CALGARY, Alta. – Former Colgate standout Cory Murphy is among 24 players who will represent Canada at the 2011 Spengler Cup, December 26-31 in Davos, Switzerland, Hockey Canada announced. The selection marks the second consecutive year Murphy will represent Canada at the tournament.
Murphy, a standout at Colgate from 1997 through 2001, is a member of the ZSC Lions of the Swiss National League. In 2010-11, he appeared in 49 games, racking up 10 goals and 25 assists.
A native of Kanata, Ontario, Murphy spent the 2009-10 campaign with Lowell Devils of American Hockey League (AHL) and the Devils' parent club the New Jersey Devils. He competed in 64 games with Lowell, compiling six goals and 38 assists in 64 games. In 12 contests with New Jersey, Murphy registered two goals and one assist.
Murphy spent the 2007-08 and 2008-09 season competing in the NHL with the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning. He appeared in 47 games with Florida in 2007-08, compiling 17 points, including two goals. In 2008-09, he played seven games with Florida before joining Tampa Bay. Murphy appeared in 25 games with the Lightning. On the season, he scored five goals and assisted on 11 tallies.
Murphy's current stint with ZSC marks a return to Europe, a place in which he spent six seasons from 2001 through 2007. Murphy last played in Europe in 2005-06 as part of the Swiss National League. He completed 44 games for HC Fribourg Gottéron and scored 13 goals while setting up 22 tallies.
The team was assembled by Brad Pascall, Hockey Canada's vice-president of hockey operations/national teams, along with Hockey Canada's national teams staff, head coach Marc Crawford (Belleville, Ont.) and assistant coaches Doug Shedden (Wallaceburg, Ont.) and Trent Yawney (Hudson Bay, Sask.).
"The players we have selected today are Canadian ambassadors for the game, both in North America and Europe, and we are excited they will wear the maple leaf in Davos," said Pascall. "We look forward to getting on the ice in Switzerland and representing Canada proudly."
This year's Spengler Cup will include Canada's National Men's Team, HC Vitkovice Steel (Czech Republic) and HC Davos (Switzerland), the host team, playing in the Cattini Group, and Dinamo Riga (Latvia), EHC Wolfsburg Grizzly Adams (Germany) and the Kloten Flyers (Switzerland) playing in the Torriani Group.
Canada opens the tournament Dec. 26 against HC Vitkovice Steel at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT. All of Canada's games at the 2011 Spengler Cup will be broadcast on TSN or TSN2.
Canada has appeared in nine of the last 11 championship games, winning the Spengler Cup in 2002, 2003 and 2007. Overall, Canada's National Men's Team has won the Spengler Cup 11 times (1984, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2007) since first taking part in the tournament in 1984.
The Spengler Cup, held annually since 1923, is the oldest professional international hockey tournament in the world.
