Editor's Note: This story was previously posted on StratfordToday.ca.
Hockey players love to use the term ‘grind’ or ‘grinding’. It’s common among guys who are third or fourth liners, as it’s usually up to them to go out and help wear down the opponent’s top lines with physical play.
Justin Murray takes pride in being tough to play against, almost making it his singular purpose when he laces up his skates. He’s not loud, and he doesn’t tower over others, but his opponents feel him out there.
Their misery makes him smile, even if it's only a fleeting moment that nobody really sees.
“I’ve got a good work ethic and I make sure I make the simple plays – whether that’s making a good first pass or other simple things like that,” he said. “I just make it hard for other teams to play against me, and when you’re continuously making those smart, simple plays and being hard to play against, guys notice that.”
Murray, a defenceman who is in his second season with the Stratford Fighting Irish, knows that it’s fun to light up the scoreboard and put up stats, but is pretty happy to have a skill that is vastly underrated.
“It’s important to play a style of game where guys know they just can’t come in and do whatever they want against you,” he said. “Sure, scoring goals is fun but playing a simplified game can get overlooked.”
One person not overlooking that aspect of Murray’s game is Irish Head Coach Jamie Petrie. While he shies away from calling his team’s captain a grinder, Petrie doesn’t blink an eye when it comes to another descriptor he’s more than happy to apply: competitive.
“His compete level is gigantic: if you put compete and skill in the same package that makes you pretty close to a complete hockey player, and I think that’s what he is,” Petrie said. “In addition to that, he’s a leader and an extension of what we as coaches want on the ice. He can be our voice, but he can also challenge us with some of his thoughts and what he can do. Having another set of eyes like his around has been fantastic.”
To grasp what makes Murray who he is, you have to take in the scope of his hockey career: he began playing high-level hockey with the London Junior Knights U16AAA team before moving on to the London Nationals as a 16-year-old; from there, he played the better part of four seasons with the Barrie Colts of the OHL (captain in the 2017-18 season) before being traded to Saginaw to close out his junior career; stops in Worcester, Bridgeport Sound and Kalamazoo rounded out his professional career.
All along the way, Murray kept it simple and played to how he was needed, and with his arrival on the Fighting Irish roster, it didn’t take long to figure out what they needed from him.
“Everyone here has a different role, but I’ve noticed that senior hockey is a bit more run-and-gun, so I have to play more of a skill game when I’m out there,” he said. “I try to model my game after what the team could use, and here I think that’s more skill depending on the game. But it all comes down to work ethic and the will to win. The skill level in this league keeps getting better.”
Petrie says that Murray plays with an enormous edge to his game but that he knows how to walk that line at both ends of the ice. And while the team has been up and down so far this season (3-3, sixth in the WOSHL division), Petrie and his coaches have put together the Irish for an extended playoff run – something he’s hoping Murray’s skill and experience (and compete level) will help with.
“The thing with him is when he keeps his feet moving, he’s just so tough to play against because he gets in your face,” he said. “And he’s disciplined, which makes him even better. He can tangle with the best of them, and when you have to run the marathon before the sprint, having guys like Justin who can bring skill and calm to the team are invaluable.”
And let’s not forget the bonus attribute that comes with having Murray on the team: Petrie thinks he’s a great recruiting example. The club recently signed Cambridge native Zach Magwood, who has played professionally in Milwaukee and over in Sweden, and Petrie credits having Murray already in Stratford as the prime reason Magwood joined the team.
“We don’t get a guy like Zach joining us without having a guy like Justin already here,” Petrie said. “Zach is a sniper who’s got pro experience, and that just shows you what kind of a calling card someone like Justin Murray is.”
While he might be the reason others are coming to Stratford, Murray has his own reasons for being here. Not only can he continue to play hockey in a fun and competitive atmosphere, but his family can be as much a part of that as they’ve ever been. Years of playing far from home meant they had to travel to see him, but a 45-minute drive is all that separates them from that now – something Murray is most happy with.
“A couple of weeks ago it was my gramma's birthday at the game, and I think I had 40 or 50 family members and friends at the game,” he said. “And Jamie and the organization do a really good job of making things fun for people to attend.”
It’s a bonus for Murray’s family to know that they’re going to see a lot of him on the ice when they do come out.
“There is no scenario where I wouldn’t feel comfortable using Justin in a game – he can kill penalties, go out and run the powerplay, or meet any other need we have,” Petrie said. “But it comes back to his compete level. He’s got that edge and can get pretty fiery, but I’ll take a guy like that over having to shove a battery up a guy’s butt to get him going. We have a lot of highly skilled guys and we can spread things out on this team, but Justin just gives us a bit of everything that we need.”
