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NEWSDate: Feb 06, 2010 Murphy To Play In Legends Game, Then Coach Against Cottonmouths
By Kathy Gierer, Columbus Ledger Enquirer Columbus Cottonmouths legend Randy Murphy will experience an identity crisis at the Columbus Civic Center on Saturday night. Murphy will leap off the bench to skate with his fellow Snakes legends during an exhibition game that starts at 6 p.m. A little while later, he will stand behind the bench as coach of the arch-rival Huntsville Havoc. The Snakes-Havoc game is set to start at 7:30 p.m.
Murphy says he is looking forward to a reunion with his 1997-98 Levins Cup champion teammates. The last time the team got together was two years ago on the 10th anniversary of their achievement. Then coach of the New Mexico Scorpions, Murphy missed that event. "I talked to Jerome and it sounds like it's going to be a fun day," Murphy said. "I'm excited to see the guys I played with in the past especially since I missed the last reunion." Murphy and his teammates won the championship in just their second year in the Central Hockey League. The championship run remains one of Murphy's fondest memories. "The coaches and general manager built the team properly," Murphy said. "We had it all. We had goaltending, toughness, defensive and offensive guys. The most important thing was that we came together at the right time. We actually got better in the playoffs." In addition to winning the championship on the road in Wichita, Murphy has a more personal memory of Columbus. "My oldest daughter was born there," Murphy said. "Columbus will always be a neat place to me." Though Murphy and Columbus enjoy a positive past, his current mission is to wreak Havoc on the Snakes. Shortly before the Scorpions folded, Murphy accepted the head coaching job in Huntsville. He enjoyed immediate success there. The Havoc have been atop the SPHL standings since opening night and only recently hit their first bump in the road. |
