gold star for USAHOF

20. Bob Murdoch

20. Bob Murdoch

Bob Murdoch first signed with the Montreal Canadiens in 1970, and though he was traded to Minnesota, he was reclaimed by the Habs in the 1971 Intra-League Draft, the deep defensive corps that Montreal had, prevented Murdoch from being a potential star for that team.  As Murdoch was expendable, Montreal traded him to Los Angeles, where he had his chance to shine.

Murdoch was a King for five-and-a-half years, where he grinded and playmaked better than any other Defenseman for Los Angeles in the 1970s.  He would have his best run in hockey with L.A., where as a King, he had three straight 30-plus Point years.  Murdoch’s best season was in 1974-75, where he was named an All-Star with a career-high 42 Points with a third-place finish in Defensive Point Shares.  Two years later, Murdoch was ninth in Defensive Point Shares.

Murdoch left Los Angeles in early 1979 when he was traded to the struggling Atlanta Flames.  He might not have been a star in the NHL or even in Los Angeles, but Murdoch was an underappreciated player in the Kings canon, who had 171 Points with Los Angeles.

The Bullet Points

  • Position: Defence
  • Acquired: Traded from the Montreal Canadiens with Randy Rota for a 1974 1st Round Pick (which would be Mario Tremblay) and Cash 7/29/73.
  • Departed:

    Traded to the Atlanta Flames with a 1980 2nd Round Pick (which would be Tony Curtale) for Richard Mulhern and a 1980 2nd Round Pick (which would be Dave Morrison) 1/16/79.

  • Games Played: 414
  • Notable Statistics:

    41 Goals
    130 Assists 
    171 Points 
    497 PIM 
    .41 PPG 
    +80 Plus/Minus 
    38.0 Point Shares 

    28 Playoff Games
    2 Goals
    10 Assists 
    12 Points 
    40 PIM 
    .43 PPG 
    -10 Plus/Minus 

  • Major Accolades and Awards:

    All-Star (1975)

Comments powered by CComment