Robert John "Bob" Murdoch (born November 20, 1946) is a Canadian former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the la ...

and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. Murdoch played 12 seasons in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL) for the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

, Los Angeles Kings, Atlanta Flames and

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

and coached 10 seasons in the

with the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, pl ...

and

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertainm ...

. He won the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...

in 1971 and 1973 while with Montreal.

Coaching career

Murdoch coached 80 games with the

during the 1987–88 season, compiling a record of 30–41–9, with a .413 win percentage. He was succeeded as Blackhawks coach by

Mike Keenan Michael Edward Keenan (born October 21, 1949) is a Canadian professional hockey coach who most recently coached the Kunlun Red Star of the Kontinental Hockey League. Previously, he served as head coach and/or general manager with several NHL teams ...

the following season.Bob Murdoch Coaching Record – Hockey-Reference.com
/ref> During the 1989–1990 season, Murdoch was named the head coach of the

. After missing the playoffs the previous season, the Jets went 37–32–11 for 85 points and 3rd in the Smythe Division, making the playoffs but losing to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

in seven games. Murdoch was seen as an important part of the Jets quick turn around, winning the

Jack Adams Award The Jack Adams Award is awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) coach "adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success." The league's Coach of the Year award has been presented 47 times to 39 coaches. The winner is selecte ...

as the NHL's coach of the year. Despite the success of the previous season, however, the Jets struggled in 1990–1991, finishing in the Smythe Division cellar at 26–43–11, and missing the playoffs completely. Murdoch was fired at season's end, being replaced by

John Paddock Alvin John Paddock (born June 9, 1954) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player, currently the senior vice-president of hockey operations of the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League (WHL). He is a former head coach of t ...

. Murdoch would become an associate coach for the

during the 1991–1992 and 1992–1993 NHL seasons. Afterwards, he departed for Europe, and has since coached several teams in Germany's DEL.

Coaching record

Awards and achievements

*1989–90 –

winner *1974–75 – Played in NHL All-Star Game

International play

*1968–69 – Member of Canadian National Team *1969–70 – Member of Canadian National Team

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

*
Hockey Le Magazine Profile
1946 births Living people Atlanta Flames players Calgary Flames coaches Calgary Flames players Canadian ice hockey coaches Canadian ice hockey defencemen Chicago Blackhawks coaches Ice hockey people from Ontario Jack Adams Award winners Los Angeles Kings players Montreal Canadiens players National Hockey League All-Stars Sportspeople from Kirkland Lake San Jose Sharks coaches Stanley Cup champions Undrafted National Hockey League players Winnipeg Jets (1972–1996) coaches {{Canada-icehockey-defenceman-1940s-stub