Murray Alexander Armstrong (January 1, 1916 – December 8, 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 ...

centre and

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(NCAA) ice hockey

Head Coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

Playing career

Armstrong played junior hockey with the Regina Pats before debuting 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 ...

of 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) in the 1937–38 season. Two years later he was involved in one of the biggest trades of the decade. He, Busher Jackson, Buzz Boll, and Doc Romnes were sent to the

New York Americans The New York Americans, colloquially known as the Amerks, were a professional ice hockey team based in New York City from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the second to play ...

in exchange for Sweeney Schriner. He played three years with New York before

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, during which he went on to play and coach for the Regina Army Caps. Following his army service, Armstrong was signed by Jack Adams in Detroit, but halfway through his third season he was demoted after Adams called up an 18-year-old named Gordon Howe. In 270 career NHL games, Armstrong scored 67 goals and 121 assists for 188 points. Following his retirement, Armstrong went on to coach the Regina Pats from 1950–55, and the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1864, it has an enrollment of approximately 5,700 undergraduate students and 7,200 graduate students. It is classified among "R1: D ...

from 1956 to 1977, winning five NCAA Championships, in 1958,

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

, 1961,

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

and 1969. He is considered one of the top NCAA coaches of all time. He retired to St. Augustine, Florida, where he remained an avid golfer into his 90s. His son Rob Armstrong is a former

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journalist and the current Retired Professional in Residence at

Flagler College Flagler College is a private university, private liberal arts college in St. Augustine, Florida. The school was founded in 1968 and offers 37 undergraduate majors and two master's programs. It also had a Flagler College – Tallahassee Campus, ...

. He died in St. Augustine, Florida on December 8, 2010.

Awards and achievements

*EAHL Second All-Star Team (1936) *Herman W. Paterson Cup (USHL - MVP) (1947) *

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, ...

(1977) * Hobey Baker Legends of College Hockey Award (1984)

Career statistics

Head coaching record

College

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, Murray 1916 births 2010 deaths Brooklyn Americans players Buffalo Bisons (AHL) players Canadian Army personnel of World War II Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey centres Canadian military personnel from Saskatchewan Dallas Texans (USHL) players Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey coaches Detroit Red Wings players Ice hockey people from Saskatchewan International-American Hockey League players Lester Patrick Trophy recipients New York Americans players 20th-century Canadian sportsmen New York Rovers players Regina Pats players Syracuse Stars (AHL) players Toronto Maple Leafs players