Bryan Murray wasn’t always fond of the Florida Panthers but he sure loved to talk about the glory days of the franchise, most notably the incredible rat-fueled run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1996.
Murray was the second general manager in team history, taking over for Bobby Clarke after the inaugural season ended in 1994 and oversaw a Florida team which shocked the sports world by making it to the Finals in just its third year of existence.
“That was,” Murray said last season, “as much fun as any of us had in hockey.”
Murray, who eventually made peace with the Panthers after he and his brother Terry were fired in 2000, died on Saturday after a long bout with colon cancer.