RIP Bearcat. A Calgary icon.
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Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina
Responsible for one of the iconic moments in Flames' history when he hopped on the ice to help Vernon, who had been hit by Bernie Nicholls, and as he was doing that the Flames scored at the other end (I think Macinnis but might be wrong).
RIP.
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And caused Gretzky to completely lose his ****.
It turns out Vernon wasn't actually hurt, but obviously Bearcat didn't know that. From his wiki page:
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Murray was famously on the ice, tending to fallen goaltender Mike Vernon while play was still ongoing, as the Flames scored a goal during their 1989 playoff series against the Los Angeles Kings.[4] Vernon explained later that he was not hurt on the play, but went down attempting to draw a penalty after being punched by a Kings player: "I'm lying there wondering when might be a good time to sit up, and all of a sudden there's Bearcat kneeling overtop of me ... We'd just scored a goal with him on the ice and (Wayne) Gretzky was going ballistic. I think Bear thought I'd better be hurt or he might lose his job."[2]
During a game against the Edmonton Oilers in Edmonton, Murray once went up into the stands to rescue his son Al, also a trainer for the Flames, tearing ligaments in his leg in the process. Al had been in the stands attempting to retrieve Gary Suter's stick, which had been knocked into the crowd and was being hidden by Oiler fans. Fearing things were going to escalate, Bearcat jumped into the fray himself. While being wheeled into an ambulance, Murray blew kisses for the cameras. The incident caught the attention of a group of fans in Boston, who formed the "Bearcat Murray Fan Club", and began showing up at the Boston Garden wearing skull caps and oversized moustaches mimicking Murray's looks when the Flames played there. Between 1987–91, a Montreal chapter of the Bearcat Murray Fan Club made regular appearances at the Montreal Forum when the Flames were in town.
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