Bryan Murray to be first Sens Ring of Honour member
Former coach, general manager and senior hockey advisor to be honoured on Jan. 24
Located in the arena bowl above the 300 level seats, the Ring of Honour will include a display placed on a pillar located above section 306 and continue on subsequent pillars for each future inductee. This tribute, the first of its kind for the Senators franchise, comes on the heels of the announcement of the retirement of Daniel Alfredsson's jersey. The event to induct Murray into the Ring of Honour will take place on Jan. 24, 2017, when the Senators host the Washington Capitals at Canadian Tire Centre.
"Bryan Murray's distinguished career places among the finest executives in NHL history, not only as coach and general manager, but as a leader and mentor," said Ottawa Senators owner and Chief Executive Officer, Eugene Melnyk. "I could not be more excited to announce Bryan as the first member of the Ottawa Senators Ring of Honour, a lasting tribute where our fans, both present and future, can be reminded of Bryan's many contributions to our team, our city and our community. On behalf of the Player Honouring Committee, our hockey club and our fans, I want to extend my most heartfelt congratulations to Bryan and his family on this tremendous honour."
Murray is currently in his first season as Senators' senior hockey advisor,and his 35th consecutive campaign in the NHL. A native of Shawville, Que., Murray was originally hired by the Senators as the fifth head coach in franchise history on June 8, 2004. In two-plus seasons at the helm, he compiled a 107-55-20 record. In 2007, he led Ottawa to its first appearance in a Stanley Cup Final series, before losing in five games to the Anaheim Ducks.
After being appointed the sixth general manager in team history on June 18, 2007, Murray returned to the head-coaching role in Ottawa on Feb. 27, 2008, after relieving John Paddock, and posted a 7-9-2 record over the final 18 games of the 2007-08 regular season. He remained as general manager until April of 2016, when we moved into the role of senior hockey advisor.
Murray has spent 22 seasons as an NHL general manager, including time with the Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers and Anaheim Ducks. In 18 years of coaching in the NHL, which also included seasons with the Washington Capitals, Red Wings and Panthers, Murray ranks 14th in the league in all-time games coached (1,239) and sits 11th in wins (620).
Prior to arriving in Ottawa, Murray served as the Anaheim Ducks' senior vice-president and general manager where he helped transform the Ducks into Western Conference Champions in 2002-03. Named the Ducks' fifth head coach in 2001-02, he spent one season behind the Anaheim bench before assuming the role of general manager from 2002 to 2004. He has also served in the role of general manager with the Detroit Red Wings (1990 to 1994) and the Florida Panthers (1994 to 2000).
Murray began his NHL coaching career with the Washington Capitals on Nov. 11, 1981. He remained at the helm of the Capitals for the next 8 ½ seasons. Beginning with his first full season behind the Washington bench, the club had winning records and averaged 95 points per season over the next seven years. He won the Jack Adams Award in 1983-84 as the NHL's coach of the year.
A former student of Macdonald College at McGill University, Murray spent four years as the athletic director and coach at the school. He coached five years in the Central Junior Hockey League with Pembroke and Rockland before becoming head coach of the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League. In 1979-80, he led the Pats to the WHL championship. Murray then took over as coach of the American Hockey League's Hershey Bears the following season and was named minor league coach of the year by The Hockey News after leading Hershey to its best record in 40 years.
On July 21, 2012, he was joined by his brother, Terry and his nephew, Tim, as an inaugural inductee on Shawville's Hockey Wall of Fame. On May 28, 2015, he was recognized with the United Way's prestigious Community Builder of the Year award and was inducted into the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame on June 5, 2015. Additionally, Murray was one of 13 honourees to compose the 2015 class of the Washington D.C. Sports Hall of Fame.
About the Ottawa Senators Player Honouring Committee
Established in July 2015, the Ottawa Senators Player Honour Committee is a group of influential hockey executives, media, businesspersons and local hockey persons who have volunteered their time to discuss how and when to honour Senators legacy players. The first recommendation of the group was to retired Daniel Alfredsson's number 11. The 17-member group includes:
Eugene Melnyk, Sheldon Plener, Cyril Leeder, Bryan Murray; Pierre Dorion; Ken Villazor; Bruce Garrioch, Roy MacGregor, Jim McAuley, Sylvain St-Laurent, Dean Brown, Terry Marcotte, Cliff Hammell, Ian Sherman, Murray Costello, Jim Durrell, Geoff Moore and Richard Gray.
This committee will continue to work together for future recommendations on honouring players in the years to come.
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