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NHL coaching legend Bryan Murray passes away at age 74

By Nic Hendrickson

OTTAWA, ON - JANUARY 24: Bryan Murray of the Ottawa Senators receives a gift from Pierre Dorion as he is named the first inductee into the Ottawa Senators Ring of Honour prior to a game against the Washington Capitals at Canadian Tire Centre on January 24, 2017 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images)
OTTAWA, ON - JANUARY 24: Bryan Murray of the Ottawa Senators receives a gift from Pierre Dorion as he is named the first inductee into the Ottawa Senators Ring of Honour prior to a game against the Washington Capitals at Canadian Tire Centre on January 24, 2017 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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NHL coaching legend Bryan Murray passed away Saturday at the age of 74. Murray spent the better part of 37 years coaching in the NHL for five different organizations.

Sad news has come out today that NHL coaching legend Bryan Murray has passed away at the age of 74. Murray coached for five different organizations over the course of 17 NHL seasons.

Murray started his coaching career in the CJHL with the Pembroke Lumber Kings back in 1973-74. His next job would be in the WHL with the Regina Pats in the 1979-80 season, which led to his first job at the professional ranks with the Hershey Bears in 1980-81.

In his first, and only, season with Hershey he went 47-24-9, making the playoffs. While Murray and the Bears lost in the second round, this led to him being hired as the head coach of the Washington Capitals in the 1981-82 season.

Murray would spend the better part of nine seasons with the Capitals. During this time he would coach 672 games. He ended his tenure with the Capitals with a record of 343-246-83. He led the Capitals to seven Stanley Cup Playoff appearances, but was never able to advance past the second round. He also won the Jack Adams Award while with the Capitals in 1983-84 when the team went 48-27-5, eventually losing in the second round of the playoffs.

He went on to coach the Detroit Red Wings for three seasons. In those three seasons he went 124-91-29. He would bring the Red Wings to the playoffs all three seasons he was there, but once again failed to ever advance past the second round.

After leaving Detroit, Murray took four years off being head coach, returning in the 1997-98 season as a mid-season replacement. He coached 59 games that year for the Florida Panthers, going 17-31-11. After this he would then take another three years off being a head coach.

On his second return to being an NHL head coach he  was with the then Anaheim Mighty Ducks. In his single season there he went 29-42-8-3, missing out on the playoffs. He would then take another three-year break from being a head coach before taking his final NHL head coaching job with the Ottawa Senators.

Murray was the head coach of the Ottawa Senators for parts of three seasons between 2005-2008. He finished with a record of 107-55-2-18 with the Senators. He reached his first ever Stanley Cup Finals in 2006-07, losing to the Anaheim Ducks in five games.

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Murray is currently 13th on the all-time list of regular season games coached (1,239) and 10th all-time in regular season wins (620). Murray was inducted into the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.

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