He had previously been general manager of the NHL's Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Florida Panthers, and Detroit Red Wings.

He was also the head coach for the Washington Capitals, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, and Ottawa Senators, for a total of 17 full or partial seasons.

[2] He then went into business buying a local motel,[2] and starting Murray's Sporting Goods in Shawville, later managed by his wife Geri.

[4] Murray began his coaching career with the Rockland Nationals in 1976 when the team went all the way and won the Centennial Cup of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL).

[2] He earned a good reputation as a coach and was offered a position with the Pembroke Lumber Kings, and then with the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League (WHL).

[3] From 2002 to 2004, Murray was general manager of the Mighty Ducks, and again saw his team quickly make a mark in the playoffs, reaching the Stanley Cup Finals.

[3] After a disappointing 2003–04 season with the Mighty Ducks, he surprised many by deciding to resign from the general manager post, and became the head coach of the Ottawa Senators close to his hometown.

[12] The team had been beset by injuries to key players such as captain Daniel Alfredsson[13] and star forward Jason Spezza,[14] leading to a mid-season collapse.

Murray made a flurry of trades in 2011, after the Senators had fallen out of contention, and promoted many younger players from the team's Binghamton farm club.

[16] His younger brother, Terry Murray, was head coach for the Washington Capitals, Philadelphia Flyers, Florida Panthers, and Los Angeles Kings.

[2] Murray was survived by his wife Geri (née Sutton), daughters Heide and Brittany, and granddaughters Emma and Addie.

[2] The Senators wore a decal on the side of their helmets in his memory for the 2017–18 season, a red circle, inside of which are his initials, years of birth and death, and a brief description of him as a "family man, friend, coach, and mentor.

"[21] Senators' goaltender Craig Anderson unveiled a new mask for the 2018-19 season which featured Murray's likeness on the left side with the caption "1942-2017".