Joe Murphy Homeless

[bob_sauve28]

I think I remember him scoring the last goal of the 1990 playoffs! 

 

 

https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/blackhawks/finding-joe-murphy-former-blackhawk-and-no-1-overall-pick-homeless

 

Joe Murphy is a former No. 1 overall pick, two-time 30-goal scorer and Stanley Cup champion. He's also now homeless living on the streets of Northern Ontario, which TSN revealed in a recent documentary titled, 'Finding Murph.'

He spent 15 seasons in the NHL, four of which were with the Blackhawks from 1992-96, and helped the Edmonton Oilers win a title in 1990. But the following season in 1991, Murphy's life began to change after taking a violent body check along the boards from Detroit Red Wings forward Shawn Burr.

"I do remember that he got hit very hard, to the point that I hadn't seen him have a reaction like this before," Murphy's ex-wife Julie said.

"Yeah, I definitely noticed changes," Murphy's sister Cathy said. "He was starting to do erratic things."

[jsb]

Sad story, life can be so precarious, someone you think is pretty strange or the opposite has everything going their way and some unexpected event happens and the strange becomes very successful and those who seemingly have it made, fall so far. You just never know and it makes you appreciate your blessings the older you become.

Edited August 24, 2018 by jsb

[Weave]

Stories like these lead me to support taking much of the violence outof the game.  I cringe at some of the hits/fights I cheered for in the past.

These guys are human.  I’m not interested in viewing them as gladiators any more.

[darksabre]

16 minutes ago, Weave said:

Stories like these lead me to support taking much of the violence outof the game.  I cringe at some of the hits/fights I cheered for in the past.

These guys are human.  I’m not interested in viewing them as gladiators any more.

Same. 

I watch enough women's hockey to know that I would be able to enjoy NHL hockey without all the big hits and fights. I'd rather see talented players have long careers and healthy lives.

Body checking for the purpose of dislodging a player from the puck does not have to be as violent as we've allowed it to be.  

I know I wouldn't cheer the Umberger hit nowadays. 

[Eleven]

1 minute ago, darksabre said:

Same. 

I watch enough women's hockey to know that I would be able to enjoy NHL hockey without all the big hits and fights. I'd rather see talented players have long careers and healthy lives.

Body checking for the purpose of dislodging a player from the puck does not have to be as violent as we've allowed it to be.  

I know I wouldn't cheer the Umberger hit nowadays. 

I wouldn't want Peca on the team nowadays.

Anyway, I'm not sure that Murphy's situation is entirely related to CTE.  But I hope he gets help regardless.

[sabills]

This reminds me all too much of Graham's story(/stories) about Bjorn Nitmo.

[LTS]

1 hour ago, Weave said:

Stories like these lead me to support taking much of the violence outof the game.  I cringe at some of the hits/fights I cheered for in the past.

These guys are human.  I’m not interested in viewing them as gladiators any more.

I think the league is subtly moving that way.  Players realize the precarious balance of their heads.  The hits are still there but they tend to me lessening in frequency (eye test).  There are still some huge hits as well.

That said, it's a game that allows contact and there is going to be contact and at times it will be violent and unavoidable.  If you play a game at a high enough pace at some point you are going to find yourself in an unavoidable collision.

I don't really like fighting, but I don't like players being disrespectful turd-blossoms either. 

Even in the leagues I play in, non-checking, I've taken some big hits.  It's a matter of two people needing to be in the same place at the same time.  Incidental contact and boom.  It's definitely not the same as laying a hip into someone or running a player along the boards though.

[Randall Flagg]

2 hours ago, Weave said:

Stories like these lead me to support taking much of the violence outof the game.  I cringe at some of the hits/fights I cheered for in the past.

These guys are human.  I’m not interested in viewing them as gladiators any more.

 

1 hour ago, darksabre said:

Same. 

I watch enough women's hockey to know that I would be able to enjoy NHL hockey without all the big hits and fights. I'd rather see talented players have long careers and healthy lives.

Body checking for the purpose of dislodging a player from the puck does not have to be as violent as we've allowed it to be.  

I know I wouldn't cheer the Umberger hit nowadays. 

I used to love those "HOCKEYZ BIGGEST HITZ" videos that would pop up, but like you guys, it's just painful to watch them now. The league has less of those hits than anytime in my fanhood so far, and I don't remember enjoying the product more than I do right now (Sabres notwithstanding)

And there are still perfectly legal and perfectly fine checks that will be allowed and keep the game physical - but minimizing the ones that make Toews unable to stand up (it's stomach-churning to watch that video) is just more ethical quite frankly 

[mphs mike]

3 hours ago, Weave said:

Stories like these lead me to support taking much of the violence outof the game.  I cringe at some of the hits/fights I cheered for in the past.

These guys are human.  I’m not interested in viewing them as gladiators any more.

Like many others, I agree.

This is one reason that for years I have enjoyed Euro hockey on the larger ice surface. 

[Neo]

I grew up and found hockey with The Big Bad Bruins and The Broad Street Bullies.  I chanted “We want Ray” wearing a suit in a suite.  The combination of athleticism and menace made hockey overwhelmingly my favorite sport before I found the same combination in lacrosse.  I viewed each game as a contest, but also as a passion play of good and evil, justice and just desserts.

As fighting diminished, I attributed it to marketing wizards looking to broaden the game’s appeal.  I lamented and mumbled things like “shooting themselves in the foot, not understanding the essence”, etc.  No one called me a dinosaur, but I recognized myself in others being so labeled.  No matter, it was the label that was incorrect in my mind.  There was no profit in arguing with someone who’d not watched Keith Magnuson and Wayne Cashman go at it.  “They just don’t understand.”  I wondered if I’d survive the tedium of 80 game seasons, in a low scoring era, without the menace and edge of your seat moments fighting provided.  I remembered the BACK TO BACK nights with the Bruins.  Anticipation and time to send a message.  “We’ve got Hartman and Shoebottom exchanging glances!”  I educated my kids and referenced The Code, the Order of Chivalry and Jung’s Collective Unconscious.  “It’s all on display, in two and a half hours, if you look.”  I have four kids; two boys and two girls.  My GIRLS’ first jerseys were Ray and Kaleta!

Life provides perspective.  I watched my heroes deteriorate.  I am no longer a kid watching adults.  Instead, I am an adult watching kids.  That lens change is significant.  I wanted Playfair to fight my battles against rivals.  I wanted to BE Maguire.  After becoming an adult, loving kids, and learning, I’ve come to a new place.  I can’t abide watching today’s kids take risks for my entertainment.

Edited August 24, 2018 by Neo

[erickompositör72]

I remember watching the Umberger hit in my college dorm lounge, with the only other guy from Buffalo and a few casual hockey fans. We all lost our minds- we thought it was the greatest thing ever.

I showed the replay to my wife (who works in the ER) not long ago, and her response was basically "your sport allows this?!" Shes watches hockey with me, but I realized how much less of this we see today. And I'm glad- speed and skill is watch attracted me to the game, and I never really enjoyed the fights.

Times have changed, and I'm glad that hockey can evolve this way with much less fear about "ruining the game" than, say, the NFL...

Edited August 24, 2018 by erickompositör72

[mphs mike]

21 minutes ago, Neo said:

I grew up and found hockey with The Big Bad Bruins and The Broad Street Bullies.  I chanted “We want Ray” wearing a suit in a suite.  The combination of athleticism and menace made hockey overwhelmingly my favorite sport before I found the same combination in lacrosse.  I viewed each game as a contest, but also as a passion play of good and evil, justice and just desserts.

As fighting diminished, I attributed it to marketing wizards looking to broaden the game’s appeal.  I lamented and mumbled things like “shooting themselves in the foot, not understanding the essence”, etc.  No one called me a dinosaur, but I recognized myself in others being so labeled.  No matter, it was the label that was incorrect in my mind.  There was no profit in arguing with someone who’d not watched Keith Magnuson and Wayne Cashman go at it.  “They just don’t understand.”  I wondered if I’d survive the tedium of 80 game seasons, in a low scoring era, without the menace and edge of your seat moments fighting provided.  I remembered the BACK TO BACK nights with the Bruins.  Anticipation and time to send a message.  “We’ve got Hartman and Shoebottom exchanging glances!”  I educated my kids and referenced The Code, the Order of Chivalry and Jung’s Collective Unconscious.  “It’s all on display, in two and a half hours, if you look.”  I have four kids; two boys and two girls.  My GIRLS’ first jerseys were Ray and Kaleta!

Life provides perspective.  I watched my heroes deteriorate.  I am no longer a kid watching adults.  Instead, I am an adult watching kids.  That lens change is significant.  I wanted Playfair to fight my battles against rivals.  I wanted to BE Maguire.  After becoming an adult, loving kids, and learning, I’ve come to a new place.  I can’t abide watching today’s kids take risks for my entertainment.

Made me a little wistful for Schoeny v. Orr, Cashman, and Vadnais but, alas, I'm older now

[Neo]

Oh, what a night that was!  A guilty pleasure, I’m afraid, that costs too much ... now that I see both sides of the ledger.

[BagBoy]

4 hours ago, Let's Go B-Lo said:

Peca?  That was Brian Campbell of all people.

The Umberger hit was Brian Campbell, but I think Eleven is referring to head hunting/big hit tendencies that Peca was definitely known for. 

[Taro T]

5 minutes ago, BagBoy said:

The Umberger hit was Brian Campbell, but I think Eleven is referring to head hunting/big hit tendencies that Peca was definitely known for. 

Yep.  Stuff like the hit on Ohlund.

[pi2000]

I understand the sympathy for Murphy, but there are plenty of former NHL players who took lots of hits and didn't end up homeless druggies.   Murphy's appearance suggests he's a meth addict.   That's unfortunate but that's on him, not the league.    He made some bad decisions and put himself in this situation.... which is terrible.

[MattPie]

14 hours ago, Let's Go B-Lo said:

Peca?  That was Brian Campbell of all people.

I think he knows. However, Peca made a career out of what would be considered questionable hits these days. I think Kaleta watched a lot of Peca growing up and modeled his game after him.

[grinreaper]

Injury aside, he played 15 years in the NHL. That should have been enough to financially set him up for life. At the end of his career when he was showing signs of problems, where were the people like his agent, family or friends to help him keep his assets? If he blew his wad after retiring that's unfortunate that others didn't step in and help him protect himself, if he didn't have a wad to blow that's not only unfortunate but idiotic.

[Eleven]

9 hours ago, BagBoy said:

The Umberger hit was Brian Campbell, but I think Eleven is referring to head hunting/big hit tendencies that Peca was definitely known for. 

Yep, thanks.

9 hours ago, Taro T said:

Yep.  Stuff like the hit on Ohlund.

Stuff like his whole career.  We called him "Captain Crunch" for a reason. We loved watching those hits. We didn't know better; he probably didn't, either.

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, Eleven said:

Yep, thanks.

Stuff like his whole career.  We called him "Captain Crunch" for a reason. We loved watching those hits. We didn't know better; he probably didn't, either.

The Ohlund hit was a microcosm of his whole career.  That was the hit he threw every single time.  He just mistimed that one slightly.

And, yeah, though he was considered "hard nosed" when he played; his style would be labelled dirty today.

 

[stinky finger]

22 hours ago, Neo said:

I grew up and found hockey with The Big Bad Bruins and The Broad Street Bullies.  I chanted “We want Ray” wearing a suit in a suite.  The combination of athleticism and menace made hockey overwhelmingly my favorite sport before I found the same combination in lacrosse.  I viewed each game as a contest, but also as a passion play of good and evil, justice and just desserts.

As fighting diminished, I attributed it to marketing wizards looking to broaden the game’s appeal.  I lamented and mumbled things like “shooting themselves in the foot, not understanding the essence”, etc.  No one called me a dinosaur, but I recognized myself in others being so labeled.  No matter, it was the label that was incorrect in my mind.  There was no profit in arguing with someone who’d not watched Keith Magnuson and Wayne Cashman go at it.  “They just don’t understand.”  I wondered if I’d survive the tedium of 80 game seasons, in a low scoring era, without the menace and edge of your seat moments fighting provided.  I remembered the BACK TO BACK nights with the Bruins.  Anticipation and time to send a message.  “We’ve got Hartman and Shoebottom exchanging glances!”  I educated my kids and referenced The Code, the Order of Chivalry and Jung’s Collective Unconscious.  “It’s all on display, in two and a half hours, if you look.”  I have four kids; two boys and two girls.  My GIRLS’ first jerseys were Ray and Kaleta!

Life provides perspective.  I watched my heroes deteriorate.  I am no longer a kid watching adults.  Instead, I am an adult watching kids.  That lens change is significant.  I wanted Playfair to fight my battles against rivals.  I wanted to BE Maguire.  After becoming an adult, loving kids, and learning, I’ve come to a new place.  I can’t abide watching today’s kids take risks for my entertainment.

well said

[SwampD]

I love big, legal hits. I love physical hockey WAY more than the bag skates we've been seeing lately.

Fighting,… meh,… except when it's great.

Sorry for Joe, but I'm not willing to change the rules because of the exception.

[bob_sauve28]

So was that hit on Pominville by Hjalmarsson legal? I thought he hit him hard but legally. Still got two games 

 

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/489704-hjalmarssons-hit-on-pominville-physical-or-dirty

[SwampD]

1 hour ago, bob_sauve28 said:

So was that hit on Pominville by Hjalmarsson legal? I thought he hit him hard but legally. Still got two games 

 

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/489704-hjalmarssons-hit-on-pominville-physical-or-dirty

It was dirty. I remember that and the camera angle shown there is a crock. It's the one single angle where it looks legal. If you can find the angle from up above you can see clearly that it was a hit from behind.

[SwampD]

Here's the one you want.

:10