One can only imagine the thrill of being young, rich and a handsome big league hockey player plying his trade in the Big Apple New York, New York. Many of the Rangers reveled in the lifestyle their celebrity granted them. Although not the street corner heroes they would have been had they played in Canada, they found a different type of status here in the playground of the rich and famous. Appearances on talk shows, winning tables at the best restaurants and staying out late at the trendiest discos were Big Apple perks. Over time many players have come to New York and reaped its rewards and just as many have had to leave because of them. Donny Murdoch was one of the latter.
Don Murdoch or ‘Murder’ as the Ranger fans tagged him was the son of a welder who tore up his junior league making him the toast of Medicine Hat, Alberta. The Rangers made him their first pick in the 1976 draft. Lavishing much money on Don he, with his signing bonus, bought his sister and father new cars, put money in Dads account to start a new business and promptly bought himself an $11,000.oo corvette to go with his posh apartment in Long Island. The media loved him. He was a poster boy for sport. With his long hair and dimples there were plenty of groupies and fans tripping all over him to the extent where fans brought him gifts. He even danced with Margaret Trudeau.
He didn’t disappointment on the ice either. In his first 3 NHL games he scored 8 goals including 5 in one game on his way to possibly smashing the rookie record with 14 in 14 games to 30 in his first 43. Than it happened, mid season he broke his ankle and was forced to convalesce. He chose New York to recuperate. In an interview with Dave Farrish Dave was quoted as saying of Don “he came from a small town…he was an instant celebrity…you get caught up in it so fast... it moves like a tornado…” The ankle cost Donny his rookie record yet the fallout of that time off cost much more. In the August after that season Murdoch was arrested at the Canadian border, on his way to teach at a hockey school, and his life fell apart.
While Mr. Murdoch told a story of innocence by way of stupidity (someone had put the packet containing 4.8 grams of cocaine in his pocket that somehow got into his sock and than inadvertently into his suitcase) he was guilty as charged, ruining his reputation as a role model and haunting him the following season with sub par performances on the ice reducing his output to 27 goals and 55 points in 66 games played. By the time the trail finally occurred he was given a suspended sentence and a $400.oo fine. That was a slap on the wrist compared to the punishment than commissioner John Ziegler had in store. Intent on making an example of Murdoch and the consequences of drug use in the NHL ‘Murder’ was handed an eighty game suspension, the entire 78/79 season.
The Oilers traded a pretty good prospect in (at the time) Cam Conner and a third rounder (who turned out to Peter Sundstrom) to get Murdoch. The idea being that as B.J. MacDonald was in the doghouse Sather would bring in Donny to play on Gretzky’s right wing. As it turned out a young fellow by the name of Kurri came along and stole that spot. Although Donny never did find a home in Edmonton his contributions were later recognized. Edmonton Oilers hockey historian’s later site Murdoch’s eventual banishment to the minors by Sather as the motivation Mark Messier (Murdoch’s cousin) needed to rein in his reckless abandonment and finally play a more controlled power game hence turning the fortunes of that young franchise.
Traded by Edmonton to Minnesota in 1981 and than to Detroit in 1982 Don’s playing career ended prematurely. As much as I would agree with some that this is the story of a bonehead who threw away his life for the sake of self gratification I like to think that perhaps ‘Murder” served a larger role than most sports figures with their lofty accomplishments and unblemished public persona's. Here we have a man who at twenty years of age had to pay for his mistake with his future. Donny Walter Murdoch chose to go on with life the best he could and create ample opportunity to tell his story to anyone who will listen.
In his own words he tells us why "People have no idea what I went through as a 20-year-old kid," Murdoch told Chuck O'Donnell in a interview with Hockey Digest.. "I was strong mentally and that helped and I had great support from my family. And it worked its way through. I took a negative and changed it into a positive. When I was scouting and recruiting, I ran into kids I was going to talk to that I knew they had off-ice problems. I used to go tell them, `Listen, you better get it together or this is where you're going to be.' They would say, `What the hell does this guy know?' I would tell them my story. Once I told them my story, that I should have played 15 years in the NHL but my career was cut short because I didn't focus, I can see the look in their eyes like, `holy cow, this guy is the real deal right here.'"
Scouting Career: Named N.Y. Rangers amateur scout for Michigan and Ontario during 1986-87 season and remained in that position through 1988-89 season. ... Named Tampa Bay amateur scout for U.S. colleges and Ontario prior to team's inaugural 1992-93 season and remained in that position until July 29, 1994.
Management Career: Named Tampa Bay head scout on July 29, 1994, and remained in that position until Oct. 20, 1998. ... Named Tampa Bay Director of Player Development on Oct. 20, 1998, and remained in that position through 1998-99 season
A topical re post 1st installment Oct 07
Murdoch suspended entire 1978/79 season
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