nivek_wahs
07-24-2008, 07:12 AM
http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=7a4902d6-04e0-4453-a604-bc4d3bc087aa
Like the Phoenix, Murray wants fresh start
Rob Vanstone, The Leader-Post
Published: Thursday, July 24, 2008
By the time Garth Murray gets to Phoenix, his impatience will have grown.
Murray is anxious for hockey season to begin -- especially after signing with the Phoenix Coyotes as an unrestricted free agent.
"It's one of those things where you wish training camp was tomorrow,'' Murray said Wednesday from his offseason home in Regina. "I want to get going and get back on the ice.''
The former Regina Pats captain missed most of the 2007-08 season due to a broken ankle (suffered while with the Montreal Canadiens) and a torn labrum and bicep tendon in his right shoulder (a season-ending injury sustained while playing for the Florida Panthers).
"It was tough,'' Murray said. "I started out in Montreal and played one game and broke my ankle. I came back and I was on waivers and Florida picked me up. I was excited and they had me in the lineup every night and I was playing decent minutes. Things were going pretty well there. I was filling the need they had. Then I was in a fight, doing what they wanted me to do to chip in there, and I fell on the shoulder wrong.
"It was a really long year. I've never had a major injury like this. You don't really realize how much rehab goes into it to get your shoulder back to where you want it to be. It's a process, but thankfully I'm kind of nearing the end of it here. It's good to be back on the ice and getting ready for camp again.''
Murray said he had "three or four good opportunities'' from which to choose, along with other offers to become "a depth guy'' in the AHL.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound centre has eight goals, two assists and 119 penalty minutes in 106 NHL games, spent with the Panthers, Canadiens and New York Rangers.
He signed with Phoenix for one year. Part of the allure was the presence of head coach Wayne Gretzky.
"That will be pretty cool, seeing him in training camp,'' Murray said. "Obviously, he's the best hockey player ever to play the game. It'll be weird, I imagine, for the first little bit. I think after you get the first one out of the way, you'll kind of just see him as another coach you complain to for ice time. No, I'm just kidding.''
That said, the 2007-08 season is hardly a laughing matter.
"I'm coming off probably the worst year you can have to sign a contract,'' Murray said. "Last year was a big year for me and everything went bad. This is kind of a new chance for me.
"Phoenix basically looked like the best situation for me with who had needs in the bottom six for a grinder and a character guy. They've got a young team with a lot of young guys and there's a lot of liquidity in their lineup. They don't have a bunch of set guys at position. We just figured that would be the best spot for me to kind of crack in there.''
In a way, Miami was an ideal spot to recover from an injury -- which led to the longest winter Murray can remember.
"It was a sunny one, because I was in Florida,'' he said with a chuckle. "My tan was great.
"It was very weird. Even thinking about it right now, it's kind of a weird feeling to not be playing and basically be removed from the game for almost a year. I've been playing 60-plus games since I was probably 15 years old. It was an experience and you kind of look back and realize how time flies.
"I'm almost 26. It's such a big year for me to break back in and establish myself again. The clock's kind of ticking a bit on me now with my age. I've just got to put the nose to the grindstone when I'm able to get out there and play.''
© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008
Like the Phoenix, Murray wants fresh start
Rob Vanstone, The Leader-Post
Published: Thursday, July 24, 2008
By the time Garth Murray gets to Phoenix, his impatience will have grown.
Murray is anxious for hockey season to begin -- especially after signing with the Phoenix Coyotes as an unrestricted free agent.
"It's one of those things where you wish training camp was tomorrow,'' Murray said Wednesday from his offseason home in Regina. "I want to get going and get back on the ice.''
The former Regina Pats captain missed most of the 2007-08 season due to a broken ankle (suffered while with the Montreal Canadiens) and a torn labrum and bicep tendon in his right shoulder (a season-ending injury sustained while playing for the Florida Panthers).
"It was tough,'' Murray said. "I started out in Montreal and played one game and broke my ankle. I came back and I was on waivers and Florida picked me up. I was excited and they had me in the lineup every night and I was playing decent minutes. Things were going pretty well there. I was filling the need they had. Then I was in a fight, doing what they wanted me to do to chip in there, and I fell on the shoulder wrong.
"It was a really long year. I've never had a major injury like this. You don't really realize how much rehab goes into it to get your shoulder back to where you want it to be. It's a process, but thankfully I'm kind of nearing the end of it here. It's good to be back on the ice and getting ready for camp again.''
Murray said he had "three or four good opportunities'' from which to choose, along with other offers to become "a depth guy'' in the AHL.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound centre has eight goals, two assists and 119 penalty minutes in 106 NHL games, spent with the Panthers, Canadiens and New York Rangers.
He signed with Phoenix for one year. Part of the allure was the presence of head coach Wayne Gretzky.
"That will be pretty cool, seeing him in training camp,'' Murray said. "Obviously, he's the best hockey player ever to play the game. It'll be weird, I imagine, for the first little bit. I think after you get the first one out of the way, you'll kind of just see him as another coach you complain to for ice time. No, I'm just kidding.''
That said, the 2007-08 season is hardly a laughing matter.
"I'm coming off probably the worst year you can have to sign a contract,'' Murray said. "Last year was a big year for me and everything went bad. This is kind of a new chance for me.
"Phoenix basically looked like the best situation for me with who had needs in the bottom six for a grinder and a character guy. They've got a young team with a lot of young guys and there's a lot of liquidity in their lineup. They don't have a bunch of set guys at position. We just figured that would be the best spot for me to kind of crack in there.''
In a way, Miami was an ideal spot to recover from an injury -- which led to the longest winter Murray can remember.
"It was a sunny one, because I was in Florida,'' he said with a chuckle. "My tan was great.
"It was very weird. Even thinking about it right now, it's kind of a weird feeling to not be playing and basically be removed from the game for almost a year. I've been playing 60-plus games since I was probably 15 years old. It was an experience and you kind of look back and realize how time flies.
"I'm almost 26. It's such a big year for me to break back in and establish myself again. The clock's kind of ticking a bit on me now with my age. I've just got to put the nose to the grindstone when I'm able to get out there and play.''
© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008