Fansided

Every current NHL franchise’s most beloved head coach

By Griffin Youngs

(Original Caption) Detroit Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman with the Stanley Cup on day of Red Wings celebratory parade in Detroit. (Photo by © Ralf-Finn Hestoft/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
(Original Caption) Detroit Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman with the Stanley Cup on day of Red Wings celebratory parade in Detroit. (Photo by © Ralf-Finn Hestoft/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images) /
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OTTAWA, CANADA – JANUARY 1: Bryan Murray of the Ottawa Senators stands at his bench door surrounded by his players Dany Heatley #15; Dean McAmmond #37 and Daniel Alfredsson #11 waiting to talk to a referee during a game against the Atlanta Thrashers on January 1, 2007 at the Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Canada. (Photo by Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images)
OTTAWA, CANADA – JANUARY 1: Bryan Murray of the Ottawa Senators stands at his bench door surrounded by his players Dany Heatley #15; Dean McAmmond #37 and Daniel Alfredsson #11 waiting to talk to a referee during a game against the Atlanta Thrashers on January 1, 2007 at the Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Canada. (Photo by Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images) /

Ottawa Senators: Bryan Murray

In the short history of the Ottawa Senators, they’ve had only three coaches. Though Jacques Martin took the team from expansion joke to possible Stanley Cup contenders, Bryan Murray was the first to string together some success.

Murray joined the Senators in 2004 after resigning as the general manager of the Anaheim Ducks to join his hometown team. The first season of Murray’s term was lost to the league wide lockout in 2004, but the team had success right away upon the return of hockey in Murray’s first full season with the team.

Murray matched a team record in points at 113 in his first full season with the team for the first and only Presidents’ Trophy in franchise history, but was eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the Buffalo Sabres.

Next season was where Murray and the Senators really put it together. They couldn’t match the point total, but still finished second in the Northeast divison with 105 points. In the playoff however, the Senators began to tear through the competition with ease. The smoked the then green Penguins inn five games, walked through the Devils in five games, and advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals over the Sabres in five games. Desptite a great run, the Senators were taken out in five to the Anaheim Ducks, costing them their first Cup in franchise history.

In August 2017, Bryan Murray passed away of colon cancer at the age of 74 three years after his diagnosis. As the former coach of the Capitals and Senators, he was honored when the two teams met in the first game of the 2017-18 season.

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