Matt Murray Breaks His Silence After Earning His First Win Of The Season: "It's Been A Long Journey"
It's been 638 days since Matt Murray had his last game in the NHL, and after getting the win against the Sabres, the Leafs goaltender was filled with emotion.
It wasn't the smoothest win for Matt Murray, but the Maple Leafs goaltender played well enough to earn his team the win and get his first victory in 20 months.
Backed by another strong performance from his third line, Murray looked a bit shaky at times but managed to pull it together. Speaking to media afterward, the veteran netminder clearly showed a lot of emotion after securing the victory:
Matt Murray's Journey From Surgery To Success
For anyone, 638 days feels like a lifetime when said out loud. So much can happen within that timeframe it's impossible to know what each day holds.
Murray underwent a major hip surgery; an issue that had bothered him since the beginning of his career, and finally worked his way back to the Marlies last year but had a rough couple of games.
Being able to return to the Marlies with a full bill of health, though not without a logjam in the crease; Murray ended up being a steady veteran presence for Toronto's litany of young goaltenders.
After getting the victory on Friday evening, forward Max Domi handed Murray the game puck, a symbol of his perseverance and the team's understanding of how much it means for the veteran to be on the ice.
Head coach Craig Berube was also impressed and felt a lot of relief for the veteran netminder with his post-game comments:
It was a long road getting back. I talked earlier this morning about how it was a big commitment that he made to want to get back and play in the NHL. He went through a lot. I am very happy for him.
He has played a lot of games in the NHL. He has won. He was pretty calm and cool all day, I thought.
I didn't notice too much emotion or anything like that. He was pretty dialed in."
With the Maple Leafs he has been solid in an emergency role, going 14-8-2 with a 3.01 GAA and .903 SV% but has had a fantastic NHL career that often goes under the radar.
A two-time Stanley Cup winner with Pittsburgh, Murray provided the Penguins with elite goaltending from a rookie, and being one of the key reasons they won back-to-back Cups.
After leaving Pittsburgh, he ended up with the Ottawa Senators but struggled in his time there before finding his way to the Maple Leafs. For his career going into this game, he had a 146-86-24 record with a 2.79 GAA and .910 SV%.
His remarkable story coincided with another great moment in Friday's game, where John Tavares ended up recording his 600th career assist on a William Nylander empty-netter.
It's a great sign for the Maple Leafs that they can rely on Murray to keep their momentum going especially given their star goaltender is out for a few weeks.
It's been a long journey back to the ice for the veteran goalie, and it couldn't have been any sweeter.
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