Garth Robert Murray (born September 17, 1982) is a

Canadian Canadians () 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 their being ''C ...

former 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 ...

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

who played 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 ...

(NHL) for the

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

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Panthers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team initially played it ...

and the

Phoenix Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and ...

Playing career

Before being drafted, Murray played hockey in the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a 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 hocke ...

, for the

Regina Pats The Regina Pats are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. Founded in 1917, the Pats are the world's oldest continuously operating major junior hockey franchise in its original location and using its original name. The ...

. He was never known as a scorer (peaking at 33 goals, 63 points), but made a name for himself for his hard work and willingness to stand up for his teammates, demonstrated by three 150 PIM-exceeding seasons. The

took a chance on him, drafting him in the third round, 79th overall, in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. He was a part of team Canada's silver medal team at the 2002 World Junior Hockey Championships. He played for the New York Rangers' AHL affiliate, the

Hartford Wolf Pack The Hartford Wolf Pack are a professional ice hockey team based in Hartford, Connecticut. A member of the American Hockey League (AHL), they play their home games at the PeoplesBank Arena. The team was established in 1926 as the Providence Reds. ...

, and was briefly called up for a 20-game stint, where he scored one goal and recorded 24 PIMs. At the start of the 2005–2006 season, he was traded by the Rangers to the

in exchange for left wing

Marcel Hossa Marcel Hossa (; born 12 October 1981) is a Slovak former professional ice hockey left winger. Hossa played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers and Phoenix Coyotes, having been drafted by the Canadiens ...

. He began the 2005–2006 regular season playing in the AHL for the Hamilton Bulldogs. He played 26 games, scoring a total of one goal and one assist while racking up 46 PIMs. His perseverance eventually convinced Habs GM

Bob Gainey Robert Michael Gainey (born December 13, 1953) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played for the Montreal Canadiens from 1973 until 1989. After retiring from active play, he became a hockey coach and later an executive with ...

to call Murray up to fill in for injuries, and he would stay there for the rest of the season. He scored only five goals and six points in his 36 games as a Hab, along with 44 PIMs, but impressed the team and fans by his tireless work ethic and tough-as-nails style of play. Many fans believe his success caused Niklas Sundström to be removed from the Canadiens' future plans, taking his spot on the fourth line alongside

Steve Bégin Joseph Denis Stéphan Bégin (); born June 14, 1978) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played in 13 National Hockey League (NHL) seasons. He was a second-round selection of the Calgary Flames, 40th overall, in the 1996 NH ...

and

Radek Bonk Radek Bonk (born 9 January 1976) is a Czech former professional ice hockey player who most recently played for Oceláři Třinec of the Czech Extraliga. Playing career Bonk was born in Czechoslovakia and began his hockey career playing for Sle ...

. Murray began the 2006–2007 season on the Canadiens' starting line-up but eventually lost his spot to the likes of

Maxim Lapierre Maxim Lapierre (born March 29, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. Drafted out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), he was selected in the second round, 61st overall, by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2003 NH ...

. On November 12, 2007, Murray was placed on waivers by the Canadiens and was claimed by the

. On July 18, 2008, Murray was signed to a one-year contract by the

. On October 6, 2011, Murray was signed to a try-out contract with the

St. John's IceCaps The St. John's IceCaps were a professional ice hockey team based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. They were members of the North Division of the Eastern Conference of the American Hockey League (AHL). The team was originally aff ...

of the AHL. After establishing a role within the IceCaps to start the 2011–12 season, Murray was signed to a year-long contract on December 6, 2011. In his final professional season before retirement he finished the season as the IceCaps leader in penalty minutes and was awarded as the first ever winner of the fans choice award.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Transactions

*Traded to Montreal by New York Rangers for

, September 30, 2005. *Claimed off waivers by Florida from Montreal, November 13, 2007. *Signed as a free agent by Phoenix, July 18, 2008. *Signed as a free agent by Calgary, July 1, 2009.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Garth 1982 births Living people Abbotsford Heat players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey centres Florida Panthers players Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) players Hartford Wolf Pack players Manitoba Moose players Montreal Canadiens players New York Rangers draft picks New York Rangers players Phoenix Coyotes players Regina Pats players San Antonio Rampage players Ice hockey people from Regina, Saskatchewan St. John's IceCaps players Victoria Salmon Kings players 21st-century Canadian sportsmen