John Murray Murdoch (May 19, 1904 – May 17, 2001) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. He played for 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 ...
of 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 ...
from 1926 to 1937, never missing a game in his career. With the Rangers Murdoch won the Stanley Cup twice, in
1928
Events January
* January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA.
* January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhan ...
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
from 1938 to 1965.
Personal life
Murdoch was born in
Lucknow
Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
. His parents were Walter Dryden Murdoch (b. 1875) and Jennie Bell "Jane" Murray (b. 1878). He received a Bachelor's degree in mathematics from the
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.left wing for 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 ...
in 508 games with 84 goals and 108 assists from the Rangers' first season in the
1926–27 NHL season
The 1926–27 NHL season was the List of NHL seasons, tenth Season (sport), season of the National Hockey League. The success of the Boston Bruins and the Pittsburgh Pirates (NHL), Pittsburgh Pirates led the NHL to expand further within the United ...
until the
1936–37 NHL season
The 1936–37 NHL season was the 20th season of the National Hockey League (NHL). Eight teams each played 48 games. The Detroit Red Wings were the Stanley Cup winners as they beat the New York Rangers three games to two in the final series.
Leag ...
. From 1938 to 1965, he was the sixth head coach of
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
hockey team. In 1974, he was awarded the
Lester Patrick Trophy
The Lester Patrick Trophy has been presented by the National Hockey League and USA Hockey since 1966 to honor a recipient's contribution to ice hockey in the United States. It is considered a non-NHL trophy because it may be awarded to players, c ...
for his contribution to hockey in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
.
He was the last living player from the inaugural Rangers team in 1925.
Awards and achievements
*
Memorial Cup
The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played between t ...
Championship (1923)
* Stanley Cup Championships (1928 & 1933)
*
Lester Patrick Trophy
The Lester Patrick Trophy has been presented by the National Hockey League and USA Hockey since 1966 to honor a recipient's contribution to ice hockey in the United States. It is considered a non-NHL trophy because it may be awarded to players, c ...
Winner (1974)
*
Hobey Baker Legends of College Hockey Award
The Hobey Baker Legends of College Hockey Award is an annual award presented by the Hobey Baker Memorial Award Committee to honor "one of the all-time great contributors to the game of college hockey."
In 1981, the Hobey Baker Memorial Award Comm ...
(1987)
*Honoured Member of the
Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame The Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum is a hall of fame and museum for ice hockey in Manitoba, located on the main level of the Canada Life Centre in downtown Winnipeg.
It was established in 1985, when the first honoured members were named ...
* In the 2009 book ''100 Ranger Greats'', was ranked No. 39 all-time of the 901 New York Rangers who had played during the team's first 82 seasons
Family Links
John Murray Murdoch has several relationships with NHL players:
Dave Dryden
David Murray Dryden (September 5, 1941 – October 4, 2022) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender, who created and first used the modern goaltending mask, consisting of fibreglass and a cage. From 1962 to 1980, he played nine season ...
and
Ken Dryden
Kenneth Wayne Dryden (born August 8, 1947) is a Canadian politician, lawyer, businessman, author, and former National Hockey League (NHL) goaltender. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was a Liber ...
are his first cousins twice removed. J. Murray Murdoch's parents were Jane Murray and Walter Murdoch (b 1875). Walter's half sister Maggie Murdoch (1855-1926) married Andrew Dryden (1849-1922). Their great grandsons are Dave and Ken Dryden.
Mark Messier and Paul Messier are related by marriage through Murray Murdoch's wife, Marie Heinrich. Marie was the daughter of George Heinrich and Ina Dea (d 1936). Ina's brother John Dea (d 1943 in World War II) married Alice Dodd Stiles (1911-1999). Their grandsons are the Messier brothers.
Billy Dea is also related by marriage. Ina Dea and John Dea's brother Howard Dea is Billy Dea's father, and also played professional hockey. Another one of Dea's siblings, Christine, married Murray Murdoch's uncle (his father, Walter's brother), Lovell Steele Murdoch (1881-1963) - their children being Murray Murdoch's cousins. Former Ranger
Don Murdoch
Donald Walter Murdoch (born October 25, 1956) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, and Detroit Red Wings between 1976 and 1982. He was featured i ...
and former California Golden Seal, Cleveland Baron and St Louis Blue Bob Murdoch (ice hockey, born 1954) are grandsons of Lovell Steele Murdoch and Christine Dea Murdoch, and distant cousins of Murray, .