{{Short description|Canadian ice hockey player (born 1956)}} {{other people}} {{Infobox ice hockey player | position = Right wing | played_for = New York Rangers<br>Edmonton Oilers<br>Detroit Red Wings | shoots = Right | height_ft = 5 | height_in = 11 | weight_lb = 180 | league = NHL | ntl_team = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1956|10|25|mf=y}} | birth_place = Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada | career_start = 1976 | career_end = 1986 | draft = 6th overall | draft_year = 1976 | draft_team = New York Rangers | wha_draft = 12th overall | wha_draft_year = 1976 | wha_draft_team = Cincinnati Stingers | name = Don Murdoch | image = | image_size = }} '''Donald Walter Murdoch''' (born October 25, 1956) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, and Detroit Red Wings between 1976 and 1982. He was featured in the 1979 Stanley Cup Final, playing with the Rangers.
==Playing career== After a standout junior career with the Medicine Hat Tigers, Murdoch was selected 6th overall in the 1976 NHL Amateur Draft by the New York Rangers and joined the team that year as a 20-year-old. He scored 56 points in 59 games his rookie season, including a Rangers rookie record of 32 goals, and finished as runner-up for the Calder Trophy for best rookie.<ref name="Ranger Greats">{{cite book |title=100 Ranger Greats: Superstars, Unsung Heroes and Colorful Characters |first1=Russ |last1=Cohen |first2=John |last2=Halligan |first3=Adam |last3=Raider |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn= 978-0470736197 |date=2009 |page=14}}</ref><ref name=comet>{{cite web|last1=Weiner|first1=Evan|title=Murdoch's NHL career was like a comet|url=http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=369518|publisher=NHL.com|accessdate=12 December 2015|date=13 October 2007}}</ref> On October 12, 1976, Murdoch tied Howie Meeker's record for most goals in one game by a rookie with 5,<ref name=comet /> against the Minnesota North Stars.<ref name=zipay>{{cite book|last1=Zipay|first1=Steve|title=The good, the bad, and the ugly. heart-pounding, jaw-dropping, and gut-wrenching moments in New York Rangers history|date=2008|publisher=Triumph Books|location=Chicago, Ill.|isbn=978-1572439658|page=43|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qp4NBAAAQBAJ&q=%22don+murdoch%22+rookie&pg=PA43|accessdate=12 December 2015}}</ref> A torn Achilles tendon ended his season in February.
On August 12, 1977, Murdoch was caught by customs agents at Toronto's Pearson Airport with 4.5 grams of cocaine stashed in his socks.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Vienneau |first1=David |title=Hockey Star Faces Cocaine Charge |url=https://www.thestar.com/ |access-date=15 November 2024 |work=Toronto Star |issue=18 August 1977 |publisher=Toronto Star |archive-url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/946770678/?clipping_id=159119706 |archive-date=15 November 2024 |page=14 |language=English}}</ref> He was suspended by the league for the entire 1978–79 season (later reduced to 40 games) and later admitted to having a drinking and drug problem.<ref name=tribune>{{cite web|last1=McRae|first1=Earl|title=Season on ice: Murdoch played a losing game|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1979/01/05/page/55/article/season-on-ice/|work=Chicago Tribune|accessdate=12 December 2015|date=5 January 1979}}</ref><ref>[http://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/1976/76006.html Murdoch's biography] at Hockey Draft Central</ref>
He played 320 career games in the National Hockey League (NHL) but never regained the form of his first season, and retired after stops with the Edmonton Oilers and Detroit Red Wings.
After his playing career, Murdoch worked as a scout for the Tampa Bay Lightning, under general manager and former Rangers teammate Phil Esposito.
Don is the brother of Bob Murdoch.
==Legacy== In the 2009 book ''100 Ranger Greats'', the authors ranked Murdoch at No. 99 all-time of the 901 New York Rangers who had played during the team's first 82 seasons.<ref name="Ranger Greats"/>
==Career statistics==
===Regular season and playoffs=== {| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em" |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! colspan="5"|Regular season ! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! colspan="5"|Playoffs |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! Season ! Team ! League ! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM ! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM |- | 1973–74 | Vernon Vikings | BCHL | 45 || 50 || 32 || 82 || 69 | — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1973–74 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WCHL | 4 || 1 || 0 || 1 || 9 | — || — || — || — || — |- | 1974–75 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WCHL | 70 || 82 || 59 || 141 || 83 | 5 || 1 || 5 || 6 || 15 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1975–76 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WCHL | 70 || 88 || 77 || 165 || 202 | 7 || 4 || 3 || 7 || 23 |- | 1976–77 | New York Rangers | NHL | 59 || 32 || 24 || 56 || 47 | — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1977–78 | New York Rangers | NHL | 66 || 27 || 28 || 55 || 41 | 3 || 1 || 3 || 4 || 4 |- | 1978–79 | New York Rangers | NHL | 40 || 15 || 21 || 36 || 6 | 18 || 7 || 5 || 12 || 12 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1979–80 | New York Rangers | NHL | 56 || 23 || 19 || 42 || 16 | — || — || — || — || — |- | 1979–80 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 10 || 5 || 2 || 7 || 4 | 3 || 2 || 0 || 2 || 0 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1980–81 | Wichita Wind | CHL | 22 || 15 || 10 || 25 || 48 | 18 || 17 || 7 || 24 || 24 |- | 1980–81 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 40 || 10 || 9 || 19 || 18 | — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1981–82 | Adirondack Red Wings | AHL | 24 || 11 || 13 || 24 || 24 | 4 || 5 || 0 || 5 || 14 |- | 1981–82 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 49 || 9 || 13 || 22 || 23 | — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1982–83 | Adirondack Red Wings | AHL | 35 || 10 || 12 || 22 || 19 | — || — || — || — || — |- | 1983–84 | Montana Magic | CHL | 17 || 10 || 10 || 20 || 2 | — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1983–84 | Adirondack Red Wings | AHL | 59 || 26 || 20 || 46 || 19 | — || — || — || — || — |- | 1984–85 | Muskegon Lumberjacks | IHL | 32 || 18 || 13 || 31 || 4 | 16 || 6 || 3 || 9 || 26 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1985–86 | Muskegon Lumberjacks | IHL | 12 || 4 || 4 || 8 || 0 | — || — || — || — || — |- | 1985–86 | Indianapolis Checkers | IHL | 11 || 4 || 3 || 7 || 4 | — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1985–86 | Toledo Goaldiggers | IHL | 37 || 15 || 23 || 38 || 8 | — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" | NHL totals ! 320 !! 121 !! 116 !! 237 !! 155 ! 24 !! 10 !! 8 !! 18 !! 16 |}
==Awards== *WCHL All-Star Team – 1975 *WCHL First All-Star Team – 1976 *NHL All-Star Game selection: 1977
==See also== *List of players with 5 or more goals in an NHL game
==External links== *{{icehockeystats|legends=13803}}
==References== {{reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{succession box | before = Wayne Dillon | title = New York Rangers first-round draft pick | years = 1976 | after = Lucien DeBlois}} {{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murdoch, Don}} Category:1956 births Category:Living people Category:Adirondack Red Wings players Category:Canadian ice hockey right wingers Category:Canadian sportspeople in doping cases Category:Cincinnati Stingers draft picks Category:Detroit Red Wings players Category:Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Category:Doping cases in ice hockey Category:Edmonton Oilers players Category:Indianapolis Checkers players Category:Medicine Hat Tigers players Category:Montana Magic players Category:Muskegon Lumberjacks players Category:National Hockey League All-Stars Category:NHL first-round draft picks Category:New York Rangers draft picks Category:New York Rangers players Category:New York Rangers scouts Category:Ice hockey people from Cranbrook, British Columbia Category:Tampa Bay Lightning executives Category:Tampa Bay Lightning scouts Category:Toledo Goaldiggers players Category:Vernon Vikings players Category:20th-century Canadian sportsmen