FRONT OFFICE
BOB MURRAY Executive Vice President and General Manager After taking over as Executive Vice President and General Manager, Murray made several changes to the roster that led to a dramatic turnaround. Among others, Murray acquired Ryan Whitney, James Wisniewski and Mike Brown in making the club a younger, faster and more athletic club. The Ducks charged down the stretch with a 10-2-1 record to make the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. Anaheim then defeated the Presidents’ Trophy-winning San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference Quarterfinals, becoming the fifth team in the expansion era (1967-68) to upset the league’s top regular season team in the first round. The Ducks fell to Detroit in a dramatic, seven game series in the Conference Semifinals. Murray’s teams have now been in the playoffs eight consecutive seasons, four with Vancouver (2001-2004) and the last four with the Ducks (2006-2009). Over the summer, Murray continued to revamp the club with the acquisition of forwards Saku Koivu and Joffrey Lupul. The Ducks enter the 2009-10 campaign with a potential top-six forward group that includes Koivu, Lupul, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Bobby Ryan and Teemu Selanne. Each of those six players scored at least 50 points last season, and four of them are 26-years-old or younger. Prior to being named Executive Vice President and General Manager, Murray was the club’s Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations for three-plus seasons. He was named to the post on July 14, 2005. In that role, he reported directly to Executive Vice President and General Manager Brian Burke. Much of Murray’s work behind the scenes under Burke led directly to many successful trades and other player transactions by Anaheim. During that three-year period, the Ducks won a Stanley Cup (2007), a Pacific Division title (2007), and qualified for the playoffs each season. Murray’s previous responsibilities as Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations included overseeing all aspects of player development and serving as General Manager of Anaheim’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate (previously Portland and Iowa). Murray was the General Manager of the Portland Pirates from 2005-06 through 2007-08. The Pirates went to the Conference Finals twice (2006 & 2008), appearing in six playoff rounds. Between 2005 and 2008 (three seasons), Anaheim and Portland combined to win 10 and appear in 14 playoff rounds over the last three seasons, both the most of any organization in hockey. Prior to joining the Ducks, Murray worked as a Professional Scout with the Vancouver Canucks from 1999 to 2005 under then-General Manager Brian Burke (1998-2004). Murray’s scouting expertise helped to build teams that recorded 100+ point seasons two years in a row (2002-03 and 2003-04) and advanced to the Stanley Cup Playoffs four seasons in a row (2001-04). Before his stint in Vancouver, he served as a Scouting Consultant for Anaheim during the 1998-99 season. Murray was a member of the Chicago Blackhawks organization for 25 years, serving as General Manager from 1997-99. He was named the sixth General Manager in team history on July 3, 1997. He was promoted to the post after serving as Assistant General Manager under Bob Pulford for two seasons. Before joining upper-management, Murray was named the Director of Player Personnel in 1991 and was largely responsible for the club’s NHL Entry Draft selections over eight seasons. Drafted by the Blackhawks in 1974, Murray spent his entire 1,008-game, 15-year career in a Chicago uniform. He became just the fourth player in Blackhawks history to reach the 1,000-game plateau. In addition, he became the first defenseman in club history to appear in 100 postseason contests, reaching the mark during the 1990 Stanley Cup Playoffs. In all, Murray scored 132-382=514 points and currently ranks second in all-time points among Blackhawk defensemen (13th overall in club history). He was named to both the 1981 and 1983 NHL All-Star Games. Murray retired at the conclusion of the 1989-90 season. Known for his work ethic, intelligence and determination as a player, Murray remained with the organization as a Professional Scout following his retirement in 1990. Bob and his wife Betsy have four children (Kevin, Andrew, Amanda and Katie), and a granddaughter (Mikayla). |
