Larry Murphy

Durable offensive defenceman who won four Stanley Cups and set the rookie points record for his position.

Lawrence Thomas Murphy (born March 8, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played over 20 years in the National Hockey League, suiting up for the Los Angeles Kings, Washington Capitals, Minnesota North Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Detroit Red Wings. A durable player lauded for his perseverance and longevity with offensive capabilities, Murphy set the rookie record for most points scored by a defenceman with 76 for the Kings in 1981.

He was traded in 1983 to the Capitals, where he had four 50-point seasons. He was traded late in the 1989 deadline to the North Stars, where he played until being traded to the Penguins in late 1990, where he became a mainstay of durability. In the playoffs that year, he had 23 points with 18 assists as the Penguins won their first Cup in 1991; he had 16 assists in the next Cup win in 1992. A series of trades led him to Detroit in 1997, where he played a key role in defense as the team won consecutive Stanley Cups in 1997 and 1998.

Murphy retired in 2001 after playing 1,615 games, which was the most played by a defenceman at the time; his 1,216 points rank among the highest at the position. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. He currently serves as a studio analyst and fill-in color commentator during away games for the Red Wings on Bally Sports Detroit and coaches the 3ICE team in Minnesota.

Quick Facts

Hall of Fame: 2004
Born: 8 March 1961
Birthplace: Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
Position: Defence
Shoots: Right
Draft: 4th overall
Drafted by: Los Angeles Kings

Lore & Background

As a youth, Murphy played in the 1974 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Toronto Shopsy's minor ice hockey team. Murphy played junior hockey with the Peterborough Petes, where he won a Memorial Cup in 1979. The Petes also reached the championship game the following year, but lost in overtime. He represented Canada at the 1980 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships prior to being drafted 4th overall in the 1980 NHL entry draft by the Los Angeles Kings.

In the 1980–81 NHL season, he set National Hockey League records for most assists and points by a rookie defenceman, with 60 and 76 respectively; it is still the record for a rookie playing an entire season as a defenseman. Murphy finished second in the Calder Memorial Trophy voting for his rookie play to Peter Stastny. On October 18, 1983, the Kings traded him to the Washington Capitals for defenceman Brian Engblom and winger Ken Houston early in the 1983–84 season.

Each team were equally struggling at the time of the trade, while Murphy bristled at the treatment he received in salary arbitration and Kings coach Don Perry and team GM George Maguire equally stating their unhappiness with Murphy's attitude and play that led to a trade with Washington, who had desired him for two years. The trade ultimately did not work out in the Kings' favor long-term because of Murphy's prolonged success in the league. Murphy set a franchise record in game one of the first round matchup against the New York Islanders with the fastest two goals scored by a Capitals player in a playoff game, doing so sixteen seconds apart from each other in game one.

Mike Gartner scored less than two minutes later to give the Capitals three goals in the span of 2:09 that also set the record for fastest three goals in franchise history and both records still stand. Murphy had his peak in goals in the campaign with 23 goals to go along with 58 assists; he finished third place in voting for the Norris Trophy. Later that year, Murphy was a key member of Canada's championship team in the Canada Cup. His six assists tied teammate Ray Bourque for tops in the tournament among defencemen, which included Mario Lemieux's overtime goal in game two (which Murphy later called the best game he ever played in) of the Final against the Soviet Union.

Reader's Guide

Murphy's career is marked by durability and offensive production from the blue line. He set the rookie record for points by a defenceman (76) with the Kings in 1981. He was a key contributor to the Penguins' back-to-back Stanley Cup wins in 1991 and 1992, recording 23 points (5 goals, 18 assists) in the 1991 playoffs and 16 points (6 goals, 10 assists) in the 1992 playoffs. He later won two more Cups with the Detroit Red Wings in 1997 and 1998. His 1,615 regular-season games were a record for defencemen at the time of his retirement.

Did You Know?

He scored his only goal of the 1991 Stanley Cup Final in game six, which was the final goal of an 8–0 rout.
In the 1992 playoffs, Murphy had 16 points (6 goals, 10 assists) in 21 games.
He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004, his first year of eligibility.