‘It was all about the people’
If Bryan Murray could have seen the crowd that gathered in his honour Thursday, he would have cracked a one-liner at his own expense, wondering why so many people were making such a fuss about him.
The former Ottawa Senators coach and general manager certainly would have been humbled by the celebration of his life at the Canadian Tire Centre.
As pictures from Murray’s life ran on video screens, a crowd of 2,000 heard tributes to his personal skills and teaching abilities, along with his deep love for family and his Shawville roots.
Murray left a lasting impression wherever he went. His final gift, of course, was his passionate push for colon cancer check-ups, helping scores of others from avoiding the disease which resulted in his death on Aug. 12.
In the world of professional hockey, coaches and general managers tend to come and go, but Murray left a legacy like few others.
Thursday offered a fitting send off following the funeral for family and friends in Shawville on Tuesday. From NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to Senators general manager Pierre Dorion and assistant general manager Randy Lee to former Senators defenceman Chris Phillips to his niece, Lynn HeartyCoutts, the afternoon was full of something Murray loved — telling stories.
Between them, the speakers painted a clear picture of a man who had that rare talent of being both highly competitive, yet ultra compassionate, often in the same sitting.
“Hockey was simply his vessel,” said Hearty-Coutts. “It was all about the people. He was always interested.” Hearty-Coutts said Murray’s purpose in life was to teach and inspire, drawing a laugh when she talked about his superb communication gifts.
“He would tell you to go to Hell and you would enjoy the trip,” she said. “He made it safe to fail, as long as you learned from it.”
Hearty-Coutts, daughter of Murray’s sister, Darlene, says her uncle wanted to motivate others to push the bar, just as he was able to rise all the way from Shawville to Regina of the Western Hockey League to Hershey of the American Hockey League and then a 36-year NHL coaching and management career.
Murray went from Washington to Detroit to Florida and Anaheim before finishing out his career back home with the Senators, beginning in 2004, when he was hired as head coach.
He coached the Senators to the Stanley Cup final in 2007, losing to the Anaheim club he helped build as a general manager. He served as GM from 2007-2016, and served as senior hockey advisor last season.
The numbers and accomplishments from arenas throughout the NHL are impressive — 620 wins and 1,239 games as a coach, NHL coach of the year with Washington in 1984 and NHL executive of the year with Florida in 1993 — but family always remained central.
While Phillips’s final season was marred by injuries, he said he would always cherish his long morning talks with Murray, which usually centered on life on the home front.
Playing for Murray, Phillips said, was a joy.
“His team meetings were awesome,” said Phillips. “(During a slump), I remember him asking Mike Fisher, ‘are you ever going to score?’ Everyone laughed, but Bryan said ‘I’m serious. Are you ever going to score?’ Fisher scored that night.
“(Murray) also told goaltenders that it was OK to go ahead and stop the puck.”
People came from all corners of the NHL to pay their respects to Murray. Including from the very top.
“He has left us with an appreciation of the places determination can take you,” said Bettman. “He has left us with an admiration for his humanity and dignity in the face of a dreaded disease. The path he chose, once he received his (colon cancer) diagnosis in 2014, was to respond with grit and class and courage.
“Bryan was a product of his hometown of Shawville. He was a student of our game and a teacher of life and he never stopped teaching.”
Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock, who received his first NHL coaching job when Murray hired him in Anaheim, says Murray was full of inspiration for how he treated people.
“Bryan is a great hockey man and a better person,” said Babcock, speaking to the media before the formal ceremony. “We talked a ton over the years and we had a lot of fun together and we enjoyed each other’s company. He wasn’t scared of telling the truth. He did it in many ways, but he cared about people. He was as sarcastic as he could be at times, but I love sarcasm.”
Like everyone else in hockey, Babcock was also well aware of where Murray came from.
“Bryan talked about Shawville like it was the greatest place on earth,” he said. “I’ve never been to Shawville, but I’ve heard everything about it. This was his home. This is where he was from and it was great that he was able to come back here and being (honoured) here is a special thing for him and his family.”
Thatfamily—wifeGerianddaughters Heide and Brittany — were front and centre for the tribute.
“Hopefully,” Dorion said, “the next time we all gather together, it is to celebrate Bryan’s induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.”