CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, PA. - Almost a decade after his generous gesture, Alex Auld admits he had “forgotten” about it.
Matt Murray, on the other hand, never has.
And never will.
In becoming the early Cinderella story of these 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs, Murray, 21, has had fame thrust upon him in just a handful of days, the result of backstopping the Pittsburgh Penguins to back-to-back post-season victories at Madison Garden, one of the sport’s grandest stages.
Not only did Murray allow just one goal in the first 120 minutes of his playoff career en route to helping the Pens take a 3-1 lead in this best-of-seven first-round series, he did it in front of a star-studded crowd that included the likes of actor Liam Neeson, tennis legend John McEnroe, a number of New York Jets including the heckling Nick Mangold, and actress Susan Sarandon of Bull Durham fame.