In Red Wings Land

Former Senators GM, coach Bryan Murray dead at 74 – Sportsnet.ca

Yesterday was a sad day in the NHL as Bryan Murray died from cancer.

Murray wasn’t out of work long as he was hired by the Detroit Red Wings at the start of the 1990-91 season as head coach and general manager where he spent three seasons behind the bench. Murray led the Red Wings to the playoffs three straight seasons, but never past the second round and following the 1992-93 season was replaced by Scotty Bowman behind the bench. Murray remained in Detroit as general manager for the 1993-94 season.

After being relieved of his duties in Detroit, Murray was quickly back at work being named the Florida Panthers general manager in August 1994.

Around the NHL

NHL – Olympic FAQ: Where things stand and what’s at stake

We’ve talked about the Olympics a lot in the last few months, but there’s not too much  else, so here we go again!

What happens if a player decides to go anyway?

Ah, you’re talking about Alex Ovechkin aren’t you? The Russian superstar/Washington Capitals winger has vowed to play in the Olympics no matter what, approval be damned. Well, he probably would need approval from the Capitals’ front office, especially since he would miss nine NHL games. In February, Caps owner Ted Leonsis told NHL.com: “If Alex Ovechkin and Braden Holtby and [Niklas] Backstrom tell us, ‘We want to go play for our country,’ how am I going to say no? I might get fined, I might get punished in some way, but I feel I’m in partnership with Nick and Braden and Alex.” Last week, Ovechkin told the Russian-language Sport Express that he still wants to play but that “as far as participation in the nearest Olympics is concerned, there are no changes.”