Welcome to our series on who wore each number best for the Penguins.
The idea is being openly borrowed from our new hockey writer, Cody Tucker, and his project at the Lansing State Journal covering all the uniform numbers worn through Michigan State football history, one that’s been well received by their readers and prompted heavy discussion and debate.
Under the organization of Taylor Haase, and following the voting of a big chunk of our staff, we’ll publish one new one each day until completion, which should be right around the start of training camp.
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Name: Matt Murray
Number: 30
Position: Goaltender
Born: May 25, 1994, in Thunder Bay, Ontario
Seasons with Penguins: 2015-current
Statistics with Penguins: 111 games, 68-28-8, 2.58 GAA, .917 save percentage in regular season, 44 games, 28-15, 2.08 GAA, .923 save percentage in playoffs
WHY MURRAY?
When the Penguins selected Matt Murray in the third round of the 2012 Draft held in Pittsburgh, one thought crossed my -- and many others' -- mind: How could a goalie be 6-foot-4 and weigh just 169 pounds?
I mean, how could he carry 30 pounds or so of equipment strapped to his body, sweat out 5-10 pounds every game and still perform in perhaps the most physically and mentally demanding position in all of sports?
Well, six years later, Murray is still rail-thin, even after tacking on another nine pounds. But what we didn't know then is that Murray's greatest strength is between his ears.
Murray tracks the puck as well as any goalie in the league, relying heavily on his positioning and technique. Though not as athletic or flashy as his predecessor, Murray is extremely composed and makes the timely save. Some say he makes it look almost too easy which, of course, it isn't:
There is nothing easy about being the first goaltender in NHL history to win two Stanley Cups as a rookie or setting the record for most playoff wins by a rookie goalie (22). Yet that is exactly what Murray did in 2016 and '17, cementing his place in league history and certainly on this list.
Not only did he do that, he supplanted the wildly popular Marc-Andre Fleury as the franchise goaltender.
Murray had been 45-24-4 in parts of three seasons with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton before being recalled on Dec. 19, 2015, a week after Mike Sullivan replaced Mike Johnston as coach. He went 7-2 in his final nine starts of the regular season and then went on to post a 15-6 record with a .923 save percentage and 2.08 GAA in the playoffs as the Penguins defeated San Jose in the Cup Final:
A broken hand sustained while playing for Team North America in the World Cup of Hockey sidelined Murray for nearly the first month of the 2016-17 season but he went 12-2 upon his return. In his first full season, Murray went 32-10-4 with a .923 save percentage.
But the injury bug -- a recurring theme in his fledgling career -- bit at the start of the playoffs.
Murray went down with a lower body injury during warmups prior to Game 1 against Columbus. With Fleury back in net, the Penguins advanced to the Eastern Conference Final but with the series tied 1-1, Fleury allowed five goals on nine shots in Game 3. At the bench, a healthy and eager Murray looked to his coach:
Restored as the starter, Murray went 7-3 the rest of the way, registering a league-best .937 save percentage and 1.70 save percentage. He recorded consecutive shutouts in Games 5 and 6 vs. Nashville as the Penguins became the first team in the salary cap era to win consecutive championships. Afterward, Fleury passed the Cup -- and the proverbial torch -- to his successor:
After playing in parts of just three seasons, Murray already ranks fifth all-time in franchise history in wins and shutouts. Among Penguins goalies with at least 100 games, he is tops in both save percentage and goals-against average.
WHAT'S HE DOING NOW?
Murray, 24, is still very much the Penguins' franchise goalie. In October of 2016 he signed a three-year, $11.25 million contract extension that will keep him in Pittsburgh through at least 2019-20. Murray's third NHL season was marred by injury and tragedy. He missed three significant stretches of 2017-18 due to knee and head injuries and to a personal leave of absence following the death of his father. Murray certainly had good stretches but he was not at his best in the playoffs this spring as Pittsburgh's two-year reign came to an end in the second round against eventual Cup champion Washington.
IT WAS SPOKEN
“As a kid you grow up thinking about this stuff, getting to raise that Cup. It was a lot heavier than I thought it was, to be honest. What a moment. I’ll never forget this moment for the rest of my life, that’s for sure.” -- Murray, after winning the Stanley Cup in 2016.
"Not yet, honestly. My heart rate is still pretty high from the game. It hasn't stopped since. I'm trying to relax a bit here. I think it will start to sink in in the next few days." -- Murray, after winning his second straight Cup in 2017.
HONORABLE MENTIONS AT NO. 30
Les Binkley
J-S Aubin
Roberto Romano
ANY DEBATE?
Um, no. Before Tom Barrasso, Binkley was arguably the best goalie in franchise history but he's since been surpassed three times and there's never been a better player to wear No. 30 than Murray.
Tomorrow: Bradford has No. 31.
Yesterday: Marc-Andre Fleury
