his more familiar form. “I’ve got to definitely pick it up here for the second half,” he admitted. “I expect to.”
Iserlohn would love to see him go on a tear, as it relies heavily on the Reading native. He is third on the team in goals, and, whenever he recaptures that scoring touch, more wins surely will follow.
Nonetheless, Whitney knows what he is really searching for these days. His childhood dream was to play at BC, and he achieved that with plenty of perks to go with it. As an adult, he wants to reach those same heights professionally.
“Some of my buddies give it to me in the summertime,” he joked about his limited playoff appearances in the pros. With a hint of frustration, he continued, “It’s not something I’m too proud of. It’s hard to win. It’s something, hopefully, I can change.”
