Does Larry Murphy Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Larry Murphy played forever and won a bunch of Cups. But he never won a Norris and never made a 1st All Starm Team.

Does Larry Murphy Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Listen to us discuss his case here:

Larry Murphy’s Career:

• NHL: 1980-2001; 21 seasons, all quality
• Totals:
  • 288G (6th D All Time), 
  • 929A (17th All Time, 4th D) for 
  • 1217P (6th D All Time), 
  • +197 in 
  • 1615 games (11th All Time, 3rd D); 
  • 176.8 PS (14th All Time, 5th D);
  • Murphy is 8th All Time in Defensive Point Shares and 8th All Time among D in Offensive Point Shares
• Draft: Murphy, drafted 4th overall in 1980, is
  • 8th in Goals
  • 2nd in Assists
  • 4th in Points
  • 4th in Plus/Minus
  • 2nd in Point Shares
  • 1st in Games Played
• Era: Of the 7 D to play in at least 1,230 games (15 seasons) between 1980 and 2001 – only 1 of whom is not currently in the Hall of Fame – Murphy is
  • 5th in Goals and GPG
  • 3rd in Assists
• 5th in APG
  • 3rd in Points
  • 5th in PPG
  • 5th in Plus/Minus (but +113 above 6th and +253 above last)
  • 6th in Offensive Point Shares
  • 3rd in Defensive Point Shares
  • 3rd in Point Shares
• 82-game average: 15G, 48A for 62P, +10
• 3-year peak (1991-94*): 84-game average of 21G, 60A for 81P, +30; 11.2 PS [*Murphy’s 3 best seasons occurred 11 years apart]
• Playoffs:
  • 37G (6th D All Time),
  • 115A (14th All Time, 6th D) for
  • 152P (6th D),
  • +32 (24th D) in 
  • 215 Games (13th All Time, 5th D);
  • Per Game: Among D, Murphy is 
    • 17th All Time in GPG
    • 20th All Time in APG
    • 10th All Time in PPG
  • Era: Of the 79 D to play in at least 82 playoff games between 1980 and 2001, Murphy is
    • 4th in Goals
    • 14th in GPG
    • 3rd in Assists
    • 12th in APG
    • 4th in Points
    • 13th in PPG
    • 9th in Plus/Minus
    • 1st in Games
• Adjusted:
  • Hockey-Reference:
    • 257G (7th D All Time),
    • 840A (23rd All Time, 6th D) for
    • 1097P (6th D)
    • 82-game average: 13G, 43A for 56P
    • Per Game: Among D, Murphy is
      • 21st All Time in Adjusted GPG
      • 22nd All Time in Adjusted APG
    • 19th All Time in Adjusted PPG
  • VsX:
    • Goals: doesn’t qualify
    • 905A
    • 1,025A
    • Per Game: Isn’t on any leader-boards, obviously
• Trades:
  • Traded at 22 to Washington for Ken Houston (30) and Brian Engblom (28)
  • Traded at 28 with Mike Gartner (29) to Minnesota for Dino Ciccarelli (29) and Bob Rouse (23)
  • Traded at 29 with Peter Taglianetti (27) to Pittsburgh for Chris Dahlquist (nearly 28) and Jim Johnson (28)
  • Traded at 34 for Dmitri Mironov (29) a 1996 Second Rounder (nobody)
  • Traded at 36 for “Future Considerations” (Our 16th Worst Toronto Maple Leaf Trade of All Time)

Larry Murphy’s Accomplishments:

• Top 5 in Norris voting four times
• Top Player:
  • Top 5 Player (by PS) once (‘87)
  • Top 10 twice (‘93)
  • Top 5 Defenseman (by DPS) twice (‘93, ‘98)
  • Top 10 Defenseman seven times (‘84, ‘85, ‘87, ‘88, ‘99)
• Goals:
  • Single-season totals:
    • 20 goals five times (1 of only 9 D ever)
    • 15 goals seven times (1 of only 17 D ever)
• Assists:
  • Leader-boards:
    • Top 10 once
  • Single-season totals:
    • 60 assists twice (1 of only 14 D ever)
    • 50 assists seven times (1 of only 5 D ever)
    • 40 assists fourteen times (1 of only 17 players ever, 1 of only 5 D ever)
• Points:
  • Single-season totals:
    • 80 points twice (1 of only 11 D ever)
    • 70 points five times (1 of only 8 D ever)
    • 60 points eleven times (1 of only 5 D ever)
    • 50 points fourteen times (1 of only 6 D ever)
• All Star:
  • 2nd Team All Star three times
  • 3 All Star Game appearances
• VsX Peak:
  • Best 7 Seasons:
    • Goals: doesn’t qualify
    • Assists: 158th All Time
    • Points: doesn’t qualify
  • Best 10 Seasons:
    • Goals: doesn’t qualify
    • Assists: 115th All Time
    • Points: 249th All Time

Larry Murphy’s Great Teams:

• NHL:
  • Best D (led playoffs in Plus/Minus) on two Champions (‘91 Penguins, ‘97 Red Wings)
  • Best D (by points) on one Champion (‘92 Penguins)
  • Top 2 D (led playoffs in Plus/Minus) on one Champion (‘98 Red Wings)
• Canada/World Cup:
  • Top 2 D (by points) on one Champion (‘87 Canada)
  • Role Player (by points) on one Champion (‘91 Canada)
• World Championships:
  • Best D? (by points) on one Runner Up (‘85 Canada)