Murray Oliver

Murray Clifford Oliver (November 14, 1937 – November 23, 2014) was a Canadian ice hockey centre, coach, and scout.

Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)

Weight 165 lb (75 kg; 11 st 11 lb)

Position Centre Shot Lef

Played for

Boston Bruins
Detroit Red Wings
Minnesota North Stars
Toronto Maple Leafs

Playing career1958–1975

Playing career

Oliver grew up in Hamilton and played junior hockey with the Hamilton Tiger Cubs of the Ontario Hockey Association. After scoring 90 points in 52 games as a 20 year old, he signed a professional contract and was assigned to the Edmonton Flyers, a Detroit Red Wings affiliate. As an NHL rookie during the 1959-60 season, he scored 20 goals. However, Detroit was loaded at the centre position, which made Oliver expendable. He was traded to the Boston Bruins part way through the next season.[1]

Oliver played for the Bruins until 1967. While in Boston, Oliver centered the B.O.W. line with wingers Johnny Bucyk & Tommy Williams, where he starred as a crafty stickhandler and patient playmaker. He put up a NHL career high 68 points in 1964, despite knee surgery the prior season.[2] He was traded in 1967 to the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he centered a line for three years with Bob Pulford and Ron Ellis.[3]

Oliver was traded in 1970 to the Minnesota North Stars and he played five seasons with this club. He scored a NHL career high 27 goals in 1971-72. In 1975, after a bitter contract dispute with Stars management, he retired. In 18 seasons, he played 1127 regular season games and scored 274 goals with 454 assists for a total of 728 points. He was anNHL All-Star five times. After retiring he was hired by former teammateLou Nanne as Minnesota's assistant coach. He worked with the club until the 1985–86 NHL season, with 37 games as head coach. He was as a scout with the Vancouver Canucks and later took over as the club's director of pro scouting. On November 23, 2014 he died of a heart attack at the age of 77.