As part of the build up to the Village of Edgerton’s Centennial Homecoming, the community would like to share some of its history, current events and details on how we plan to celebrate 100 years.
Murray Murdoch was born in Ontario in 1904, but came to be one of Edgerton’s proudest sons.
Murray was raised in the community, attending Edgerton School, joining the Scouts and learning to play hockey on our frozen ponds along the way.
While playing hockey and studying mathematics at the University of Manitoba, Murray was spotted by Conn Smythe, architect of the original New York Rangers.
Murdoch was one of Smythe’s first signings and would go on to score 84 goals and 108 assists on the left wing for the Rangers, 1926-1937.
Murdoch played 508 regular season games for the Rangers and 55 playoff games, consecutively.
In 11 seasons, and in an era where protective equipment was frowned upon, Murray did not miss a single game.
For this accomplishment he is known as hockey’s original Iron Man.
After his retirement from playing, Murdoch stayed heavily involved in hockey as head coach of Yale University’s team from 1936-1965, achieving a winning record during this amazing tenure.
“Iron Man” Murdoch was honoured through his life with two Stanley Cup championships (1928, 1933), two Ivy League titles (1940, 1952), the Lester Patrick Trophy (1974) for service to hockey in the United States and in 1972 Yale created the Murray Murdoch Award to celebrate the school’s annual hockey Most Valuable Player (MVP).
Murray is an honoured member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame, received the Hobey Baker award for Legends of College Hockey in 1987, and is ranked as the 39th greatest New York Ranger of all time.
His toughness, or stubbornness, was evident off the ice and off the bench.
At his death in 2001 Murdoch was nearly 97 years old, making him the oldest NHL player ever.
Despite the bright lights of New York and the hallowed halls of Yale, Murray always remembered Edgerton. He always referred to the community as his home, no doubt puzzling his teammates and pupils as to what or where exactly an Edgerton is.
He established two Trusts with the Edgerton Cemetery: one for the care of the Murdoch family plot, and the other was included in his Will for the upkeep and recognition of plots containing those less fortunate.
A Murray Murdoch Memorial Bench was recently installed to further commemorate the man and his contributions.
The Village proudly considers Murray its son and has included him in the ‘Walk of Fame’ feature for the Centennial Homecoming, where visitors can visit Murray’s community and view his childhood home.
Edgerton’s local history book, The Winds of Change, has a passage describing how Murdoch “carried the fame of Edgerton into big league circles of Canada’s national sport,” celebrating what he meant to Edgerton at the time and how we choose to remember Murray.
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