On the ice, Bob Murdoch was a reliable stay at home defenceman and as tough as they come.
Off the ice, there was so much more to him.
Murdoch passed away Thursday night at the age of 76.
Flames alumnus Jim Peplinski witnessed firsthand the man he was and fondly recalled their first time meeting, with Peplinski being a 19-year-old rookie and Murdoch a 36-year-old veteran.
"When I entered the room in our first encounter, he was reading a book two inches thick with glasses just as thick. I thought I had walked into a university professor's room and thought 'this is not the room.'
"When I go back to that interaction, I would say one of the many actions I initiated from knowing him for 40 plus years is my love of reading. There isn't too often I don't open up a book and not think of Mud. Talking about different things that were not necessarily hockey."
With the pair being roomed up, it almost seemed as if it was by design - having someone like Murdoch who had won two Stanley Cup's with Montreal and a strong work ethic and commitment to mentor a young up-and-comer.
"I still talk to Al MacNeil (Flames head coach at the time) once a month no matter where I am," he said "One question I never asked Al was how did they come up with the rooming list. To put a 19-year-old guy with a 36-year-old guy … I want to ask how much impact he had in the list and say 'did you put me with Mud?' That was probably one of the most impactful parts of my early career was rooming with Bob.
"We'd go to cities, wander around, look at museums, do different things and work on conditioning. Over the course of my career that really paid off. I don't give myself credit for that discipline. I think the people I was surrounded with was an impact on my behaviour and Bob was one of those people."
Murdoch wrapped up his 10-year NHL career with 757 games, with 67 goals and 278 assists, with stops in Montreal, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Calgary.
Shortly after hanging up the skates, he transitioned into a coaching role with the Flames, serving as an assistant for five years before taking on head coaching duties with the Chicago Blackhawks for one season and Winnipeg for two seasons, winning the Jack Adams award in 1989-90 campaign with the Jets.
The transition from player to coach was a seamless one and as Peplinski explained, a product of the honest, hardworking man he was.
"Bob as a player was dependable and performed to the best to his ability, gave everything he had," he said. "I realized how important that is to have in the organization and celebrate that. It's not just the superstars that are responsible for winning, it's a cultural thing. It was instrumental in building the foundation of the Flames.
"Bob Johnson would say when we got into tough games, 'you guys don't know what its like to be in war but if you did, in the trenches and you would you look to your right and left, are you happy with the person beside that you are going to war with?' And Mud, was one of those guys, if you had him on your side you would have a better chance at being successful.
"He was a very hard worker, his summers he would go and build cottages and decks in different places. During the season he would finish a pre-game skate and take his kids to Canada Olympic Park and ski all day and come to the rink at 4:30 for the game.
And of course, having roomed and played alongside him for two seasons, there were many memorable but just to list a few:
"I remember we were in Buffalo, Mud goes in the corner and Larry Playfair flattens him and however Mud went in the corner he's hurt and the trainer comes out. I end up beside Playfair and get in a fight with him. I get over to the penalty box and Bearcat has Mud back on his feet, Mud waves off Bear which trainers hate, makes Bear walk back to the ice and he skates over to me and says 'Jesus, its good thing I softened him up for you or he would've killed you. He had a self-depreciating sense of humour.
"That same night in Buffalo he comes in talks about Mike Foligno and he says, Foligno likes to step up and hit guys at centre ice and sure enough mud first shift he goes down the ice not paying attention and Foligno steps up and just flattens him. In between periods guys are saying 'hey Mud you got any more advice?'
"In our second year he scored a goal in the first period of our opening game in Vancouver. As we walked to the ice for the second period, Mud turned to me and said 'I don't think I can take the pressure of being on a 240 goal pace.'"
Murdoch leaves behind a lasting legacy, having touched the lives of those who he played with and coached.
A family man and someone who loved the game and continued to play after his pro days for recreation, many were impacted by his kind nature.
"There would be lots of people's paths he crossed that were better for having met him," Peplinski said. "He was a wonderful person. Son, brother, husband, dad, granddad, player, teammate, coach, athlete and friend. He loved to play hockey. And who would, through his actions, show me how a friend, teammate, son, dad, grandad should behave.
"If you had to decide on upon a legacy, what better than make a positive impact on someone else's life just because of your presence and that was Mud."
