The Hall of Fame career of Larry Murphy began in Los Angeles, the organization that made him the Fourth Overall Pick in 1980.

Murphy made the Kings immediately, scoring 76 Points, and was the runner-up for the Calder, as well as finishing seventh for the Norris.  He never had a higher scoring season for Los Angeles but was still a potent performer from the blueline.  He had over 60 Points in the next two seasons and might have had another, but he was traded six Games into the 1983/84 campaign to the Washington Capitals.  As a King, Murphy had 254 Points with a .86 PPG.

He went on to have three Second Team All-Star campaigns and win four Stanley Cups (two with Pittsburgh and two with Detroit). He entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004.

In Larry Murphy’s 17^th NHL Season, he was traded from the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Detroit Red Wings for its playoff run.  The Defenseman had already been a Second Team All-Star three times, and when he was with Pittsburgh, he aided them in winning their first two Stanley Cups, so the Red Wings knew they had a veteran blueline who knew how to win.

Larry Murphy played for six teams in his career in the National Hockey League, and it was with the Pittsburgh Penguins where he had his biggest batch of success.

Over the last few months, we here at Notinhalloffame.com have been so focused on other endeavors at the site, that we neglected to tell you about the continuing opportunity fro you to cast your opinion on existing Hockey Hall of Famers.

With that in mind, we here at Notinhhalloffame.com have expended greatly to allow you to vote on Hockey Hall of Fame inductees from 2002-2004.

The Players/Builders from that existing time frame include:



The 2002 Hockey Hall of Fame Class:

Bernie Federko, a longtime St. Louis Blue and two time All Star.

Clark Gillies, a four time Stanley Cup winner with the New York Islanders.

Rod Langway, a two time Norris Trophy Winner and Stanley Cup winner with the Montreal Canadians.

Roger Neilson, one of the most beloved coaches in NHL history.

The 2003 Hockey Hall of Fame Class:

Brian Kilrea, a two time Memorial Cup Champion and five time OHL Coach of the Year.

Grant Fuhr, a four time Stanley Cup Champion with the Edmonton Oilers and a one time Vezina Trophy winner.

Mike Ilitch, the owner of the Detroit Red Wings who would over Stanley Cup rings for the Original Six franchise.

Pat Lafontaine, a one time Second Team All Star and five time All Star Game participant.

The 2004 Hockey Hall of Fame Class:

Cliff Fletcher, a highly regarded executive who brought the Calgary Flames a Stanley Cup in 1989.

Larry Murphy, a four time Stanley Cup Champion and three time Second Team NHL Defencman All Star.

Paul Coffey, an offensive minded Defenceman who won four Stanley Cups and three Norris Trophies.

Ray Bourque, a five time Norris Trophy Winner and thirteen time First Team All Star. 

I think you know what we are looking for you to do!

When your time permits, take a look at this group and let us know if their Hall of Fame inductions are justified!

Although Larry Murphy is a four time Stanley Cup winner and one of only a handful of Defenceman with over 1,000 points (he actually has 1,216), he never seemed to get his due. It is not hard to understand why, as Murphy played at a time when Paul Coffey and Ray Bourque won multiple Norris Trophies and were scoring at a Bobby Orr like rate. Murphy was also a member of Cup teams where he was not considered among the top three players on the team; or at least that was the perception. What also worked against Larry Murphy was that his career was not associated with any one team, as he played for six different ones, never longer than six years.

In the 70’s and 80’s, there were a lot of good Made for TV movies, one of which starred Peter Strauss, as Larry Murphy, a convicted felon with the gift for middle distance running. Essentially, it is shown that he is good enough to make the United States Olympic team, and is even given a trial to prove it, only to have it puled right from under him. He never did get a chance to prove he could be the best, unless you count what he did against a stopwatch.

            

The Bullet Points:
TV Movie Appeared:
The Jericho Mile (1979)

Actor:
Peter Strauss

Why You Should Vote For Him:
It was a great story, and was one of the most respected TV movies of its day.

Why You Should Not Vote For Him:
Technically, we never saw him compete.