Don Murdoch
Donald Walter Murdoch (born October 25, 1956 in Cranbrook, British Columbia) is a retired former professional ice hockey player. After a standout junior career with the Medicine Hat Tigers, Murdoch made the New York Rangers as a 20-year-old and had an impressive rookie scoring 56 points in 59 games his rookie season. A torn Achilles tendon ended his season in February.
In the offseason in 1977 after his first season, Murdoch was caught by customs agents in Toronto with 4.5 grams of cocaine stashed in his socks. He was suspended by the league and later admitted to having a drinking and drug problem.[1] He played 320 career games in the NHL but never regained the form of his first season, and retired after stops with the Edmonton Oilers and Detroit Red Wings. Murdoch had a reputation as a partier since his rookie year, and was once even romantically linked with Margaret Trudeau.[2]
After his playing career, Murdoch worked as a scout for the Tampa Bay Lightning, under general manager Phil Esposito.
Legacy
In the book 100 Ranger Greats (John Wiley & Sons, 2009) by Russ Cohen, John Halligan and Adam Raider, the authors ranked Murdoch No. 99 on the all-time list of New York Rangers.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1974–75 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WCHL | 70 | 82 | 59 | 141 | 83 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 15 | ||
| 1975–76 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WCHL | 70 | 88 | 77 | 165 | 202 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 23 | ||
| 1976–77 | New York Rangers | NHL | 59 | 32 | 24 | 56 | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | New York Rangers | NHL | 66 | 27 | 28 | 55 | 41 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 1978–79 | New York Rangers | NHL | 40 | 15 | 21 | 36 | 6 | 18 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 12 | ||
| 1979–80 | New York Rangers | NHL | 56 | 23 | 19 | 42 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 10 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1980–81 | Wichita Wind | CHL | 22 | 15 | 10 | 25 | 48 | 18 | 17 | 7 | 24 | 24 | ||
| 1980–81 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 40 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | Adirondack Red Wings | AHL | 24 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 24 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 14 | ||
| 1981–82 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 49 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982–83 | Adirondack Red Wings | AHL | 35 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | Montana Magic | CHL | 17 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | Adirondack Red Wings | AHL | 59 | 26 | 20 | 46 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | Muskegon Lumberjacks | IHL | 32 | 18 | 13 | 31 | 4 | 16 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 26 | ||
| 1985–86 | Muskegon Lumberjacks | IHL | 12 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | Indianapolis Checkers | IHL | 11 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | Toledo Goaldiggers | IHL | 37 | 15 | 23 | 38 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 320 | 121 | 116 | 237 | 155 | 24 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 16 | ||||
See also
- List of players with 5 or more goals in an NHL game
External links
References
- ↑ Murdoch's biography at Hockey Draft Central
- ↑ Future Greats and Heartbreaks, Gare Joyce, 2007, pg.8
| Preceded by Wayne Dillon |
New York Rangers first round draft pick 1976 |
Succeeded by Lucien DeBlois |