Joe Murphy: from Stanley Cup winner to living on the streets

[Crosby2010]

Does anyone know of the whereabouts of Joe Murphy by any chance? This is clips from a documentary of him in 2018 I believe. He is seen in Kenora, Ontario here. Haven't seen an update on him other than hearing he is still homeless in Saskatchewan. Definitely suffering mental health issues, possible CTE too, maybe some other drugs contributed to this, I don't know. But he was a Cup winner in 1990, 1st overall pick in 1986, had a huge WJC that year too, Wasn't a playoff legend, but did score 4 playoff overtime goals. Was someone who you knew in the 1990s for sure if you followed hockey even if he wasn't a star. Was a classic 2nd line player if there ever was one. Very sad situation here.

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[Gerulaitis]

Very sorry to hear about that.

Lord Jesus Christ help him

 

[BB79]

Sad to see him like this, I remember him from the time I got into hockey in the early 90s. I hope he lands on his feet and gets the help he needs.

 

[FissionFire]

He was in a facility in Thunder Bay in 2019 meant to help him get stable but dropped out of it.

Summer 2020 he was in Regina after visiting a friend in Saskatoon. He said he planned to return to Ontario when the opportunity presented itself.

December 2020 Toronto police posted a photo of officers with a homeless former hockey player believed to be Joe Murphy. His face wasn’t shown but they bought and gave him a hockey card which was shown believed to be his.

That’s the last news I’ve seen about him. Nothing new since the end of 2020.

 

[The Panther]

Yeah, it's sad all right. I remember c.2019 (?) when TSN did that piece on him, some ex-teammates (Adam Graves, for one) seemed to rally around him a bit, but I wonder if they didn't just wire some money to the center that was assisting him. Of course, you can only do so much...

Oilers' fans remember 'Murph' very fondly. From his place on "the Kid Line" in the 1990 championship to his many big goals (OT winner to eliminate LA in 1990; buzzer-beater to defeat Calgary in 1991), he was a fairly clutch player. Not really a 'driver', but a very good 2nd-liner in his prime and a 1st-liner on several teams.

His peak years were interrupted by the serious 1992-93 injury and then the 1995 Work-stoppage. Neverthless, from 1991-92 through 1995 (four seasons), he ranked 14th in points-per-game among right wingers (among left-wingers, his PPG would have been sixth best). So, effectively, those four seasons he was a 1st-liner.