Presented by Chevrolet
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By Kenneth Wong
2003 was a great year for Glen Murray. It was the year he earned a spot in the NHL All-Star Game, as well as his greatest offensive season, scoring 92 points on 44 goals and 48 assists for the Boston Bruins. But, most importantly, 2003 was also the year his son was born.
Although Parker Murray may have been too young to remember most of the games, his father having retired in 2008 after a 16-year career when Parker was five years old, his fondest and earliest memories were on the ice.
“His 1,000th game, my whole family was on the ice,” said Parker. “Those kinds of pictures really bring back memories, and honestly, it was really fun to be a part of my family.”
Glen remembers the first time Parker stepped on the ice was during a breakaway drill in 2007 at Bruins practice. Tuukka Rask was goalkeeper at the time. Glen fondly remembers Parker taking shots on the future all-star goalie.
“I’m not sure if he remembers that, but I remind him about it,” said Glen, “It was great to have him come to the rink, going to get hockey tape, messing around with sticks, and talking to the guys and stuff.”
While Glen was born in Halifax, N.S. and raised in nearby Bridgewater, Parker was born in Manhattan Beach, Calif. and came up in the Los Angeles Junior Kings system.
“I was in age group where we had a lot of very, very good hockey players so we were always pretty successful around the country which made it a lot more fun,” said Parker. “Having my dad as a coach, always having him by my side, also helped me a lot growing up.”
Parker started his last season with the Oakville Blades of the Ontario Junior Hockey League, but was acquired by Wenatchee mid-season. He described the transition as being smooth as he already knew a couple of guys on the team.
“For me, it was it was more of an adjustment just coming in midseason learning all the new systems and the way we play,” he said. “But, it was a great choice for me to be able to come out to Wenatchee. It really helped me progress my future in hockey.”
Glen, who joined the Los Angeles Kings front office after his playing career, has been on the player development side of things for the NHL club since 2012. He describes his son as a good winger with good hockey sense and a wicked wrist shot.
That shot has been on full display in Wenatchee’s first round playoff series against the Cranbrook Bucks, as Parker scored four goals in Game 3, including the overtime winner, to give his team a 2-1 series advantage.
After his time in the BCHL comes to an end, Parker hopes to attend an NCAA Division I program that will allow him to become the player he wants to be.
“I’m looking at a school that believes in me and believes in my talent,” he said. “I want a school that will give me an opportunity to be able to be me and not transform me into someone else.”
Until then, Parker is focused on the task at hand in the BCHL postseason.
“We have a ton of skill, but most of our game comes from being a team that no one wants to play. For us, we need to stick to our game plan every single night and hopefully that helps in the playoffs.”
