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Il a gagné seulement un titre de Division de Patrick, ironiquement dans sa dernière saison ici, en 1989, mais considère que clubs de ses chapeaux les' jamais concurrençaient les insulaires dynastiques de New York de la tonnelle d'Al (commençant en 1980, la tasse de Stanley mâche consécutivement par 1983) aussi bien que les équipes perenially fortes de gardes forestiers d'insectes' et'. In a lot of those seasons there was a great deal of truth to the adage that the second-best club in the Patrick division was also the league’s second-best (the 1980 Cup finals featured the Isles against the Flyers). Beginning with his 1983-84 Caps Bryan Murray would guide the club to three consecutive 100-pt. seasons, including 107 points in ‘85-86, and earn not one division title.

Looking back on the 1980s Caps with the advantage of hindsight, it appears quasi miraculous that Murray’s clubs were as competitive as they were with Arbour’s Isles, one of the great dynasties in NHL history, particularly in the postseason. Murray had Langway, while Arbour had Denis Potvin. Arbour had Billy Smith, and later Kelly Hrudey, while Murray went into postseasons with the likes of Al Jensen, Pat Riggin, Bob Mason, Pete Peeters, Clint Malarchuk, and Don Beaupre. Nice goalies, but obviously, not a Hall of Famer among them. We old timers have spent the past 10 or 15 years perpetually playing the great what-if: What if Bryan Murray had had Olaf Kolzig behind those terrific ’80s bluelines?

Of course, for Washington’s columnists and very part-time hockey observers, Murray was ultimately judged a regular season hero and a postseason goat. But this morning, look who’s persevered. Entering the 2006-07 season Murray ranked sixth in the NHL in all-time games coached (1,057) and seventh for wins (513).

Almost wherever he’s coached pedestrian netminding has often been believed to be Bryan Murray’s postseason undoing, and heading into this postseason, while I liked the look of the Ottawa Senators through all four forward lines and three defensive pairings, Ray Emery seemed to invite the same sense of trepidation for Murray’s admirers. Maybe, just maybe, we’re seeing the maturation of Emery into one of the league’s elite. Of his coach, that accomplishment occurred many years and hundreds of wins ago.