[News] Bob Murray resigns and enters an alcohol-related abuse program

[sureLoss]

https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/sources...-verbal-abuse/

Multiple league and team sources tell Daily Faceoff that Murray is under investigation for allegations of creating a toxic workplace environment by way of his repeated verbal abuse and harassment of Ducks players, coaches and personnel, plus his intimidation tactics and temper tantrums that fostered a culture of fear throughout the organization.

“Working for Bob Murray was pure daily mental warfare,” one source said. “The abuse was endless. Crazy text messages to players and staff berating them for their performance and threats of job security happened with regularity. These weren’t one-time slip-ups or mistakes. These were regular explosions and eruptions.”

It is unclear how or why Murray’s behavior went unchecked for so long, given that so many people associated with the Ducks organization bore witness to it. This season marks Murray’s 45th consecutive year in the NHL; Murray was promoted to Ducks GM on Nov. 12, 2008.

Another source said: “There’s not just one skeleton in the closet here with ‘Murph,'” as Murray is known by his nickname around the NHL. “The list of people who have felt his wrath first-hand over the years is long.”

[PepsiFree]

Shucks guys, sounds like he was just being a jerk! Nothing wrong with that.

[sureLoss]

It sounds like Murray is done IMO. The lawyers the Ducks have hired have already recommended the organization distance themselves from Murray after an initial investigation.

Now it is a matter of documenting as much as they can to build the strongest case for firing him or building leverage to negotiate a resignation.

[calumniate]

Gary bettman will probably offer him free counseling

[Knightslayer]

Originally Posted by Geeoff

Have to give the Ducks props for being proactive. They took action before there's a victim coming forward. This is the last thing I will give the Ducks props for.

Although, he might have earned this anyway from his recent performance.

Sounds like the opposite is true. He has been doing this for years. This doesn't happen if the Beach accusations don't come to the forefront.

[dammage79]

Abusive Rage monster. I was right. That's a stamp on the crawling out of the stone age Bingo card.

[WCW Nitro]

I can only imagine how many of these cases were happening in the 90's, pretty sure Mike Keenan would have a few investigations lol.

[Scary Eloranta]

Nm

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by WCW Nitro

I can only imagine how many of these cases were happening in the 90's, pretty sure Mike Keenan would have a few investigations lol.

I've heard rumor that Terry Crisp was quite a toxic a-hole in Calgary too. We have to look at behavior in a historically appropriate context. What Murray has been rumored to do is not appropriate now because people have learned over time that aggressiveness in the workplace is actually detrimental for a variety of reasons. What people did in the 90's should have no bearing on the present because the expectations, standards, and even knowledge were completely different almost 30 years ago.

[TorqueDog]

Just because it isn't illegal to be a dick doesn't mean organizations should stand for it.

Between increased scrutiny on the league from the recent bad press due to the Blackhawks incident and the Penguins incident, and the Ducks being dogsh-t the past three seasons (and Murray still having half a year left on his contract), it sure makes this a no-brainer to get ahead of it now.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Darryl Sutter was working for him when DS took the Flames job the 2nd time.

They are also close friends and former team mates.

Just because a guy is a prick, does not make him guilty of anything beyond....being a prick. That is neither illegal nor against NHL standards.

This whole thing is starting to get a witch hunt feel to it, and that should be the last thing anyone wants.

If Murray did something that crossed the line, then by all means he should be facing reprecussions for that. Lumping him into "old boys club" because he is older than many is just gross and reprehensible though IMO.

Where are you coming up with the age thing? And why are you bringing Darry Sutter into it?

“Crossing the line” is hard to define but I assume your definition of being a prick puts him closer to the line than people who actually treat others with respect?

[bob-loblaw]

Doesn't Bob Hartley have a reputation of being pretty hard on players?

With Murray, I wonder what exactly was the straw that broke the camels back. Or, was it just staff having enough of the BS and staging a revolt?

[sureLoss]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1458283236375908353

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by bob-loblaw

Doesn't Bob Hartley have a reputation of being pretty hard on players?

With Murray, I wonder what exactly was the straw that broke the camels back. Or, was it just staff having enough of the BS and staging a revolt?

Not just hard. The kind of stuff that it sounds like Murray pulled. Not sure if it was with anyone but players though. Enough though that other players tried to intervene.

[klikitiklik]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

https://twitter.com/user/status/1458283236375908353

NOV 9/2021 and the league has to tell its teams they have a duty to report abuse. Progress

[Itse]

It kind of amazes me how slowly some industries are shedding these types of toxic a-holes.

Guys like these just make everything more difficult for an organization. Hiring top talent becomes harder because people who have a choice don't want to go there, and a lot of energy is wasted every day by everyone having to deal with stupid toxic crap.

Firing toxic a-holes in management positions should really be a non-brainer for any organization, especially for places like hockey teams which always have tons of other guys lined up to fill any position that becomes available.

[Snuffleupagus]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

https://twitter.com/user/status/1458200380974772229

And Commodore wonders if he ever met Babcock

https://twitter.com/user/status/1457372005381062657

[Trojan97]

Originally Posted by Aarongavey

Yikes, and Whitney is a pom-pomp waiving cheerleader for Dave Portnoy. If Murray is a bigger prick than Portnoy that is scary.

What a stupid comment

[CliffFletcher]

It is unclear how or why Murray’s behavior went unchecked for so long, given that so many people associated with the Ducks organization bore witness to it.

Because he was very good at his job. And professional sports is a machine that sorts for only two outcomes: winning and money.

At the end of the year, one NHL team is awarded the Stanley Cup: the team that wins its final game. Whether the GM, coach, players of the winning team are compassionate and admirable on a personal level or ruthless #######s doesn’t factor into it. Only executing better on the ice matters. Nobody remembers the greatest bunch of guys in the 2007 NHL playoffs. They only remember that the Ducks raised the Cup. And jobs, money, and fame flowed accordingly.

It sounds like Murray was an abusive #######. Nobody will shed any tears if he’s forced out of the NHL. But let’s not kid ourselves about why he had a position of power in the first place. It isn’t because of an old boys’ club or toxic masculinity. It’s because at every level in professional sports, decisions are made based on whether it will help a team win. Period. An arrogant ###### who pots 25 goals gets paid millions a year more than a likeable guy who pots 10. A coach who screams at his players but makes the playoffs gets his contract renewed, and a beloved coach who misses the playoffs gets fired.

That’s how the machine works - a machine we the fans are all a part of too. How many of us cared that by all accounts Geoff Ward is a hell of a guy? We didn’t; we wanted the loser gone. Efforts to keep people like Murray out of the game will struggle against the power of that machine.

[Hockey_Ninja]

Aldrich was just the first of many. Knew more was gonna come after the Blackhawks fiasco.