Murray Alexander Armstrong (January 1, 1916 – December 8, 2010) was a Canadian professional ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 centre

Centre (ice hockey)

The centre in ice hockey is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play is the middle of the ice, away from the side boards. Centres have more flexibility in their positioning and are expected to cover more ice surface than any other player...

 and NCAA hockey coach.

Playing career

Armstrong played junior hockey with the Regina Pats

Regina Pats

The Regina Pats are a junior ice hockey team that plays in the Western Hockey League. The Pats are based out of Regina, Saskatchewan and the Brandt Centre is their home arena.-History:...

 before debuting with the NHL

National Hockey League

The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

's Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

 in the 1937–38 season. Two years later he was involved in one of the biggest trades of the decade. He, Busher Jackson

Busher Jackson

Harvey "Busher" Jackson was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger and defenceman who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, and New York Americans in the National Hockey League....

, Buzz Boll, and Doc Romnes were sent to the New York Americans

New York Americans

The New York Americans were a professional ice hockey team based in New York, New York from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League and the second to play in the United States. The team never won the Stanley Cup, but reached the semifinals...

 in exchange for Sweeney Schriner

Sweeney Schriner

David "Sweeney" Schriner was a Russian-born Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played 11 seasons in the National Hockey League for the New York Americans and Toronto Maple Leafs. He was named Rookie of the Year in 1935 and was the NHL scoring leader in 1935–36 and 1936–37...

. He played three years with New York before World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, in which he went to play and coach for the Regina Army Caps. Following his army service, Armstrong was signed by Jack Adams in Detroit, but halfway through his third season he was demoted after Adams called up an 18-year old named Gordon Howe. In 270 career NHL games, Armstrong scored 67 goals and 121 assists for 188 points.

Following his retirement, Armstrong went on to coach the Regina Pats from 1950–55, and the University of Denver

University of Denver

The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....

 from 1956 to 1977, winning five NCAA Championships, in 1958, 1960, 1961, 1967 and 1968. He is considered one of the top NCAA coaches of all time.

He retired to St. Augustine, Florida

St. Augustine, Florida

St. Augustine is a city in the northeast section of Florida and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorer and admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, it is the oldest continuously occupied European-established city and port in the continental United...

, where he remained an avid golfer into his 90s.

His son Rob Armstrong is a former CBS News

CBS News

CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...

 journalist and the current Retired Professional in Residence at Flagler College

Flagler College

Flagler College, is a private four-year liberal arts college in St. Augustine, Florida, USA and celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2008.The college has been named in recent years by US News & World Report as one of the southeast region's best comprehensive liberal arts colleges, and is included on...

.

Awards and achievements

• EAHL Second All-Star Team (1936)
• Herman W. Paterson Cup (USHL - MVP) (1947)
• Lester Patrick Trophy
  Lester Patrick Trophy
  The Lester Patrick Trophy has been presented by the National Hockey League and USA Hockey since 1966 to honor a recipient's contribution to ice hockey in the United States. It is considered a non-NHL trophy because it may be awarded to players, coaches, officials, and other personnel outside the NHL...
  
   (1977)
• Hobey Baker Legends of College Hockey Award
  Hobey Baker Legends of College Hockey Award
  The Hobey Baker Legends of College Hockey Award is an annual award presented by the Hobey Baker Memorial Award Committee to honor "one of the all-time great contributors to the game of college hockey."...
  
   (1984)

External links