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Murray deserves some credit in Kings' run

May 21, 2012, 11:09 AM ET [53 Comments]
Eklund
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Darryl Sutter has received plenty of deserved kudos for the Los Angeles Kings' playoff run. Yesterday's 2-0 loss aside, the Kings have peaked at the right time this season. Assuming they avoid at outright collapse against the Coyotes -- I do not expect Phoenix to win the next three in a row -- LA is a very worthy Western Conference Champion. They are capable of beating either the Rangers or the Devils in the Stanley Cup Final.

The other day, a good friend of mine asked if I thought the Kings would have gotten this far in the playoffs if they had not fired Terry Murray in December and replaced him with Sutter.

Good question. My response: Hell, yes. A huge part of the reason why LA has gelled in the playoffs has been the system that Murray instilled during his tenure.

First of all, coaches who come in midseason are rarely able to fully instill their own system until the next year. They can -- and do -- make certain adjustments, but it is almost never a large-scale change. Both Murray and Sutter are defense-first coaches, anyway, and their preferred styles of play are not all that different.

Secondly, it's not like the Kings had some magical turnaround when Sutter took over. They struggled to score goals under Murray and those struggles continued for much of the remainder of the season with Sutter behind the bench. It was not until April that the club gelled in all facets.

The biggest difference between Murray and Sutter is their personalities. Murray is less openly emotional and intense in his dealings with players. Personally, I think that's overrated. A team can win a Cup with a more reserved coach just as easily as it can one with a more fiery disposition. It all comes down to execution on the ice.

Murray is a coach who always emphasized process over results. He wants his team to play the game the right way, and then the wins eventually follow. Throughout the Kings' playoff run, I have seen them play the embodiment of the process Murray spent several years instilling in the team. Credit Sutter for getting his players to buy in to playing the right way, but don't forget who built the coaching foundation for it.

Murray is a gentlemen -- and I mean that in every sense of the term -- who is one of the classiest people you will ever find in hockey (or any other) business. When he tells you something, you he means it. That's not to say Sutter isn't a straight shooter, too, but I always found "Murph" to be honest almost to a fault.

At age 61, I fear that Murray has had last opportunity as an NHL head coach. Perhaps the Washington Capitals would give him another go-around, since Dale Hunter won't be back and the club could use the contrast between Boudreau/Hunter and Murray.

Sadly, Murray has never won a Stanley Cup, despite having some very good clubs. It would be a shame for him if he's remembered for being the guy whose work in LA Darryl Sutter had to finish. Murray deserves his own moment in the sun.

If the LA Kings win the Stanley Cup this year, I hope that a few players, as well as the likes of Sutter, Dean Lombardi and Ron Hextall, take a moment to publicly recognize Murray for the part he played in making this run possible in the first place.
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