Swedish defenseman Douglas Murray finished his NHL career with a 53-game stint with the Montreal Canadiens but he started it as a San Jose Shark as the Californian outfit drafted him in the eight round of the 1999 draft.
His first season in San Jose was in 2005-06, the year the Sharks traded with the Boston Bruins for the man who would become the face of their franchise, Joe Thornton. Last night, Jumbo Joe, saw his number go up to the rafters of the SAP Center alongside that of former teammate Patrick Marleau.
As always in jersey retirement ceremonies, former teammates were asked to talk about Thornton in a tribute video and Murray had a particularly touching story to tell. According to the former Hab, about three years into his NHL career, he was recruited by Thornton to help a family move.
When he got where he was instructed to go, Murray asked who was moving wondering if the Sharks had traded for a new player, but Thornton told him it was actually a homeless mother and her two kids who needed a place to live. In other words, Thornton and his wife Tabea had decided to find them a home and they even went as far as moving them in with the help of Murray.
The former Shark wasn’t doing it for the headlines though and he swore Murray to secrecy, a promise he broke last night in the tribute video. The defenseman was in tears as he told the story and so was the man of the hour, hearing everyone sing your praises will do that to you.
Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains
Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens’ page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens
