Murray Oliver

Murray Clifford Oliver (November 14, 1937 – November 23, 2014) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre, coach, and scout. Murray also played Minor League Baseball for the Batavia Indians, then an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians.

Playing career Oliver grew up in Hamilton and played junior hockey with the Hamilton Tiger Cubs of the Ontario Hockey Association. After scoring 90 points in 52 games as a 20-year-old, he signed a professional contract and was assigned to the Edmonton Flyers, an affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). As an NHL rookie during the 1959-60 season, he scored 20 goals. His first NHL goal occurred on November 21, 1959, in a 3–3 tie versus Boston. However, Detroit was loaded at the centre position, which made Oliver expendable. He was traded to the Boston Bruins partway through the next season.

Oliver played for the Bruins until 1967. While in Boston, Oliver centred the B.O.W. line with wingers Johnny Bucyk and Tommy Williams, where he starred as a crafty stickhandler and patient playmaker. He put up an NHL career-high 68 points in 1964, despite knee surgery the prior season. He was traded in 1967 to the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he centred a line for three years with Bob Pulford and Ron Ellis. Similarly, the Chicago Black Hawks were involved in a possible trade, but Chicago's price of Oliver and Bob Pulford in exchange for Jim Pappin was too high for the Maple Leafs, prompting the trade to Minnesota. He became a scout with the Vancouver Canucks and later took over as the club's director of pro scouting.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1953–54 Burlington Mohawks CJHL — — — — — — — — — — 1953–54 Hamilton Tiger Cubs OHA 2 0 2 2 0 5 1 0 1 0 1954–55 Hamilton Tiger Cubs OHA 39 5 13 18 19 3 2 0 2 0 1955–56 Hamilton Tiger Cubs OHA 5 1 1 2 2 — — — — — 1956–57 Hamilton Tiger Cubs OHA 52 17 42 59 20 4 3 1 4 0 1957–58 Hamilton Tiger Cubs OHA 52 34 56 90 37 4 2 5 7 8 1957–58 Detroit Red Wings NHL 1 0 1 1 0 — — — — — 1958–59 Edmonton Flyers WHL 64 33 34 67 35 3 1 1 2 0 1959–60 Detroit Red Wings NHL 54 20 19 39 16 6 1 0 1 4 1959–60 Edmonton Flyers WHL 16 8 12 20 6 — — — — — 1960–61 Detroit Red Wings NHL 49 11 12 23 8 — — — — — 1960–61 Boston Bruins NHL 21 6 10 16 8 — — — — — 1961–62 Boston Bruins NHL 70 17 29 46 21 — — — — — 1962–63 Boston Bruins NHL 65 22 40 62 38 — — — — — 1963–64 Boston Bruins NHL 70 24 44 68 41 — — — — — 1964–65 Boston Bruins NHL 65 20 23 43 30 — — — — — 1965–66 Boston Bruins NHL 70 18 42 60 30 — — — — — 1966–67 Boston Bruins NHL 65 9 26 35 16 — — — — — 1967–68 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 74 16 21 37 18 — — — — — 1968–69 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 76 14 36 50 16 4 1 2 3 0 1969–70 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 76 14 33 47 16 — — — — — 1970–71 Minnesota North Stars NHL 61 9 23 32 8 12 7 4 11 0 1971–72 Minnesota North Stars NHL 77 27 29 56 16 7 0 6 6 4 1972–73 Minnesota North Stars NHL 75 11 31 42 10 6 0 4 4 2 1973–74 Minnesota North Stars NHL 78 17 20 37 4 — — — — — 1974–75 Minnesota North Stars NHL 80 19 15 34 24 — — — — — NHL totals 1,127 274 454 728 320 35 9 16 25 10

NHL coaching record Team Year Regular season Postseason G W L T Pts Finish Result Minnesota North Stars 1982–83 37 18 12 7 43 2nd in Norris Lost in Division Finals

Minor League Baseball On June 25, 1958, Murray was assigned to play for the Batavia Indians, where scouts hailed him as "one of the greatest athletes we've ever seen". In his debut, which was delayed because of a broken arm he suffered during the hockey season, he went hitless in three at-bats and committed one error. Over only 8 more games, mostly at third base, he batted .185 and committed an error per game, and was released by the Indians.

Personal Oliver's granddaughter Liz Schepers played ice hockey for the Ohio State Buckeyes, winning the 2022 NCAA National Collegiate Women's Ice Hockey Tournament. Competing in the PWHL, Schepers won the Walter Cup with the Minnesota Frost. For the 2025-26 season, Schepers signed with the Boston Fleet