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Doug McMurdy

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Doug McMurdy
Born (1926-02-09)February 9, 1926
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Died May 16, 2010(2010-05-16) (aged 84)
West Brookfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Position Centre / Defence
Shot Left
Played for Springfield Indians
Syracuse Warriors
Pittsburgh Hornets
Playing career 1945–1959

Doug McMurdy (February 9, 1926 – May 16, 2010) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, and coach. He played both centre and defence, and skated for 376 games in the American Hockey League, mostly with the Springfield Indians. McMurdy was the inaugural winner of the Red Tilson Trophy, as the most outstanding junior player in the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) in 1945.[1]

Amateur career

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Doug McMurdy was born on February 9, 1926, in Winnipeg, Manitoba.[2] He was brought to the St. Catharines Falcons for the 1943–44 OHA season by fellow Manitoban and coach Rudy Pilous.[3] In his second year of junior hockey, McMurdy won the inaugural Red Tilson Trophy for the 1944–45 OHA season as the most valuable player, and was the top scoring defenceman in the league.[3][4]

Professional career

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McMurdy signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1945, for a salary of $5000 and bonus of $1200. He was converted to a centre by Leafs coach Hap Day, and assigned to the minor leagues.[3] His first season in the AHL was played with the Pittsburgh Hornets, then two seasons with the Tulsa Oilers in the United States Hockey League.

McMurdy was traded to Springfield in 1948, and played the next nine seasons under the control of team owner, Eddie Shore. Teams in the National Hockey League inquired about McMurdy, but Shore declined offers to sell or trade him.[3][5] When Shore moved his AHL team to Syracuse, he assigned McMurdy to the farm team in Springfield partway though the 1951–52 season. McMurdy was named the player–coach for the Springfield Indians for the next two seasons.[6][7][8] He led the Springfield Indians to the Walker Cup as regular season champions in the Eastern Amateur Hockey League in 1952–53,[8] but the Indians lost in the playoff finals to the Johnstown Jets.[9] McMurdy and the Indians moved up to the Quebec Hockey League for the 1953–54 season. The team struggled and finished last place. Shore returned his AHL team to Springfield in 1954, and McMurdy played the next three seasons in the AHL with the Indians. He finished his AHL career in Springfield with 85 goals, 182 assists, and 267 points in 286 games.

McMurdy played the 1957–58 season with the Trois-Rivières Lions in the QHL, then finished his career playing defence for New Haven Blades in the 1958–59 season.[10]

Later life and honours

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McMurdy was inducted into Springfield Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000.[3][10] He died on May 16, 2010, in West Brookfield, Massachusetts.[11]

Playing statistics

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Career statistics as a player.[2]

    Regular Season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1943–44 St. Catharines Falcons OHA — — — — — — — — — —
1944–45 St. Catharines Falcons OHA 20 11 25 36 21[12] — — — — —
1945–46 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 42 7 25 32 6 6 0 3 3 2
1946–47 Tulsa Oilers USHL 59 19 34 53 43 — 0 1 1 0
1947–48 Tulsa Oilers USHL 65 20 40 60 35 — 1 1 2 0
1948–49 Springfield Indians AHL 57 27 39 66 14 3 0 7 7 0
1949–50 Springfield Indians AHL 66 17 33 50 25 2 3 0 3 0
1950–51 Springfield Indians AHL 22 2 10 12 0 — — — — —
1951–52 Syracuse Warriors AHL 48 22 13 35 22 — — — — —
1951–52 Springfield Indians EAHL 12 11 16 27 4 — — — — —
1952–53 Springfield Indians EAHL 17 13 15 28 33 7 4 3 7 6
1953–54 Springfield Indians QHL 69 15 38 53 78 — — — — —
1954–55 Springfield Indians AHL 52 19 39 58 32 4 0 3 3 2
1955–56 Springfield Indians AHL 42 14 33 47 22 — — — — —
1956–57 Springfield Indians AHL 47 6 28 34 20 — — — — —
1957–58 Trois-Rivières Lions QHL 10 1 5 6 12 — — — — —
1958–59 New Haven Blades EHL 56 8 23 31 48 5 0 1 1 0
AHL totals 376 114 220 334 141 15 3 13 16 4
USHL totals 124 39 74 113 78 — 1 2 3 0
EAHL/EHL totals 85 32 54 86 85 12 4 4 8 6
QHL totals 79 16 43 59 90 — — — — —

Coaching statistics

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Career statistics as a player-coach.[6][7][9]

Season Team League Regular season Playoffs
G W L T Pts Finish Result
1952–53 Springfield Indians EAHL 60 39 19 2 80 1st in EAHL Lost in finals
1953–54 Springfield Indians QHL 72 25 40 7 57 7th in QHL Missed playoffs
Total 132 64 59 9 137 1 division title

References

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  1. ^ "OHL Awards". Ontario Hockey League. Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Doug McMurdy hockey statistics and profile". hockeydb.com. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e Hewitt, John (June 3, 2010). "Former Falcon McMurdy dead at 84". St. Catharines Standard. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  4. ^ "McMurdy Wins Tilson Trophy". The Winnipeg Tribune. Winnipeg, Manitoba. April 5, 1945. p. 26.
  5. ^ Hiam, C. Michael (2010). Eddie Shore and That Old-Time Hockey. Toronto, Ontario: McClelland & Stewart Ltd. pp. 291–293. ISBN 978-0-7710-4129-7.
  6. ^ a b "1952–53 Eastern Hockey League [EHL] standings". hockeydb.com. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  7. ^ a b "1953-54 Quebec Hockey League [QHL] standings". hockeydb.com. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  8. ^ a b Mancuso, Jim (2005). Hockey in Springfield. Great Britain: Arcadia Publishing. pp. 119–121. ISBN 0-7385-3927-9.
  9. ^ a b "1952–53 EHL Playoff Results". hockeydb.com. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  10. ^ a b Telaar, Tom (May 28, 2010). "Doug McMurdy – New Haven Blades 1958–59". Eastern Hockey League (1954–73). Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  11. ^ "Doug McMurdy – Obituaries". Your Life Moments. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  12. ^ "Top Four Junior Scorers Wearing St. Mike's Colors". Windsor Star. Windsor, Ontario. February 28, 1945. p. 22.
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