BUFFALO, N.Y. — Matt Murray looked up at the scoreboard above his head, counted the seconds ticking away, and finally pumped his fist.
It’s been 638 days since Murray last felt this feeling.
Bilateral hip surgery forced the Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender to sit out the entire 2023-24 season, the final season of his four-year deal. There’s no guarantee the oft-injured Murray will play in the NHL again. A one-year deal offers him a lifeline, allowing him to continue to stay out of the AHL spotlight and score just one goal.
A year and a half later, Murray finally returned to the NHL championship after taking 24 shots in a 6-3 win over the Buffalo Sabers.
“A long road. A big mountain to climb. But on those days when it feels hard, I hold this moment in my heart.
After the game, the 30-year-old’s eyes became redder with every word he spoke. His voice trembled.
“A big release,” he said, struggling to find the right words to reflect on nearly two years away from the NHL. “Emotional.”
The typical hugs between goalkeepers and teammates after a win are tighter and longer. In a physical game where players’ careers can change in a flash, Murray’s return resonated far beyond the two points the Maple Leafs also scored on the day.
“It’s nice to see (Murray) smile,” Steven Lorenz said, “because you know he’s back doing what he loves.”
In the locker room, Max Domi immediately handed Murray the team’s WWE-style wrestling belt as Man of the Match. Murray’s ups and downs are secondary.
“He got that, 100 percent, he deserved it,” Domi said. “It’s been a long road to recovery to be able to hold on mentally during those days when I’m sure he had a lot of questions. We’re all super proud of him.
It’s easy to quantify how long Murray’s road back to the NHL will take: 628 days between his last two appearances.
It’s much harder to accurately describe how difficult the road has been.
After winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in his first two seasons in the NHL with the Pittsburgh Penguins, injuries have plagued Murray throughout his career. From 2018 to 2022, his games gradually decreased each season. There is reason to wonder whether hip surgery will be the final nail in the coffin for his NHL career.
But during his recovery last season, Murray would still spend time with his teammates at the Maple Leafs’ training ground, feeling so close yet so far away from the league he once conquered.
“The fact that he just came back here speaks volumes about his character and his dedication to the game,” Lorenz said.
Murray keeps a stall full of gear at that facility, which is never used. It’s an important and humane move by the Maple Leafs organization, but it’s still a reminder that Murray isn’t playing in the NHL.
Even after re-signing with the Maple Leafs on a one-year, $875,000 deal, he still feels like the organization’s No. 4 goaltender. When the Maple Leafs needed a netminder to replace the injured Anthony Stolarz, they called up Dennis Hilderby. The lanky Hield is seven years younger than Murray.
How could Murray not wonder if he would return to the NHL?
“There were definitely times when it felt really difficult,” Murray said. “But every time I feel like this, I’m surrounded by a great group of people. That’s the only reason I’m here.
All Murray could do was stay out of the public eye and wait silently for his return on Friday night.
“Emotions were high today,” Murray said.
These emotions may be at their highest before a game. Typically stoic, Murray allowed himself to pause and appreciate how far he had come.
“During warm-ups and the national anthem, I was able to take a moment to look around and appreciate this long journey and think of all the people who helped me get here,” Murray said.
The game reminded onlookers of the fragility of an NHL career. In just a few years, Murray went from Stanley Cup champion to basically eliminated from the NHL, and it all basically happened before he turned 30.
“You feel for a guy like that because he works so hard and he wants it so bad,” Lorenz said. “We all support him.”
Matt Murray saved 24 shots in a 6-3 win over the Sabres, earning his first NHL victory in 638 days. (Timothy T. Ludwig/Imagn Images)
Murray has performed well since his return. He swallowed most of the 27 shots the Sabers threw at him and looked every bit the veteran he is. Murray had two goals recalled following a video review. His huge save on Sabers forward Alex Tuch was a reminder that he’s also now fully healthy and can provide athleticism.
These are qualities Maple Leafs fans may have forgotten. But for Murray’s Maple Leafs teammates, those qualities remain paramount.
“I haven’t forgotten what he accomplished in this league during his career,” said Maple Leafs forward Max Pacioretty, who himself is no stranger to career-threatening injuries. “It’s almost hard to remember what you did and what you accomplished because it seems like all the noise is in the moment, whether it’s an injury or something recent.”
Maybe a Maple Leafs victory could have been predicted in advance. Of course, they face a shaky Sabers team that has now lost 12 games in a row. They were buoyed by an upstart, white-hot roster featuring Max Domi, Bobby McMann and Nick Robertson. They were the third line in name only: the trio combined for three goals and six points against the Sabers.
But opponents shouldn’t denigrate Murray and the Buffalo Maple Leafs’ top priorities. They hope that the player who has done everything he can will return to the NHL. You don’t have to squint to see defenders like Jake McCabe throwing the Saber out of Murray’s crease with a little extra enthusiasm.
“It gives you some motivation to work harder because you know (Murray) has worked extra hard just to get back to this position, to get back to where he is right,” Lorenz said. “He didn’t come back to this halfway, he expected to be here. The surgeries and injuries he went through can hinder your career for a long time. You may never get back to where you were.
But Murray is trying to get back to the Matt Murray he once was. When the Maple Leafs travel up the QEW back to Toronto, their need for Murray won’t end.
Stolarz could return from his knee injury as early as mid-to-late January. Hilderby doesn’t have full confidence in the Maple Leafs organization at the moment, as he lost some soft ball in his recent call-up against the Sabers at home, coupled with a subpar AHL season so far. He will likely be an NHL player, but he has room to grow and become more confident in his game.
But Murray has something the other Maple Leafs goalies don’t: experience. That’s important for Brad Treliving and Craig Berube: Both take the game seriously and lean on veterans whenever possible.
They’re going to lean on Murray because of everything he’s done and been through in his career.
This career looked very different after Friday night.
“The truth is, you have to accept each day as it comes, you never know when it’s going to be over,” Pacioretty said. “So you don’t want to take the days for granted.”
Murray wiped his eyes and slowly took off his heavy, sweaty goalkeeping gear before sitting alone in the locker room. The Maple Leafs equipment staff stopped unloading bags from the locker room and gave him a gentle pat on the back.
Murray looked up and saw a note written on the whiteboard in the locker room. The Leafs bus leaves in 20 minutes. Another NHL game is coming up.
He can smile again because he knows he’s certainly not 628 days away from doing what he loves.
(Above: Timothy T. Ludwig/Imagn Images)
