Lawrence Thomas Murphy (Born March 8, 1961 in Scarborough, Ontario) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He was a defenseman.

Playing Career

Larry Murphy was drafted 4th overall in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft . He was the first selection that year of the Los Angeles Kings. In the 1980-81 NHL season , he set National Hockey League records for most assists and points by a rookie defenseman, with 60 and 76 respectively. These records still stand as of the end of the 2003-04 NHL season.

In his 21-season career (1980-2001), Murphy would go on to play for six different NHL teams. In addition to the Kings, he also suited up for the Washington Capitals, Minnesota North Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Detroit Red Wings.

When Murphy retired after the 2000-01 NHL season, his 1615 regular season games played stood as a record for the most career games by a defenseman. In 2003-04, Scott Stevens of the New Jersey Devils surpassed this mark, finishing the season with 1635 games played. Coincidentally, Murphy and Stevens were teammates on the Capitals between 1983 and 1989.

He was on four Stanley Cup winning teams during the decade of the 1990s, the only NHL player to accomplish this feat. He was a part of the only 2 NHL teams to win back-to-back titles during the decade, the Penguins in 1991 and 1992 and the Red Wings in 1997 and 1998.

In addition to his NHL championships, Murphy also won a Memorial Cup championship, the symbol of Canadian major junior hockey supremacy, with the Peterborough Petes in 1979. The Petes also reached the championship game the following year, but lost in overtime.

He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004. Finishing his career with 1216 points, Murphy is currently the fourth highest scoring defenseman in NHL history, behind Ray Bourque, Paul Coffey and Phil Housley.

Teams

• Peterborough Petes 1978-80 (Ontario Hockey League)
• Los Angeles Kings, 1980-83
• Washington Capitals, 1983-89
• Minnesota North Stars, 1989-90
• Pittsburgh Penguins, 1990-95
• Toronto Maple Leafs, 1995-97
• Detroit Red Wings, 1997-2001

Honors

• 1980, OHL First All-Star Team
• 1987, NHL Second All-Star Team
• 1993, NHL Second All-Star Team
• 1994, Played in NHL All-Star Game (Eastern Conference)
• 1995, NHL Second All-Star Team
• 1996, Played in NHL All-Star Game (Western Conference)
• 1999, Played in NHL All-Star Game (Western Conference)

External link

Larry Murphy's career stats at the Internet Hockey Database