Doug McMurdy (February 9, 1926 – May 16, 2010) was a Canadian professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

player, and coach. He played both centre and defence, and skated for 376 games in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

, mostly with the

Springfield Indians The Springfield Indians were two separate minor professional ice hockey franchises, originally based in West Springfield, Massachusetts and later Springfield, Massachusetts. The original Indians were founding members of the American Hockey Leagu ...

. McMurdy was the inaugural winner of the

Red Tilson Trophy The Red Tilson Trophy is awarded annually by the Ontario Hockey League to the most outstanding player (MVP) as voted by OHL writers and broadcasters. It was donated by ''The Globe and Mail,'' and first awarded in the 1944–45 OHA season by the On ...

, as the most outstanding junior player in the

Ontario Hockey Association The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) is the governing body for the majority of junior and senior level ice hockey teams in the province of Ontario. Founded in 1890, the OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern ...

(OHA) in 1945.

Amateur career

Doug McMurdy was born on February 9, 1926, in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

. He was brought to the

St. Catharines Falcons St. Catharines Falcons may refer to one of these junior hockey teams: * St. Catharines Falcons (1943–1947) * St. Catharines Falcons (1968) {{disambiguation ...

for the 1943–44 OHA season by fellow

n and coach

Rudy Pilous Rudolph Pilous (August 11, 1914 – December 5, 1994) was a Canadian ice hockey player and coach, born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Pilous won the Stanley Cup coaching the Chicago Black Hawks in 1960–61, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame ...

. In his second year of junior hockey, McMurdy won the inaugural Red Tilson Trophy for the

1944–45 OHA season This is a list of OHA standings and season-by-season summaries of the Ontario Hockey Association's Junior A division from 1933 to 1972, and its Tier I division from 1972 to 1974. ;Legend * GP = games played * W = wins * L = losses * T = ties * ...

as the most valuable player, and was the top scoring defenceman in the league.

Professional career

McMurdy signed with 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. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

in 1945, for a salary of $5000 and bonus of $1200. He was converted to a centre by Leafs coach

Hap Day Clarence Henry "Happy" Day (June 14, 1901 – February 17, 1990), later known as Hap Day, was a Canadian professional hockey player who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Americans. Day enjo ...

, and assigned to the minor leagues. His first season in the AHL was played with the

Pittsburgh Hornets The Pittsburgh Hornets were a minor-league professional men's ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Contrary to popular belief, the Pittsburgh Hornets did not evolve from the International Hockey League's Pittsburgh Shamrocks. The ...

, then two seasons with the Tulsa Oilers in the

United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the Midwestern United States and Great Plains, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. Th ...

. McMurdy was traded to Springfield in 1948, and played the next nine seasons under the control of team owner,

Eddie Shore Edward William Shore (November 25, 1902 – March 16, 1985) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman, principally for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League, and the longtime owner of the Springfield Indians of the American Hocke ...

. Teams in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

inquired about McMurdy, but Shore declined offers to sell or trade him. When Shore moved his AHL team to Syracuse, he assigned McMurdy to the farm team in Springfield partway though the 1951–52 season. McMurdy was named the player–coach for the Springfield Indians for the next two seasons. He led the Springfield Indians to the Walker Cup as regular season champions in the

Eastern Amateur Hockey League The Eastern Hockey League was a minor professional United States ice hockey league. Eastern Amateur Hockey League (1933–1953) The league was founded in 1933 as the Eastern Amateur Hockey League (EAHL). The league was founded by Tommy Lockhart ...

in 1952–53, but the Indians lost in the playoff finals to the

Johnstown Jets The Johnstown Jets were a professional ice hockey team from Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The Jets were founded in the Eastern Hockey League, Eastern Amateur Hockey League for the 1950–51 season, playing at the newly constructed Cambria County War M ...

. McMurdy and the Indians moved up to the

Quebec Hockey League The Quebec Senior Hockey League (QSHL) was an ice hockey league that operated from 1941 to 1959, based in Quebec, Canada. The league played senior ice hockey under the jurisdiction of the Quebec Amateur Hockey Association until 1953, when it becam ...

for the 1953–54 season. The team struggled and finished last place. Shore returned his AHL team to Springfield in 1954, and McMurdy played the next three seasons in the AHL with the Indians. He finished his AHL career in Springfield with 85 goals, 182 assists, and 267 points in 286 games. McMurdy played the 1957–58 season with the

Trois-Rivières Lions The Trois-Rivières Lions ( French: ''Lions de Trois-Rivières'') are a professional minor league ice hockey team in the ECHL based in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. The team began play in the 2021–22 season, with home games held at Colisée Vid� ...

in the QHL, then finished his career playing defence for

New Haven Blades {{Infobox ice hockey team , text_color = black , bg_color = white , team = New Haven Blades , logo = NewHavenBlades.gif , logosize = 175px , city = New Haven, Connecticut , league = Eastern Hockey League , ...

in the 1958–59 season.

Later life and honours

McMurdy was inducted into Springfield Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000. He died on May 16, 2010, in

West Brookfield, Massachusetts West Brookfield is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,833 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Lucy Stone was born in West Brookfield, and George Merriam, Ge ...

Playing statistics

Career statistics as a player.

Coaching statistics

Career statistics as a player-coach.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McMurdy, Doug 1926 births 2010 deaths 20th-century Canadian sportsmen Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey centres Canadian ice hockey coaches Ice hockey people from Winnipeg New Haven Blades players Pittsburgh Hornets players Quebec Senior Hockey League players Springfield Indians players St. Catharines Falcons (OHA) players Syracuse Warriors players Tulsa Oilers (USHL) players