Murray Gordon Louis Balfour (August 24, 1936 – May 30, 1965) was a Canadian

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 ...

right wing Right-wing politics is the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that view certain social orders and Social stratification, hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position b ...

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 ...

from 1956 to 1965, with the

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 ...

Chicago Black Hawks Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, and

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...

. Balfour won the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () 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, and the International Ic ...

1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...

with Chicago. His career ended due to lung cancer, which led to his death in 1965.

Playing career

Balfour first played in the

with the

, playing five games with them over the 1956–57 and 1957–58 seasons, though mainly spent those years with their minor-league affiliates, the

Hull-Ottawa Canadiens The Hull-Ottawa Canadiens were a semi-professional ice hockey franchise from 1959 until 1963. History The Hull-Ottawa Canadiens were formed as members of the Eastern Professional Hockey League in 1959. The professional team was granted to the are ...

and

Montreal Royals The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team in Montreal, Quebec, during 1897–1917 and 1928–1960. A member of the International League, the Royals were the top farm club ( Class AAA) of the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1939; pi ...

. A

, Balfour was unable to play for Montreal full-time as the team already had

Maurice Richard Joseph Henri Maurice "Rocket" Richard ( , ; August 4, 1921 – May 27, 2000) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens. He was the first player in NHL his ...

Bernie Geoffrion Joseph Bernard André Geoffrion (; February 16, 1931 – March 11, 2006), nicknamed "Boom Boom", was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Generally considered one of the innovators of the slapshot, he was inducted into the Hockey ...

, and

Claude Provost Claude Joseph Antoine Provost (September 17, 1933 – April 17, 1984) was a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger. Provost played his entire NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens. He won the Stanley Cup nine times and the first ever B ...

on the team (the first two later being elected to the

Hockey Hall of Fame The Hockey Hall of Fame () is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and National Hockey Le ...

. After spending the 1958–59 season with the minor-league

Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Rochester, New York. They are the American Hockey League affiliate of the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home g ...

, Balfour was sold to the

for cash. Balfour was a member of the renowned "Million Dollar Line" alongside

Bobby Hull Robert Marvin Hull (January 3, 1939 – January 30, 2023) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. His blond hair, skating speed, end-to-end rushes, and ability to shoot t ...

and Bill Hay with the Black Hawks. In game three of the first round of the 1961 Stanley Cup playoffs, he scored the game winner in triple overtime against the defending champion Canadiens. In the fifth game, Balfour crashed into the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

net and broke his arm. The Hawks went on to win the

in six games with Balfour watching the final game from the hospital. He led Chicago in goals scored during the playoffs with 5. During the 1961–62 season Balfour re-injured his wrist, requiring surgery and an steel rod implanted for support. His play declined as a result of the injury, and he was traded to the

in 1964. He started the 1964–65 season with the Bruins, however he complained about being tired and began slowing down. As a result, Balfour was sent to their minor-league affiliate, the

Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The Bears have played in the American Hockey League (AHL) since the 1938–39 season, making it the longest continuously operating member club of the league still ...

. After 31 games with Hershey, Balforur stopped playing, and was treated for a lesion on his lung. On April 5 he had surgery, where an inoperable tumor was found. He recorded 67 goals and 90 assists for a total of 157 points over his career, having played in 306 games.

Personal life

After the tumor was found on Balfour's lung, he returned home to Regina, and entered a hospital on May 29. He died of lung cancer on May 30, 1965. The City of Regina named a hockey arena in Balfour's honour. Balfour's parents were Gordon and Margaret Balfour of Regina.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

Bibliography

External links

*
Picture of Murray Balfour's Name on the 1961 Stanley Cup Plaque
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Balfour, Murray 1936 births 1965 deaths Boston Bruins players Canadian ice hockey right wingers Chicago Blackhawks players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Deaths from cancer in Saskatchewan Deaths from lung cancer in Canada Hershey Bears players Hull-Ottawa Canadiens players Montreal Canadiens players Ontario Hockey Association Senior A League (1890–1979) players Regina Pats players Rochester Americans players Ice hockey people from Regina, Saskatchewan Stanley Cup champions 20th-century Canadian sportsmen