It has been rumored for a few weeks but the Flyers finally made it official today by naming Terry Murray as head coach of the Adirondack Phantoms.
Murray was the head coach of the Flyers from 1994-97 where he led them to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1997. He was also the assistant coach under Ken Hitchcock and John Stevens from 2003-08.
He was fired from his head position with the Los Angeles Kings in December 2011 after managing them from 2008 but he was a vital part of their Stanley Cup run, even doing some scouting for them during the postseason.
In 212 games managing the Flyers, Murray finished with a 118-64-30 record. He also stood behind the bench with the Florida Panthers (1998-2001) and the Washington Capitals (1989-1994).
Murray is perhaps most infamous for his famous quote during the ’97 Finals when the Flyers were on the verge of being swept.
“It is basically a choking situation that I call it right now,” Murray said.
One thing that is interesting is Murray doesn’t have a whole lot of experience coaching in the AHL. Also, his style of play is much more conservative than the Flyers’ style of offensive-explosiveness. He set the template for how the Kings played during the playoffs that led them to the Stanley Cup.
Does that mean he will change his mindset or are the Flyers and Peter Laviolette going to tweak their system?
The Flyers and the Phantoms generally like to stick to the same style to make the transition easier for players.
It seems unlikely that the Flyers would hire Murray and that Murray would accept the offer if they wanted to change his philosophy. Holmgren did mention after the season ended that he and Laviolette were going to take a look at what needs to be fixed.
This should get interesting.
