Donald Walter Murdoch (born October 25, 1956) 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 ...

player. He played 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 ...

with the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

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 ...

, and

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

between 1976 and 1982. He was featured in the

1979 Stanley Cup Finals The 1979 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1978–79 season, and the culmination of the 1979 Stanley Cup playoffs. The New York Rangers challenged the defending champion Montreal Canadiens, wh ...

, playing with the Rangers.

Playing career

After a standout junior career with the

Medicine Hat Tigers The Medicine Hat Tigers are a junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League (WHL) who play in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. Established in 1970, the team has won two national Memorial Cups, five WHL League Championships and seven Divis ...

, Murdoch was selected 6th overall in the

1976 NHL Amateur Draft The 1976 NHL Amateur Draft was the 14th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the NHL office in Montreal, Quebec, on June 1, 1976. It's notable as featuring one of the weakest first rounds in draft history, as only two players ( Rick Green and Bernie F ...

by the

, and joined the team that year as a 20-year-old. He scored 56 points in 59 games his rookie season, including a Rangers rookie record of 32 goals, and finished as runner-up for the Calder Trophy for best rookie. On October 12, 1976, Murdoch tied

Howie Meeker Howard William Meeker (November 4, 1923 – November 8, 2020) was a Canadian professional hockey player in the National Hockey League, youth coach and educator in ice hockey, and a Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament. He became best ...

's record for most goals in one game by a rookie with 5, against the

Minnesota North Stars The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...

. A torn

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus (h ...

ended his season in February. In summer of 1977, Murdoch was caught by customs agents in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

with 4.5 grams of

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...

stashed in his socks. He was suspended by the league for the entire 1978–79 season (later reduced to 40 games) and later admitted to having a drinking and drug problem.Murdoch's biography
at Hockey Draft Central He played 320 career games in the

(NHL) but never regained the form of his first season, and retired after stops with the

and

. After his playing career, Murdoch worked as a scout for the

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...

, under general manager

Phil Esposito Philip Anthony Esposito ( , ; born February 20, 1942) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, coach and executive, and current broadcaster for the Tampa Bay Lightning. A member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, he played 18 seasons in t ...

. Don is the brother of Bob Murdoch.

Legacy

In the 2009 book ''100 Ranger Greats'', the authors ranked Murdoch at No. 99 all-time of the 901 New York Rangers who had played during the team's first 82 seasons.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Awards

* WCHL All-Star Team – 1975 * WCHL First All-Star Team – 1976

External links

References

1956 births Living people Adirondack Red Wings players Canadian ice hockey right wingers Canadian sportspeople in doping cases Cincinnati Stingers draft picks Detroit Red Wings players Doping cases in ice hockey Edmonton Oilers players Ice hockey people from British Columbia Indianapolis Checkers players Medicine Hat Tigers players Montana Magic players Muskegon Lumberjacks players National Hockey League first-round draft picks New York Rangers draft picks New York Rangers players New York Rangers scouts Sportspeople from Cranbrook, British Columbia Tampa Bay Lightning executives Tampa Bay Lightning scouts Toledo Goaldiggers players Vernon Vikings players {{Canada-icehockey-player-stub