| Position: | Centre |
| Shoots: | Left |
| Played For: | New York Rangers Montreal Canadiens Florida Panthers Phoenix Coyotes |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 2 |
| Weight Lb: | 215 |
| Birth Date: | September 17, 1982 |
| Birth Place: | Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Draft: | 79th overall |
| Draft Year: | 2001 |
| Draft Team: | New York Rangers |
| Career Start: | 2002 |
| Career End: | 2012 |
Garth Robert Murray (born September 17, 1982) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, Florida Panthers and the Phoenix Coyotes.
Before being drafted, Murray played hockey in the Western Hockey League, for the Regina Pats. He was never known as a scorer (peaking at 33 goals, 63 points), but made a name for himself for his hard work and willingness to stand up for his teammates, demonstrated by three 150 PIM-exceeding seasons. The New York Rangers took a chance on him, drafting him in the third round, 79th overall, in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft.
He was a part of team Canada's silver medal team at the 2002 World Junior Hockey Championships.
He played for the New York Rangers' AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, and was briefly called up for a 20-game stint, where he scored one goal and recorded 24 PIMs. At the start of the 2005–2006 season, he was traded by the Rangers to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for left wing Marcel Hossa.
He began the 2005–2006 regular season playing in the AHL for the Hamilton Bulldogs. He played 26 games, scoring a total of one goal and one assist while racking up 46 PIMs. His perseverance eventually convinced Habs GM Bob Gainey to call Murray up to fill in for injuries, and he would stay there for the rest of the season. He scored only five goals and six points in his 36 games as a Hab, along with 44 PIMs, but impressed the team and fans by his tireless work ethic and tough-as-nails style of play. Many fans believe his success caused Niklas Sundström to be removed from the Canadiens' future plans, taking his spot on the fourth line alongside Steve Bégin and Radek Bonk. Murray began the 2006–2007 season on the Canadiens' starting line-up but eventually lost his spot to the likes of Maxim Lapierre. On November 12, 2007, Murray was placed on waivers by the Canadiens and was claimed by the Florida Panthers. On July 18, 2008, Murray was signed to a one-year contract by the Phoenix Coyotes.
On October 6, 2011, Murray was signed to a try-out contract with the St. John's IceCaps of the AHL. After establishing a role within the IceCaps to start the 2011–12 season, Murray was signed to a year-long contract on December 6, 2011.[1] In his final professional season before retirement he finished the season as the IceCaps leader in penalty minutes and was awarded as the first ever winner of the fans choice award.[2]
| Team | League | GP | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | Regina Pats | WHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1998–99 | Regina Pats | WHL | 60 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 101 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–2000 | Regina Pats | WHL | 68 | 14 | 26 | 40 | 155 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 2000–01 | Regina Pats | WHL | 72 | 28 | 16 | 44 | 183 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | ||
| 2001–02 | Regina Pats | WHL | 62 | 33 | 30 | 63 | 154 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 9 | ||
| 2001–02 | Hartford Wolf Pack | AHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 2002–03 | Hartford Wolf Pack | AHL | 64 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 121 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 2003–04 | Hartford Wolf Pack | AHL | 63 | 11 | 11 | 22 | 159 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 29 | ||
| 2003–04 | New York Rangers | NHL | 20 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Hartford Wolf Pack | AHL | 55 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 182 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 2005–06 | Hamilton Bulldogs | AHL | 26 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 36 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 44 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2006–07 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 43 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | San Antonio Rampage | AHL | 64 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 146 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Abbotsford Heat | AHL | 80 | 9 | 22 | 31 | 169 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 34 | ||
| 2010–11 | Victoria Salmon Kings | ECHL | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Manitoba Moose | AHL | 55 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 90 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 42 | ||
| 2011–12 | St. John's IceCaps | AHL | 62 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 112 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 29 | ||
| AHL totals | 473 | 55 | 78 | 133 | 1025 | 73 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 154 | ||||
| NHL totals | 116 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 131 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||