The Journey of an NHL Prospect to Youth Coach — Mike Murray Has Written the Book

The Journey of an NHL Prospect to Youth Coach — Mike Murray Has Written the Book

Mike Murray was one of those Rhode Island hockey stars during the golden era of the game in the state.

At the time when a steady flow of players made their way through Rhode Island high schools into the NHL, Murray was a player on that path.

He was drafted by the Calgary Flames in the ninth round, #188 overall in the 1990 NHL entry draft.

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Despite the talent and the pedigree, Murray did not make the proverbial show.

His numbers were gaudy. Murray set a state high school scoring record with 105 points in 24 games in 1989, including three unassisted goals in the last three minutes of a State Championship series game, which led his team to its third straight state division title. Murray was a 3-sport captain of the Cumberland Clippers' hockey, baseball, and football teams before being drafted by the Flames out of Cushing Academy.

He then starred at UMass Lowell and then played in the AHL for three years with the St. John's Flames. He ended his pro career in 2001 after a 265-point output over 3 years with the Louisiana IceGators of the ECHL.

But that was then, and this is now.

 

Now

Today, he is a dad and a coach for girls' youth hockey. He has seen the good and the bad, and wrote a book to help coaches, parents, and players.

It is titled "Finding Genius in the Average Athlete — Chasing the Goal."

“They say you have to be writing the book to someone. And I was writing it to two people. One was my daughter, who's now 16, going to be a junior at Bishop Feehan. And the other one was to 17-year-old Mike Murray, to myself, and basically saying, 'Hey, you're on the right path,'” said Murray.

“And I think showing them the process of the good and bad and the ups and downs of what you need to focus on is helpful in maybe translating that to your own kid. So it's really been a target audience,” said Murray.

The book has sold well, hitting the top in two Amazon categories.

 

Lessons

When asked about his regrets, Murray said, “It's interesting, because I write about this in the book and how I coach, I don't really have any regrets. As an athlete, I have a lot of disappointments. So, I really define the way I look at it and the way I look at it as an athlete and how I coach. Listen, you don't want to live with your regrets. So do everything possible to be the best you can be. The worst thing that will happen is that you can reach your goal and it's great, or you don't reach your goal, you did everything possible, now you're living with disappointment, that's just the fact of life.”

The book can be found at Amazon and major book retailers.

He cites his own experience of managing expectations. 

"I look back at it with more perspective, like, hey, it was really about the journey and the process, and I have to respect that and be happy with what I did," said Murray. "I think from where I went as a Division four high school hockey player in Rhode Island. In my senior high school, where I led the state in scoring, yeah, I wasn't considered one of the top 15 players in the state. I wasn't picked for the first three teams in all-state or honorable mention, and so it set me off on a kind of journey.  But later, I was the captain with a D1 team, and I was considered one of the top candidates for the Hobie Baker national player of the year.”

For Murray, his own lesson and the lesson of his book is to enjoy the journey.