Joe Murphy—Not Just Your Average Joe

The National Hockey League is filled with stories of junior players drafted first overall and did not live up to expectations. Knee injuries ruined the career of Gord Kluzak, drafted number one by the Boston Bruins in 1982. Drafted first in 1983 by the Minnesota North Stars, American prospect Brian Lawton never became the franchise player.  Drafted number-one by the Ottawa Senators in 1993, Alexandre Daigle could not deal with the pressure of being a star and failed to make a major impact with the Senators.

Until he arrived in Edmonton in 1989, Joe Murphy never proved why he was selected first overall. Murphy, an Ontario-born standout at Michigan State University, was the first overall pick in the 1986 draft by the Detroit Red Wings. Detroit scouts were impressed by Murphy’s play when they travelled up the highway to Lansing. He solidified his first pick overall status by earning 14 points in just seven games playing for Canada at the 1986 World Junior Championships.

After Murphy moved on to the NHL, he struggled. He was sent to the Wings farm team in 1986-87, and when he returned to the Red Wings line-up in 1987-88 and 1988-89, Detroit fans booed his dismal performance. He would only score just 14 goals in his Red Wings career. Finally, a month in the 1989-90 season, Wings’ management caved in to fan pressure and dealt Murphy to Edmonton, where general manager Glen Sather made him one of his great reclamation projects.  Sather saw a worthwhile player in Murphy, and throughout his tenure in Edmonton, Sather was famous for taking talented misfits and transforming them into NHL stars.  Murphy was a work in progress.

Murphy was placed on the “Kid Line” with Martin Gélinas and Adam Graves, and he responded; he earned just 25 regular-season points, but his 14 playoff points were a key factor in the Oilers winning their fifth Stanley Cup in 1990.

The next season, Murphy earned 62 points and proved to the world that he deserved his number-one-overall designation. In 1992-93, he earned 82 points, finishing second in the team scoring race to Vincent Damphousse.  That year he won the Molson Cup for earning top-three-stars more times during the season than any of his teammates. Murphy followed the regular-season up with a stellar performance in playoffs. Even though the Minnesota North Stars upset the Oilers in the Campbell Conference final, Murphy put on the best performance of his career, scoring eight goals and adding 16 assists in just 16 playoff games.

The next season, Murphy found he was another casualty on a team that had become budget-conscious in the wake of the large spending by the American clubs. Murphy’s contract demands were too large for Sather’s liking, and he sat out most of the season until the Oilers, frustrated, traded him to Chicago. Murphy would go on to score the first NHL goal at the United Center, the new home of the Blackhawks. After playing four seasons in Chicago, Murphy bounced around the league, spending time with the St. Louis Blues, San Jose Sharks, Boston Bruins and eventually the Washington Capitals before calling it a career in 2001, earning 528 career points in 779 games.

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