Joseph Patrick Murphy (born October 16, 1967) is a Canadian former professional hockey player who was chosen first overall in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft.
Murphy's later years were spent with the St. Louis Blues, San Jose Sharks, Boston Bruins, and Washington Capitals.
[2] The following season Murphy split time between the AHL and the NHL playing fifty games with Detroit after converting to right wing.
That spring Murphy played a key role for the Adirondack Red Wings capturing the Calder Cup to complete his breakout pro season.
Coach John Muckler put Murphy with Adam Graves and Martin Gelinas on a line dubbed the "Kid Line" (Murphy and Graves were 21 while Gelinas was just 19) where he enjoyed great success, putting up 14 points in 22 playoff games and providing solid secondary scoring for the Oilers en route to a Stanley Cup triumph over the Boston Bruins.
Murphy and Oilers General Manager Glen Sather tried to work out a new contract through the summer with no success and ultimately broke off talks in September, before training camp with the two sides $300,000 apart.
[4] With Murphy holding out, the 1992-93 season went on with him working out with the Detroit Falcons of the Colonial Hockey League and awaiting a trade that wouldn't come until February.
[4] Murphy was dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks and given a new three-year contract with an option year, joining the club for the final 19 games of the season, posting 7 goals and 17 points.
With wingers Tony Amonte and Eric Daze eclipsing him as the primary scoring wings, Chicago did not renew his contract when it expired that spring.
On July 3, 1996, Murphy signed a 3-year, $10 million deal to join the St. Louis Blues[5] but after scoring 20-goals and 45 points he fell short of the lofty expectations that came with his new contract.
The next season, he posted just four goals and 13 points in 29 games before the Blues traded him to the San Jose Sharks for defensemen Todd Gill.
However, he took a leave of absence from the team midway through the playoffs due to an undisclosed allegation which resulted in a Trespass Order issued against him by the Town of New Tecumseth, Ontario.
[14] On July 6, 2018, Murphy visited the studios of Q104 / KenoraOnline and DrydenNow to talk about his struggles with post-concussion symptoms, as well as his participation in the class action lawsuit with the NHL.
The report stated that his situation was caused by multiple concussions resulting in symptoms of frequent headaches, wild mood swings, and personality changes, including becoming an enforcer, starting to take drugs and alcohol.
[19] That same month, the CTV News television program W5 produced a segment following two reporters from sister-network The Sports Network, as they looked in on Murphy, who admitted he had been living in shelters and tents around Ontario, where much of his earnings in the NHL had once been donated to various projects.