Troy Norman Murray (born July 31, 1962) is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
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 ...
centre
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...
who played in the
NHL
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 ...
. He is currently the color analyst on
NBC Sports Chicago
NBC Sports Chicago (formerly Comcast SportsNet Chicago) is an American regional sports network that broadcasts regional coverage of professional sports teams in the Chicago metropolitan area, as well as college sports events and original sports- ...
broadcasts of
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 ...
hockey games. Murray was born in
Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
,
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 ...
, but grew up in
St. Albert, Alberta
St. Albert is a city in Alberta on the Sturgeon River northwest of the City of Edmonton. It was originally settled as a Métis community, and is now the second-largest city in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region. St. Albert first received its town ...
.
Playing career
Amateur
Murray played part of two seasons (1978–1980) with the
St. Albert Saints
The St. Albert Saints were a junior ice hockey franchise based in St. Albert, Alberta, Canada, for twenty-seven seasons from 1977 to 2004. Before 1977, the team played in nearby Spruce Grove as the Spruce Grove Mets, and in 2004 the team again mo ...
of the
Alberta Junior Hockey League. He also played briefly in two games with the
Lethbridge Broncos of the
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...
. In two seasons at the
University of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of ...
, he was twice named to the
Western Collegiate Hockey Association
The Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) is a college athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a women's ice hockey-only conference. From 1951 to 1999, it operated a ...
Second All-Star Team in 1981 and 1982. He led North Dakota in scoring as a freshman and helped them capture an
NCAA Title in 1982. In
1982
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
, Murray was chosen to play for
Team Canada Canadian National Team or Team Canada may refer to:
Canada at multi-sport events
* Canada at the Olympics
* Canada at the Paralympics
* Canada at the Commonwealth Games
* Canada at the Pan American Games
Canada's national sport teams
* Canada me ...
at the
World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
The IIHF World Junior Championship (WJC), or simply the "World Juniors" in ice hockey circles, is an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) for national under-20 ice hockey teams from around the world. It is t ...
. He was named team captain and led the team to a gold medal victory.
Professional
Murray was drafted out of the
University of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of ...
by the
Chicago Black Hawks
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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with the 57th overall selection in the 3rd round of the
1980 NHL Entry Draft
The 1980 NHL Entry Draft was the 18th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Montreal Forum. This was the first time that an NHL arena hosted the draft.The Montreal Canadiens:100 Years of Glory, D'Arcy Jenish, p.241, Published in Canada by Doubleda ...
. He made his
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 ...
debut in the
1981–82 season playoffs on April 4, 1982, against the
Minnesota North Stars where he scored his first-ever NHL goal. The Black Hawks would be defeated in the Campbell Finals by the Vancouver Canucks. His first-ever NHL regular season goal came against the
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
and he would finish his rookie season with 16 points in 54 games. Murray's career peaked during the
1985–86 season, as he scored 99 points. He was awarded the
Frank J. Selke Trophy
The Frank J. Selke Trophy, or simply the Selke Trophy, is awarded annually to the National Hockey League forward who demonstrates the most skill in the defensive component of the game. The winner is selected by a poll of the Professional Hockey Wr ...
for best defensive forward in the league that year.
In
1991-92, Murray was traded to the
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 ...
along with teammate
Warren Rychel
Warren Stanley Rychel (born May 12, 1967) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger who played eight seasons in the National Hockey League. He was hired as the head coach of the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League in 2019.
P ...
for
Bryan Marchment
Bryan William Marchment (May 1, 1969 – July 6, 2022) was a Canadian ice hockey defenceman. He played in the National Hockey League for the Winnipeg Jets (1972–96), Winnipeg Jets, Chicago Blackhawks, Hartford Whalers, Edmonton Oilers, Tampa ...
and Chris Norton. Murray was named team captain and finished with 47 points in 79 games that season. His stay in Winnipeg was short-lived as he was reacquired by the Blackhawks in
1992–93. A year later he was again traded, this time to the
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...
. He was the only player on the team to finish with a plus rating. Murray was traded in
1994-95 to the
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...
. He played in 13 games with them before being traded again in
1995–96 to the
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play thei ...
. Murray and the Avalanche made it all the way to the
Stanley Cup Finals
The Stanley Cup Finals in ice hockey (also known as the Stanley Cup Final among various media, french: Finale de la Coupe Stanley) is the National Hockey League's (NHL) championship series to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup, North America ...
where they defeated the
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...
in four games. Murray won his first and only
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 ...
with the Avalanche. Murray remained in hockey for one more year with the
Chicago Wolves
The Chicago Wolves are a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League and are the top minor-league affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League. The Wolves play home games at the Allstate Arena in the C ...
of the
International Hockey League before retiring in
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...
.
Murray finished his career scoring 230 goals and 354 assists in 915 career NHL games. Murray played in twelve seasons with the Blackhawks, and ranks 18th on the Blackhawks all-time assists list with 291, 19th on the all-time points list with 488, and 21st all-time in goals with 197.
Broadcasting career
After retirement Murray joined the Blackhawks TV crew as the studio analyst, a position he held from the start of the 1998–99 season until November 13, 2003. Troy was then named TV color commentator teaming up with
Pat Foley
Pat Foley (born 1954) is an American retired play-by-play commentator for ice hockey.
Personal life
Born in Glenview, Illinois in 1954, Pat Foley is the son of Mary and Bob Foley. He is an alumnus of Loyola Academy and Michigan State Universi ...
for two seasons in which their play by play was simulcast on the then radio flagship
WSCR.
Before the start of the 2006–07 season Foley was let go and the radio and television broadcasts were separated. At this time Murray was paired with former
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...
voice
John Wiedeman. Since pairing with Wiedeman, the duo has gone on to call three Stanley Cup Championships.
In June 2015, Murray and broadcast partners John Wiedeman and
Judd Sirott
Judd Sirott (born January 1969) is an American sportscaster on WBZ-FM's coverage of the Boston Bruins where he replaced Dave Goucher as the radio voice of the Bruins starting with the 2017-18 season. He previously appeared on WGN-AM's broadcasts of ...
received top honors in the Chicago Market "Best Radio Play-By-Play" category at the Illinois Broadcasters Association Silver Dome Awards. They had previously won the award in 2011 and 2014. He and Wiedeman also received top honors in the "Best Sports Story" category at the 2012 IBA Silver Dome Awards.
Murray announced he was diagnosed with cancer on August 9, 2021, but will continue to broadcast as able.
In August 2022, the Blackhawks announced Murray and
Patrick Sharp
Patrick Sharp (born December 27, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers, Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars. After his retirement as a pla ...
together will succeed
Eddie Olczyk
Edward Walter Olczyk Jr. (; born August 16, 1966) is a former center in the National Hockey League for 16 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, and Pittsburgh Penguins. He ...
as the team's TV color commentator.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
Awards and honours
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Troy
1962 births
Canadian ice hockey centres
Chicago Blackhawks announcers
Chicago Blackhawks draft picks
Chicago Blackhawks players
Colorado Avalanche players
Frank Selke Trophy winners
Ice hockey people from Alberta
Lethbridge Broncos players
Living people
National Hockey League broadcasters
Ottawa Senators players
Pittsburgh Penguins players
St. Albert Saints players
Sportspeople from Calgary
Sportspeople from St. Albert, Alberta
Stanley Cup champions
North Dakota Fighting Hawks men's ice hockey players
Winnipeg Jets (1972–1996) captains
Winnipeg Jets (1979–1996) players
NCAA men's ice hockey national champions