HIS BIGGEST BATTLE
Hockey takes a back seat to fighting cancer for Murray
Even on a routine day, the business of life trumps hockey. Or it should.
This is especially true on days when serious illness is involved, and the to and fro of sporting rhythms take a back seat to family concerns.
The hockey family that is the Ottawa Senators has once again been touched by cancer. On Monday, shortly after general manager Bryan Murray left the Sensplex arenas prior to the conclusion of the development camp 3-on-3 finale, the hockey club announced that Murray is battling cancer.
The Senators declined to specify the type of cancer or the nature of treatment involved, but did inform fans and media that a contingency plan is in place if Murray has to spend time away from the team’s operations.
Murray did not speak to reporters before leaving the Sensplex. Early in the afternoon, via the club’s Twitter account, the hockey club issued a statement:
“Mr. Murray is undergoing further testing and will begin treatment immediately for this condition as prescribed by the team’s doctors in collaboration with specialists,” said the release.
“Mr. Murray’s treatment schedule may require him to be away from the Senators office periodically. During his periodic absence, assistant general managers Pierre Dorion and Randy Lee will be responsible for managing the Ottawa Senators hockey operations department.
“On behalf of the entire Senators family, the team is asking that the thoughts, prayers and support of the entire hockey community are with Bryan and his family.”
Bryan and his wife Geri live in Ottawa’s west end and are the parents of two adult daughters, Heide and Brittany. The Senators and Murray have asked that the public respect his wish for privacy and say there will be no further comment on the matter.
This is the second known cancer diagnosis to hit the Senators’ hockey staff in the past few months. In March, the hockey club announced that assistant coach Mark Reeds was suffering from an undisclosed type of cancer and would miss some time while receiving treatment. There has since been no update of Reeds’ condition.
In 2003, beloved Senators assistant coach Roger Neilson died of three types of cancer. Neilson coached to the very end, making a dramatic dressing room appearance in a wheelchair to encourage the team during the Eastern Conference final against the New Jersey Devils. Neilson’s name lives on in Roger’s House, a palliative care centre near the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario for families of children suffering a fatal condition.
Rumours about the health of Murray, 71, of Shawville, have been circulating for days. At the recent NHL entry draft in Philadelphia, Murray was fighting a persistent cough. And when he spoke to reporters following the trade of centre Jason Spezza on July 1, he looked exhausted and had visibly lost weight.
While there is no doubt Murray is the “boss” of the hockey side of the club, and the link to owner Eugene Melnyk, the staff is in good hands.
This past season, assistant general manager Tim Murray, Bryan’s nephew, left to become GM of the Buffalo Sabres. In his place, both Dorion, the former director of player personnel and Lee, who was director of player development, were promoted to joint assistant GM positions. Lee became the club’s liaison to the AHL farm team in Binghamton, New York, Tim’s former turf, while Dorion handled many player contracts.
Now, they may be asked to handle an increased workload if Murray has to miss time.
On Monday, prior to the announcement concerning Murray, Lee was talking about the division of labour with Dorion as his fellow AGM.
“We communicate every single day,” Lee said. “We use each other’s backgrounds and experience to make decisions and it works well. We also have a very good support staff, so we’re fortunate that way.”
Lee continues to focus on player development and hockey operations. “It was an easy fit, taking over Binghamton because I’m there all the time anyway with the hockey ops stuff,” Lee said. “It’s just a bit more contract work, but that’s fine because Pierre and I have balanced it out.”
These are busy times for the hockey club. While the major transaction of the off-season, the trade of Spezza to the Dallas Stars, has been completed, there is the possibility of another player trade and there are player contracts on the go.
In particular, the team needs to sign goaltender Robin Lehner to a contract before the 2014-15 season. There are several other contracts that come due next season and are already on the back burner, including such big names as Bobby Ryan and Clarke MacArthur.