Don Murdoch

Don Murdoch (born October 25, 1956 in Cranbrook, British Columbia) is a retired former professional player who recorded one of the most impressive rookie seasons in NHL history. After a standout junior career with the Medicine Hat Tigers, Murdoch made the New York Rangers as a 20-year-old and immediately set the league on fire, scoring 56 points in 59 games his rookie season. A torn Achilles tendon ended his season in February, with some observers thinking he could have broken the rookie scoring record had he not been injured.

In the offseason in 1977 after his first season, Murdoch was caught by customs agents in Toronto with 4.5 grams of cocaine stashed in his socks. He was suspended by the league and later admitted to having a drinking and drug problem. He played 320 career games in the NHL but never regained the form of his first season, and retired after stops with the Edmonton Oilers and Detroit Red Wings. Murdoch had a reputation as a partier since his rookie year, and was once even romantically linked with Margaret Trudeau.

After his playing career, Murdoch worked as a scout for the Tampa Bay Lightning, under general manager Phil Esposito.