Murray Craven

Lore & Background

Craven was born into a hockey family in Alberta, Canada. He joined the Medicine Hat Tigers in 1980, for which his father, Ron—then known as 'Crafty Craven'—had previously played, and later coached. In 2018, his son, Joel, joined the same team.

Reader's Guide

Craven played his junior hockey with his hometown Medicine Hat Tigers, and was selected by the Detroit Red Wings with their first-round pick (17th overall) in the 1982 NHL entry draft. He made the Wings' NHL squad out of training camp at age 18, and recorded 4 goals and 11 points in 31 games before being returned to Medicine Hat. He would see 15 more games of NHL action in 1983–84, again splitting the year between Detroit and Medicine Hat. On the eve of the 1984–85 season, Craven was dealt to the Philadelphia Flyers as the centrepiece of a deal for Darryl Sittler.

He spent 7+ successful seasons in Philadelphia, establishing himself as a top-notch two-way forward. He was later traded to the Hartford Whalers, Vancouver Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks, and San Jose Sharks. He finished his NHL career with 266 goals and 493 assists for 759 points in 1071 games. Following two years as advisor to Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley, Craven was the team's senior vice president during 2016–2019.

Did You Know?

• Craven helped lead the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Final in 1985 and 1987, losing both times.
• He reached the 30-goal plateau for the only time in his career in 1987–88.
• Craven set career highs in assists (52) and points (77) in 1992–93 after being traded to the Vancouver Canucks.
• He was on the losing end of the only two Cup Final series between 1971 and 2001 to go the full 7 games (1987 and 1994).