Murray Craven | |||
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Born |
Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada |
July 20, 1964 ||
Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | ||
Position | Centre | ||
Shot | Left | ||
Played for |
Detroit Red Wings Philadelphia Flyers Hartford Whalers Vancouver Canucks Chicago Blackhawks San Jose Sharks |
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National team |
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NHL Draft | 17th overall, 1982 Detroit Red Wings |
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Playing career | 1982–2000 |
Murray Dean Craven (born July 20, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League between 1982–83 and 1999–2000.
Craven played his junior hockey with his hometown Medicine Hat Tigers, and his success there saw him selected by the Detroit Red Wings with their first-round pick (17th overall) in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft. He proceeded to make the Wings' NHL squad out of training camp at age 18, and recorded 4 goals and 11 points in 31 games before being returned to Medicine Hat. He would see 15 more games of NHL action in 1983–84, again splitting the year between Detroit and Medicine Hat. By this time he was dominating the WHL, recording 94 points in just 46 games.
On the eve of the 1984–85 season, Craven was dealt to the Philadelphia Flyers as the centrepiece of a deal for aging superstar Darryl Sittler. The deal proved to be an absolute heist for Philadelphia, as Sittler struggled through one final season before retiring while Craven stepped straight into the Flyers' lineup as one of their top forwards. In his first full season, Craven finished 5th in team scoring with 61 points and added 10 more points in the playoffs helping lead the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost to the Edmonton Oilers.
Craven would spend 7+ successful seasons in Philadelphia, establishing himself as a top-notch two-way forward. He again helped the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1987, although he missed a large portion of the playoffs that year with a broken foot. In 1987–88, Craven had one of his finest seasons, reaching the 30-goal plateau for the only time in his career and leading the Flyers with 76 points. After an injury-plagued 1988–89 season, Craven recorded his first 50-assist campaign in 1989–90.