Andy Murray
Head Coach
Andy Murray, one of hockey’s most respected coaches with many years of experience at both the National Hockey League and International level was named the 22nd head coach in the history of the St. Louis Blues on December 11, 2006. His first game as head coach for the Blues was on December 12, 2006 versus Chicago and posted his first victory in a 4-1 win at Pittsburgh on December 19, 2006.
In the 2008-09 campaign, Murray guided the Blues to a 25-9-7 record in the second half of the season which led the NHL, jumping from 15th place in the Western Conference standings to the #6 seed and returning the club to the playoffs for the first time in five years. The Blues’ playoff surge was one of the finest in NHL history, earning nearly 59% of their points since January 19, the highest such rate by any playoff team since 1940. Murray was a runner-up for the 2009 Jack Adams Trophy, given annually to the NHL’s Coach of the Year.
Murray won his 300th NHL game on February 19, 2009 in a 2-1 overtime win at Nashville and coached in his 200th game behind the Blues bench on March 7, 2009 at Florida. He became the sixth Blues coach to reach 100 wins after a 3-1 victory on April 10 vs. Columbus. Murray currently ranks fifth on the Blues’ all-time games coached list (218) and is fifth in wins (101).
Since taking over behind the St. Louis bench, Murray has guided the club to a 101-85-32 (.537%) record. In his first 12 games as Blues head coach during the 2006-07 season, the team did not allow a first period goal, which tied an NHL modern era record for most consecutive games without allowing a first period goal since the Los Angeles Kings accomplished it during the 1974-75 season. Murray coached in his 500th career NHL game on January 20, 2007 at San Jose in which the Blues won 1-0.
Prior to arriving in St. Louis, Murray coached the Los Angeles Kings from 1999-2006 and is the all-time franchise leader in wins (215) and games coached (480). In 2001-02, Murray became the second fastest Kings coach to record 100 wins as the Kings earned at least 90 points and made the playoffs for the third straight season, all under Murray. The 95 points earned by the Kings were the most since the 1990-91 campaign and the fourth most in team history. The Kings also lost less than 30 games for the second straight season, the first time the franchise has accomplished that feat.
During the 1999-2000 season, Murray’s first as an NHL head coach, he guided the Kings to a second place finish in the Pacific Division and the fifth seed in the Western Conference. The Kings that season were the third most improved club in the NHL (+25 points from 1998-99); the team accumulated an impressive 94 points; and Murray became one of just three first-year head coaches in club history to win at least 39 games in their first full season behind the Kings’ bench, with the 39 wins representing the most the team had accumulated since 1992-93 (in an 84-game schedule).
Murray has over 30 years of coaching experience, including seven seasons as an NHL assistant or associate coach with the Winnipeg Jets (1993-95), Minnesota North Stars (1990-92) and Philadelphia Flyers (1988-90). As an assistant coach in Minnesota, Murray reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 1991.
In addition to his NHL service, Murray has a tremendous amount of international coaching experience. He is the only head coach to lead Team Canada to three IIHF World Hockey Championship titles. Murray captured gold medals in 1997, 2003 and in 2007. In his gold medal run in 2007, Canada went 9-0 during the tournament for the first time since 1937 when the World Championships were held in London, England.
Murray was the head coach of the Canadian National Team from 1996-98 and guided his squad to a two-year 77-29-14 record. During the 1998-99 season, Murray split time as head coach for Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Faribault, Minnesota, where he led the prep school to a 70-9-2 record and the Midget Triple A USA Hockey national championship and as general manager at Koln of the German Hockey League.
As an assistant coach for Team Canada in 1996, he collected silver medals at the World Cup of Hockey and the World Hockey Championship. Murray also served as an associate coach for Team Canada under Marc Crawford at the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan. Additionally, he has a record six gold medals as a coach for Canada at the Spengler Cup Tournament in Davos, Switzerland.
From 1976-78, he served his first head coaching position with the Brandon Travelers of the Manitoba Junior A Hockey League. He moved on to become head coach for Brandon University from 1978-81 and led the Bobcats to a league championship and the No. 1 ranking in Canadian University hockey during his final year. In 1981 Murray moved to Switzerland, where for the next seven years he coached several Swiss-A Division teams, including Kloten Zurcher and Zug, with success.
In 1987 he returned to North America as an assistant coach for the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League and helped guide the Bears to the 1988 Calder Cup championship. In 1992, Murray returned to Europe to coach Lugano in Switzerland and then at Eisbaren Berlin in Germany.
Andy and his wife Ruth have three children (all hockey players): sons Braden (currently in the Los Angeles Kings’ organization) and Jordan (a student/athlete at the University of Wisconsin), and daughter Sarah (a student/athlete at the University of Minnesota-Duluth). They split their time during the summer between Faribault and Manitoba.
First Game as NHL Head Coach: Oct. 2, 1999 at Nashville
First Win as NHL Head Coach: Oct. 2, 1999 at Nashville (2-0 W)
First Game as Blues Head Coach: Dec. 12, 2006 vs. Chicago (2-3 L)
First Win as Blues Head Coach: Dec. 19, 2006 vs. Pittsburgh (4-1 W)
All-Time Regular Season Record: 316-261-121 (.539%)
All-Time Regular Season Blues Record: 101-85-32 (.537%)
Head Coach
Andy Murray, one of hockey’s most respected coaches with many years of experience at both the National Hockey League and International level was named the 22nd head coach in the history of the St. Louis Blues on December 11, 2006. His first game as head coach for the Blues was on December 12, 2006 versus Chicago and posted his first victory in a 4-1 win at Pittsburgh on December 19, 2006.In the 2008-09 campaign, Murray guided the Blues to a 25-9-7 record in the second half of the season which led the NHL, jumping from 15th place in the Western Conference standings to the #6 seed and returning the club to the playoffs for the first time in five years. The Blues’ playoff surge was one of the finest in NHL history, earning nearly 59% of their points since January 19, the highest such rate by any playoff team since 1940. Murray was a runner-up for the 2009 Jack Adams Trophy, given annually to the NHL’s Coach of the Year.
Murray won his 300th NHL game on February 19, 2009 in a 2-1 overtime win at Nashville and coached in his 200th game behind the Blues bench on March 7, 2009 at Florida. He became the sixth Blues coach to reach 100 wins after a 3-1 victory on April 10 vs. Columbus. Murray currently ranks fifth on the Blues’ all-time games coached list (218) and is fifth in wins (101).
Since taking over behind the St. Louis bench, Murray has guided the club to a 101-85-32 (.537%) record. In his first 12 games as Blues head coach during the 2006-07 season, the team did not allow a first period goal, which tied an NHL modern era record for most consecutive games without allowing a first period goal since the Los Angeles Kings accomplished it during the 1974-75 season. Murray coached in his 500th career NHL game on January 20, 2007 at San Jose in which the Blues won 1-0.
Prior to arriving in St. Louis, Murray coached the Los Angeles Kings from 1999-2006 and is the all-time franchise leader in wins (215) and games coached (480). In 2001-02, Murray became the second fastest Kings coach to record 100 wins as the Kings earned at least 90 points and made the playoffs for the third straight season, all under Murray. The 95 points earned by the Kings were the most since the 1990-91 campaign and the fourth most in team history. The Kings also lost less than 30 games for the second straight season, the first time the franchise has accomplished that feat.
During the 1999-2000 season, Murray’s first as an NHL head coach, he guided the Kings to a second place finish in the Pacific Division and the fifth seed in the Western Conference. The Kings that season were the third most improved club in the NHL (+25 points from 1998-99); the team accumulated an impressive 94 points; and Murray became one of just three first-year head coaches in club history to win at least 39 games in their first full season behind the Kings’ bench, with the 39 wins representing the most the team had accumulated since 1992-93 (in an 84-game schedule).
Murray has over 30 years of coaching experience, including seven seasons as an NHL assistant or associate coach with the Winnipeg Jets (1993-95), Minnesota North Stars (1990-92) and Philadelphia Flyers (1988-90). As an assistant coach in Minnesota, Murray reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 1991.
In addition to his NHL service, Murray has a tremendous amount of international coaching experience. He is the only head coach to lead Team Canada to three IIHF World Hockey Championship titles. Murray captured gold medals in 1997, 2003 and in 2007. In his gold medal run in 2007, Canada went 9-0 during the tournament for the first time since 1937 when the World Championships were held in London, England.
Murray was the head coach of the Canadian National Team from 1996-98 and guided his squad to a two-year 77-29-14 record. During the 1998-99 season, Murray split time as head coach for Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Faribault, Minnesota, where he led the prep school to a 70-9-2 record and the Midget Triple A USA Hockey national championship and as general manager at Koln of the German Hockey League.
As an assistant coach for Team Canada in 1996, he collected silver medals at the World Cup of Hockey and the World Hockey Championship. Murray also served as an associate coach for Team Canada under Marc Crawford at the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan. Additionally, he has a record six gold medals as a coach for Canada at the Spengler Cup Tournament in Davos, Switzerland.
From 1976-78, he served his first head coaching position with the Brandon Travelers of the Manitoba Junior A Hockey League. He moved on to become head coach for Brandon University from 1978-81 and led the Bobcats to a league championship and the No. 1 ranking in Canadian University hockey during his final year. In 1981 Murray moved to Switzerland, where for the next seven years he coached several Swiss-A Division teams, including Kloten Zurcher and Zug, with success.
In 1987 he returned to North America as an assistant coach for the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League and helped guide the Bears to the 1988 Calder Cup championship. In 1992, Murray returned to Europe to coach Lugano in Switzerland and then at Eisbaren Berlin in Germany.
Andy and his wife Ruth have three children (all hockey players): sons Braden (currently in the Los Angeles Kings’ organization) and Jordan (a student/athlete at the University of Wisconsin), and daughter Sarah (a student/athlete at the University of Minnesota-Duluth). They split their time during the summer between Faribault and Manitoba.
First Game as NHL Head Coach: Oct. 2, 1999 at Nashville
First Win as NHL Head Coach: Oct. 2, 1999 at Nashville (2-0 W)
First Game as Blues Head Coach: Dec. 12, 2006 vs. Chicago (2-3 L)
First Win as Blues Head Coach: Dec. 19, 2006 vs. Pittsburgh (4-1 W)
All-Time Regular Season Record: 316-261-121 (.539%)
All-Time Regular Season Blues Record: 101-85-32 (.537%)
