Matt Murray (ice hockey, born 1994)

Lore & Background

Murray played minor hockey with the Thunder Bay Minor Hockey Association and the Thunder Bay Kings AAA program. He was selected in the second round of the 2010 OHL Priority Selection by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, where he played major junior hockey.

In his first full professional season with the Penguins' AHL affiliate, he set an AHL record for the longest shutout streak at 304 minutes and 11 seconds and recorded 12 shutouts, sweeping the league's top awards. He made his NHL debut on December 19, 2015, and became the youngest goaltender in Penguins franchise history to start a playoff game on April 19, 2016. Murray led the Penguins to the Stanley Cup in 2016 and split the net with Marc-André Fleury during the 2017 playoffs, winning again.

His career has been plagued by injuries, including multiple concussions. He was traded to the Ottawa Senators on October 7, 2020, and signed a four-year, $25 million contract extension. During the 2021–22 season, he was placed on waivers and demoted to the AHL before being recalled, but his season ended on March 4, 2022, after a collision caused a concussion.

From Thunder Bay to the NHL

Matthew Murray's path to professional hockey began in the small Ontario city of Thunder Bay, where he was born on May 25, 1994, and grew up playing for the Thunder Bay Minor Hockey Association. After competing at the AA level, he advanced to the Thunder Bay Kings AAA program, where his 2009–10 minor midget season proved a breakout: he guided the Kings to a 3–2–0 mark at the OHL Cup tournament while posting a 2.28 goals-against average and six shutouts across 40 appearances.

That performance earned him a selection in the second round (35th overall) of the 2010 OHL Priority Selection by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, where he spent his major junior years. The Pittsburgh Penguins, who had drafted him in the third round (83rd overall) of the 2012 NHL entry draft, signed him to a three-year entry-level deal on September 4, 2013, setting the stage for what would become one of the most meteoric goaltending careers in modern hockey.

The Back-to-Back Cup Conquest

Murray's defining achievement came during the 2016 and 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs, when he became the first goaltender in NHL history to capture back-to-back championships in his first two professional seasons. In 2016, the 21-year-old made his playoff debut on April 19, becoming the youngest goaltender ever to start a post-season game for the Penguins.

He recorded his first playoff shutout just two days later in a 5–0 rout of the New York Rangers and went on to post a .923 save percentage and 2.08 goals-against average en route to the franchise's fourth Cup, becoming only the sixth starting rookie goaltender to reach the Final since 1976. The following year, despite being injured during warm-ups in the first round and splitting duties with Marc-André Fleury, Murray delivered two stunning shutouts in the Final against Nashville—stopping all 24 shots in a 6–0 victory and making 27 saves in a 2–0 game-six win—to seal the title. His 2016–17 regular season featured 32 wins, a .923 save percentage, and four shutouts, earning him a spot on the All-Rookie Team and the NHL All-Playoff Team while finishing fourth in Calder Trophy voting.

AHL Record-Breaking Season

Before ever stepping onto NHL ice, Murray announced himself as a generational talent in the American Hockey League. During the 2014–15 season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, he set the AHL record for the longest consecutive shutout streak, going 304 minutes and 11 seconds without allowing a goal on March 8, 2015, shattering Barry Brust's previous mark of 268:17. Two weeks later, on March 22, he recorded his tenth shutout of the campaign, breaking the all-time rookie goaltender record that Gordie Bell had set back in 1942–43.

Murray finished the regular season with an astonishing twelve shutouts. His dominance was so complete that he swept every major individual honour in the league: he was named to both the AHL First All-Star Team and the Rookie Team, captured the Baz Bastien Memorial Award as the league's top goaltender, and received the Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award as its finest rookie. That season laid the groundwork for his immediate NHL impact the following year, when he was first recalled to Pittsburgh in December 2015 and made his league debut on December 19 in a narrow 2–1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Injuries and Career Setbacks

Despite his extraordinary early success, Murray's career has been repeatedly derailed by injuries. In the 2015–16 season, a concussion cost him the first two games of the playoffs. The following summer, a broken hand sustained during international play sidelined him at the start of 2016–17. During the 2017 playoffs, he was injured in warm-ups before the first-round opener against Columbus, forcing Fleury to take over.

Perhaps most notably, on February 26, 2018, Murray suffered his second career concussion after being struck in the head by a puck shot from teammate Olli Määttä during a practice session. He returned on March 20 against the New York Islanders but allowed four goals in a 4–1 defeat. Injuries have continued to plague him in recent years, and he has since played for the Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs. As of the latest information, Murray remains an unrestricted free agent, his once-seemingly limitless trajectory now defined as much by what injury has taken away as by what he accomplished in his two historic Cup runs.

Reader's Guide

Matt Murray's significance lies in his unprecedented early success as a goaltender, winning the Stanley Cup in each of his first two NHL seasons—a feat no other goaltender had achieved. His rookie playoff performance in 2016, with a .923 save percentage and 2.08 GAA, established him as a clutch performer. He set franchise and league records, including the longest playoff shutout streak in Penguins history (225:49) and becoming the fastest goaltender to 25 playoff wins. His AHL dominance, including a record shutout streak and 12 shutouts, foreshadowed his NHL impact.

However, his career trajectory was altered by recurring concussions and other injuries, which led to inconsistent play and ultimately a trade to Ottawa. His tenure with the Senators was marked by struggles, including a winless start to the 2021–22 season and a demotion to the AHL, before another concussion ended his season. As an unrestricted free agent, his legacy remains that of a goaltender who achieved extraordinary heights early but whose career was significantly affected by health issues.

Did You Know?

• Murray recorded his 100th NHL win in only 166 games, tying for seventh fastest since 1967.