A big name the annals of the NHL has passed on.
Bob Murdoch, who was both a player and coach in the NHL, died on Friday at the age of 76, reported the Daily Caller.
Murdoch played for 13 seasons before retiring at the end of the 1981-82 season.
Different Era
For someone today, Murdoch’s career was not all that impressive, but you have to remember he played in a different era where it was rare for a defenseman to pinch and score.
Even so, he factored into the scoring in 35 percent of the games he played, notching 278 points in 757 professional games.
Murdoch started his career with the Montreal Canadiens, where he managed to hoist two cups in his first three seasons as a player.
Unfortunately, for Murdoch, that was about as good as it was going to get for him. After his 1972-73 season, Murdoch played for the LA Kings, Atlanta Flames, and Calgary Flames.
After retiring, he moved from the ice to behind the bench, coaching numerous European teams as well as the Chicago Blackhawks and Winnipeg Jets in the NHL.
His tenure with the Blackhawks held nothing spectacular and he only made it one season.
However, for the 1989-90 season, he was hired by the Winnipeg Jets and quickly turned the team around. The team missed the playoffs the previous season, but Murdoch led them to a 37-32-11 season, earning a playoff berth.
The team lost to the Edmonton Oilers, but Murdoch won the NHL Coach of the Year Award (Jack Adams Award) for his role in the quick turnaround.
The next season, the team went 26-43-11, missing the playoffs, and Murdoch was fired. Murdoch would serve as an assistant coach.
After the 1992-93 season, Murdoch moved to Europe and coached several teams in the German Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL).
