Dana Murzyn

Dana Murzyn (born December 9, 1966) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman. Drafted out of the Western Hockey League (WHL), he was selected fifth overall by the Hartford Whalers in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. During his fourteen-year NHL career, Murzyn also played for the Calgary Flames, winning a Stanley Cup with the club in 1989, and the Vancouver Canucks, where he spent the majority of his career.

Playing career
Murzyn played major junior in the WHL with the Calgary Wranglers for two seasons. After a 31-point rookie campaign in 1983–84, he enjoyed a highly prolific second year with the Wranglers recording 32 goals and 92 points to lead all team defencemen in scoring. Named to the WHL West First All-Star Team, Murzyn headed into the 1985 NHL Entry Draft as a top prospect and was selected fifth overall by the Hartford Whalers.

Making the jump from junior to the NHL in 1985–86, Murzyn recorded 3 goals and 26 points in his rookie season to be named to the NHL All-Rookie Team. The following season, he tallied 9 goals and 28 points, which would remain personal bests for Murzyn throughout his NHL career. A prolific scorer in junior, Murzyn established himself as primarily a stay-at-home defender in the NHL, noted for his strength in dealing with opposing forwards in front of the net and in the corners.

After two and a half seasons in Hartford, he was dealt to his hometown Calgary Flames midway through the 1987–88 season season on January 3, 1988, along with [[Shane Churla for Neil Sheehy, Carey Wilson and the rights to Lane MacDonald. The following season, his first full campaign with the Flames, represented the highlight of his career, as he helped Calgary to a Stanley Cup championship in 1989, defeating the Montreal Canadiens in six games.

Murzyn remained with the Flames for nearly two more seasons before being dealt to the Vancouver Canucks at the trade deadline on March 5, 1991, for Ron Stern and Kevan Guy. Joining Vancouver, where he ultimately finished his career, became a key contributor on the up-and-coming squad, forming an enduring partnership with the offensive Jyrki Lumme as the team's top defensive pairing. In his third full season with Vancouver, the Canucks made it to the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals, where they were defeated in seven games by the New York Rangers. Murzyn was unable to compete in what would have been his second Stanley Cup Finals, as he was injured in the opening round against his former team, the Flames, and was replaced by Brian Glynn.

Following the lockout-shortened 1994–95 season, the remainder of Murzyn's career was hampered by a string of knee injuries, eroding his mobility, which was already noted as one of his weaknesses. Murzyn spent the majority of the 1997–98 season in recovery after suffering a knee injury on December 27, 1997, in a game against the Dallas Stars. The following season, Murzyn split the campaign between the Canucks and their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch before finishing his fourteen-year NHL career by announcing his retirement in 1999 at the age of 32.

Career statistics
--- Regular Season ---  Playoffs Season  Team                        Lge    GP    G    A  Pts  PIM  GP   G   A Pts PIM -- 1982-83 Calgary Wranglers           WHL     3    1    0    1   18  10   0   3   3  31 1983-84 Calgary Wranglers           WHL    65   11   20   31  135   2   0   0   0  10 1984-85 Calgary Wranglers           WHL    72   32   60   92  233   8   1  11  12  16 1985-86 Hartford Whalers            NHL    78    3   23   26  125   4   0   0   0  10 1986-87 Hartford Whalers            NHL    74    9   19   28   95   6   2   1   3  29 1987-88 Calgary Flames              NHL    41    6    5   11   94   5   2   0   2  13 1987-88 Hartford Whalers            NHL    33    1    6    7   45  --  --  --  --  -- 1988-89 Calgary Flames              NHL    63    3   19   22  142  21   0   3   3  20 1989-90 Calgary Flames              NHL    78    7   13   20  140   6   2   2   4   2 1990-91 Vancouver Canucks           NHL    10    1    0    1    8   6   0   1   1   8 1990-91 Calgary Flames              NHL    19    0    2    2   30  --  --  --  --  -- 1991-92 Vancouver Canucks           NHL    70    3   11   14  147   1   0   0   0  15 1992-93 Vancouver Canucks           NHL    79    5   11   16  196  12   3   2   5  18 1993-94 Vancouver Canucks           NHL    80    6   14   20  109   7   0   0   0   4 1994-95 Vancouver Canucks           NHL    40    0    8    8  129   8   0   1   1  22 1995-96 Vancouver Canucks           NHL    69    2   10   12  130   6   0   0   0  25 1996-97 Vancouver Canucks           NHL    61    1    7    8  118  --  --  --  --  -- 1997-98 Vancouver Canucks           NHL    31    5    2    7   42  --  --  --  --  -- 1998-99 Vancouver Canucks           NHL    12    0    2    2   21  --  --  --  --  -- 1998-99 Syracuse Crunch             AHL    20    2    4    6   37  --  --  --  --  -- --        NHL Totals                        838   52  152  204 1571  82   9  10  19 166

Awards

 * Named to the WHL West First All-Star Team in 1985.
 * Named to the NHL All-Rookie Team in 1986.
 * Won a Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames in 1989.