Sutter got Murray, Donato off to good starts
CHICAGO -- The first full season as a pro for Bruins right wing Glen Murray coincided with the hiring of head coach Brian Sutter, now behind the Blackhawks bench.
It was 1992-93, and Murray was a 19-year-old prospect who had been the No. 18 selection overall by the Bruins in the NHL draft in 1991. Murray played more games in the American Hockey League (48) than he did in the NHL (27), which didn't make him happy.
Now, at age 31, Murray has a different take on it.
"It was probably good for me," said Murray. "It was early, I wasn't really ready. They sent me down to the minors and that did nothing but help me. I realized how hard it was going to be to stay in the NHL. That helped me get to where I am today. Being 19 or 20 and coming in, [Sutter] was on me and he pushed me and he always said it was going to be for the better in the long run, and he was right."
Murray admitted that, at the time, he didn't have any of that perspective.
"No, are you crazy?" he said. "You don't think [it's good] at the time. I'm sure there are guys on our team who don't understand that, either, but I'm sure it's going to help them in the long run, too."
Ted Donato is the only other current Bruin who was in Boston during Sutter's three years. Donato came in after the 1992 Olympics and had Rick Bowness for his first NHL coach as the club made it as far as the Eastern Conference championship. Bowness was let go and Sutter was hired in June 1992.
"My first full season, it was Sudsy [Sutter] and [assistant coach] Tom McVie," said Donato. "I look at it as one of the best things to happen in my career. They both played the game and knew the game very well. They were great with young guys.
"Sudsy pushed us hard and it was tough at times, but as a young guy, you got the sense that if you could suck in some of the intensity he has and some of the knowledge [you'd succeed]. He's a great guy to have as a coach because he's so intense and, to me, that's the biggest challenge of playing at this level is to bring it every night, to get yourself to that emotional high, and to be ready to play."
Donato said Sutter was very tuned in to the little things and communicated their importance to his young players.
"What I found was great was that when I broke in, I played a lot of wing and he was so knowledgeable," he said. "He would have all sorts of things that he'd let you know had worked for him. There were a lot of things I had to learn.
"One of the biggest breaks of my career was to have both Brian and Tommy McVie my first full year. I owe those guys a lot for having a career in general.
"I think it's no coincidence that a lot of guys had their best years when he was behind the bench. I saw recently that he [coached] his 1,000th game [on Feb. 1]. That's a great accomplishment."
Streak officially ends
Although it wasn't considered an active streak by the NHL because he missed a game Tuesday with the flu, Murray had points in each of his last nine games, with 10 goals and three assists. But in yesterday's 2-1 loss to the Blackhawks -- Murray's 800th career NHL game -- the streak ended . . . Bruins center Craig MacDonald had a rough afternoon in the faceoff circle, winning only two of the 11 draws he took . . . Rookie forward Patrice Bergeron, who had another strong game, led Boston in shots with four . . . The club chartered to Toronto after the game and is scheduled for a day off today. The Bruins get back to work tomorrow with a practice at the Air Canada Centre in preparation for Tuesday's showdown with the Maple Leafs. 