How much younger is Penguins goalie Matt Murray now than the incomparable
Bobby Orr was when the latter scored The Goal on May 10, 1970? Is it fair to point
out that Murray – the clear favorite for Penguin MVP during the first two
rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs (if not the tournament favorite) – is from
Thunder Bay, a Great Lakes-long drive from Parry Sound, the birthplace of
Robert Gordon Orr? Do I jinx the young man by even mentioning how his poise and
the aura of sport destiny evoked by his superb goaltending remind me of the
great No. 4, arguably the best player that ice hockey enthusiasts have ever
seen?
I’ve watched enough of these Murray games to hazard this opinion: There
is more than a glimmer of Orr-style fortitude at Matt’s age of 21, just beyond
boyhood. He’s 66 days younger than Orr (Murray won’t be 22 until May 25) was
when he scored The Goal to clinch the Cup for the Bruins for the first time in
29 years.
It is going to be fun to watch young Murray. If you’re looking for a
sports story of the moment to follow, look no further than the Penguins No. 30.
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