Rob Murphy (ice hockey)
Canadian centre who played for three NHL teams.
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Rob Murphy is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played parts of seven seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1987 and 1994. He was selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1987 NHL entry draft and later played for the Ottawa Senators and Los Angeles Kings.
Lore & Background
Murphy played junior hockey in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) for the Trois-Rivières Draveurs, Laval Titan, and Drummondville Voltigeurs. He won the Michel Bergeron Trophy as top rookie forward in the QMJHL in 1987. After being drafted by the Canucks, he made his NHL debut on January 29, 1988, against the Hartford Whalers. He scored his first NHL goal on February 9, 1990, against Peter Sidorkiewicz of the Hartford Whalers.
Murphy also played in the International Hockey League (IHL) for the Milwaukee Admirals, winning the Gary F. Longman Memorial Trophy as IHL Rookie of the Year in 1990. He was selected by the Ottawa Senators in the 1992 NHL expansion draft and later joined the Los Angeles Kings. After his NHL career, he played six seasons in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga in Germany.
Reader's Guide
Murphy's career illustrates the path of a prospect who showed promise in junior hockey but struggled to establish himself consistently in the NHL. Despite being highly regarded by Canucks management, who saw him as a potential answer to Joel Otto of the Calgary Flames, he never fully met those expectations.
He spent significant time in the IHL and AHL, and his development became a point of criticism toward Canucks management. His selection by the Ottawa Senators in the expansion draft reflected the team's strategy of acquiring young players who had not yet succeeded with their original clubs. After his playing days, Murphy transitioned into scouting, eventually becoming director of pro scouting for the Buffalo Sabres and later the Ottawa Senators, extending his involvement in professional hockey beyond his playing career.
Career statistics and honours
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1985–86 | Outaouais Frontaliers | QMAAA | 41 | 17 | 33 | 50 | 47 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1986–87 | Laval Titan | QMJHL | 70 | 35 | 54 | 89 | 86 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 15 |
| 1987–88 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1987–88 | Laval Titan | QMJHL | 26 | 11 | 25 | 36 | 82 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1987–88 | Drummondville Voltigeurs | QMJHL | 33 | 16 | 28 | 44 | 41 | 17 | 4 | 15 | 19 | 45 |
| 1988–89 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1988–89 | Drummondville Voltigeurs | QMJHL | 26 | 13 | 25 | 38 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 20 |
| 1988–89 | Milwaukee Admirals | IHL | 8 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 34 |
| 1989–90 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1989–90 | Milwaukee Admirals | IHL | 64 | 24 | 47 | 71 | 87 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 12 |
| 1990–91 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 42 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 90 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1990–91 | Milwaukee Admirals | IHL | 23 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1991–92 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1991–92 | Milwaukee Admirals | IHL | 73 | 26 | 38 | 64 | 141 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 1992–93 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 44 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1992–93 | New Haven Senators | AHL | 26 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1993–94 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1993–94 | Phoenix Roadrunners | IHL | 72 | 23 | 34 | 57 | 101 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1994–95 | Phoenix Roadrunners | IHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1995–96 | Fort Wayne Komets | IHL | 82 | 24 | 52 | 76 | 107 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| 1996–97 | Fort Wayne Komets | IHL | 35 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1997–98 | Starbulls Rosenheim | DEL | 44 | 9 | 24 | 33 | 68 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1998–99 | EV Landshut | DEL | 52 | 14 | 30 | 44 | 77 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 1999–00 | Eisbären Berlin | DEL | 46 | 8 | 18 | 26 | 89 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2000–01 | Hannover Scorpions | DEL | 59 | 9 | 36 | 45 | 101 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 2001–02 | Hannover Scorpions | DEL | 60 | 11 | 26 | 37 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2002–03 | Hannover Scorpions | DEL | 51 | 0 | 15 | 15 | 69 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2003–04 | Saint-Jean Mission | QSMHL | 45 | 5 | 34 | 39 | 22 | 17 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| DEL totals | 312 | 51 | 149 | 200 | 444 | 21 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 20 | ||
| NHL totals | 125 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 152 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Canada | WJC | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | |
| Junior totals | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | |||
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Rob Murphy (ice hockey) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Rob Murphy (ice hockey) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Statistics, medals and awards: the tables of the source article.
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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