Murray Balfour | |
Position | Right Wing |
Shot | Right |
Height Weight |
5 ft 09 in (1.75 m) 180 lb (82 kg) |
Teams | Montreal Canadiens Boston Bruins Chicago Black Hawks |
Nationality | Canadian |
Born | August 24, 1936 Regina, Saskatchewan | ,
Died | May 30, 1965 | (aged 28),
Pro Career | 1957 – 1965 |
Murray Lewis Balfour (August 24, 1936 – May 30, 1965) was a National Hockey League right winger in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Career[]
He started out with the Regina Pats of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, then a Montreal Canadiens farm team. In 1956-57 he switched to the Ottawa-Hull Canadiens, an indepedent junior team.
Balfour played on the losing team in the Memorial Cup finals in 1955, 1956 and 1957.
He spent 1957-58 and 1958-59 with Canadiens minor pro farm teams before being traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in 1959.
Balfour was a member of the renowned "Million Dollar Line" alongside Bobby Hull and Bill Hay of the Chicago Black Hawks. In game three of the first round of the 1960–61 playoffs he scored the game winner in triple overtime against the Canadiens. The Hawks went on to win the Stanley Cup, but Balfour had to watch from the bench after crashing into the Detroit Red Wings net.
He was traded to the Boston Bruins in 1964 and complained of constant fatigue. An examination revealed a tumor in his lung, and he died soon after in 1965. During 306 games, he recorded 67 goals and 90 assists for a total of 157 points.
The City of Regina named a hockey rink in Murray Balfour's honour.