Penguins' Murray continues to develop after whirlwind year

Life can be funny.

One minute you are plying your trade in hockey's minor leagues and the next you are a Stanley Cup champion and a participant in the World Cup of Hockey.

For 22-year-old Matt Murray, the past year has been a whirlwind.

"It really hasn't hit me, to be quite honest" said Murray, who at 21 stepped into the crease for the Penguins with starter Marc-Andre Fleury concussed and led them to a second Cup in eight seasons. "It was such an emotional roller coaster and everything happened so quickly. And with the World Cup starting so early, the summer was really short. I honestly can't say I have had that moment yet where it has sunk in that I won the Stanley Cup. I have a lot to prove still this season so I have been focusing on that."

Indeed it was Murray's fabulous play in the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs that put him on the map for Team North America, the group of 23-and-under players who threw a scare into the older, more experienced teams in the World Cup. Murray and John Gibson of the Anaheim Ducks shared the crease for Team North America.

"I knew about the Team North America about a year or so before they picked the team and I knew for sure that nobody was talking about me for a spot on the team," Murray said. "I knew I had to play my way onto that team. I knew it was a team I wanted to play my way onto because it was something very unique and who knows if it will happen again? The fact nobody was talking about me as a candidate [for the team] was a big motivating factor for me."

Murray had a 1-1 record for Team North America with a 3.16 goals-against average and .886 save percentage.

Immediate impact

The fact the Penguins turned to Murray in their time of need really wasn't surprising. The gangly 6-foot-4, 178-pounder was the 83rd pick of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft and made an immediate impact upon turning pro with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League where he set an AHL record for the longest shutout streak at 304 minutes and 11 seconds, was named the league's top rookie and best goalie. He also set an AHL rookie record with 12 shutouts.

When Fleury went down with a concussion, Murray was called up and started Pittsburgh's final nine games of the 2016-17 regular season. He was not, however, the starter when the Penguins faced off against the New York Rangers in the opening round of the playoffs. That honor went to Jeff Zatkoff who won Game 1, but lost Game 2. Enter Murray who won his first NHL playoff game 3-1 and then shut out the Rangers 5-0 in Game 4. Murray was so good that even when Fleury was healthy, he stayed between the pipes.

Murray said he will never forget his first big-league playoff game.

"I definitely saw it as an opportunity and I wanted to enjoy every minute of it," Murray recalled. "It was really something special. When you are a kid you watch those kinds of games and you think how much fun it would be to play in one; especially in Madison Square Garden for your first playoff game at 21 years old. I remember how cool it was and how much fun I had."

Sharing the crease

This season Murray and Fleury have shared the crease, helping Pittsburgh to a 30-12-5 record. The Penguins sit in third in the competitive Metropolitan division prior to games played Wednesday. Murray said it is not an ideal situation, but he recognizes he is still in the development stage of his career so he's not about to complain. Murray is 17-5-1 with a 2.35 GAA and .922 GAA.

"It's a bit of a weird situation to be in, but you have to take it one day at a time," Murray said. "You could start four or five in a row and then you can sit for four or five in a row. It's difficult to get into a groove. You have to use practices to stay sharp and I think in this system practices become that much more important when you really don't know if you are playing or not."

Murray said he and Fleury have a wonderful relationship on and off the ice.

"He has been my mentor since I got here," Murray said. "I was always in awe of how athletic he was and he's such a likeable guy. He is genuinely one of the best people I have ever met in my life. I try to learn everything I can from him. He has been very good to me and I am forever grateful."