It’s been fun to witness some historical moments from the commentary box in my career. I’ve been lucky to be see some great moments on ice…and the current Champions Hockey League run by the Nottingham Panthers has been special. They love being first in Nottingham! The first British team to play in the CHL back in 2014/15…the first to get a win in the competition that same year…the first team to win the Continental Cup last year…and now this season the first British team to get a road win in the CHL and to get out of the group stage! Absolutely magical – what ‘dreams are made of’ type stuff. Here’s a look at one of my favorite moments in the broadcast booth from the historical campaign:
Always humbling to sit down with one of the greats in sport. Even more humbling when that sporting great is also an all-time fashion icon! Ahead of the NHL season, the KING of style Henrik Lundqvist gave our very own Aaron Murphy some style advice 😂! Here’s what happened….
I have enjoyed 3 Olympic Games so far as a broadcaster, and 3 Stanley Cups. I’ve also been a part of multiple World Championships and European Tournaments. I have had fun at all these levels calling various sports from Ice Hockey to Basketball. On July 8th I was fortunate enough to commentate on my 1st Rugby League Game! The Toronto Wolfpack hosted the Gloucestershire All Golds at Lamport Stadium. I can say without hesitation that it was one of the most enjoyable assignments I’ve ever had. Brian Noble and Blake Wallace were sublime joining me in the media booth. Toronto won the game in the end, but the 2 hours was an intense time for me…calling a new sport but having as much fun as I’ve ever had at work! Here are some of the highlights from that sunny day in Canada!
Thanks to Eric Perez, and everyone with the Wolfpack for an amazing adventure! Big thanks to Brian and Blake for the great insight on the broadcast.
Some great milestones this past hockey season! How about Colin Shields becoming Great Britain’sall-time leading goal scorer in the modern era?! He passed IIHF Hall Of Fame Inductee Tony Hand in Belfast vs the Netherlands at the World Championships. What a night as Shields scored his 39th, 40th and 41st GB tallies. I was fortunate to be commentating that night on Premier Sports TV & Eir Sport 2 – his record breaking performance here:
There’s nothing better in hockey than an ultimate final – an NHL playoff game 7, an Olympic Final, and just this past weekend the IIHF World Championship Gold Medal battle between 2-time defending Champs Canada, and Team Sweden led by the legend Henrik Lundquist. As a play-by-play commentator you have to love these! Here’s highlights from the big game on Premier Sports TV and Eir Sport 2:
I have been fortunate to interview top sports figures from Olympic level, to the NHL, and more recently the world of Rugby League. Of all the chats I’ve been a part of on TV there may be no more forthcoming and accessible athlete than Ryan Brierley of the Toronto Wolfpack. A try-scoring phenom on the pitch, and a passionate voice off it on the importance of organ donation – Brierley is a class act. Here’s our 1-on-1 from May 12 in Newcastle, including his tribute to Violet Grace:
There’s no better time of year for hockey fans than the start of the quest for Lord Stanley! It all kicks off Wednesday night April 12th…and you can watch some key series live on Premier Sports in the UK, and Eir Sport 2 in Ireland.
Here are my picks for the first round match-ups:
Your Home For Hockey Premier Sports has plenty of post-season action!
Eastern Conference
Caps in 6 over Leafs
Pens in 6 over Blue Jackets
Habs in 6 over Rangers
Bruins in 7 over Sens
Western Conference
Blackhawks in 6 over Preds
Wild in 7 over Blues
Ducks in 6 over Flames
Oilers in 6 over Sharks
Enjoy the first round wherever you’re watching from! After no Canadian teams getting into the post-season last year, it will be fun to watch some of the young guns perform for Canadian clubs over the next few weeks!
You can follow Murph throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs on twitter here: @MurphOnIce
Great news for all hockey fans in Great Britain and beyond! All Team GB games from the Division 1B World Championships in Belfast will be shown on Premier Sports. Join Paul Adey and Murph from April 23-29 from SSE Arena, as GB tries for a Gold Medal and promotion. See the Press Release below:
Ice Hockey UK are excited to announce that Premier Sports will once again cover Great Britain in this year’s World Championship.
The six-team tournament, being hosted in the UK at Belfast’s SSE Arena, runs from Sunday 23rd to Saturday 29th April 2017.
Team GB games will be live and exclusive on Premier Sports April 23-29.
GB will face three teams who were in the group last year in Croatia, Estonia and Lithuania, as well as relegated Japan and promoted Netherlands.
Andy French, Ice Hockey UK’s general secretary, said: “It is fantastic news that Premier Sports will be covering GB and the World Championship tournament.
“They have been a great supporter of GB ice hockey not just at the men’s level, but with the junior programme when they covered the Under-16 tournament in Dumfries in December.”
Richard Webb, operations manager at Premier Sports, said: “It is a pleasure to be a part of the Great Britain campaign in Belfast, bringing the action to the screens of the hockey fans who support the national team.
“GB have been close to gold medals and promotion live on Premier Sports at the last two World Championship tournaments and we hope we can capture that coveted gold medal live this year in Belfast.
“We believe these games are important for growing the sport and it further shows our commitment to the game and the GB programme.”
Premier Sports is available via Sky channel 428 (HD) and 462 (SD), Virgin channel 551 and via the Premier Player online. Visit www.premiersports.com for more information.
You can follow Murph throughout the World Championships on twitter here: @MurphOnIce
I have been lucky in my career to cover and commentate on some of the biggest global events in Hockey. I have also been fortunate to branch out and work on Field Hockey, Basketball, Curling, Bobsleigh and Handball at International and Olympic level. When the opportunity was presented to be a part of something truly new and innovative with Premier Sports and The Toronto Wolfpack, well, I jumped at the chance! The Wolfpack are the first transatlantic professional sports team, and they will start their adventure in Rugby’s League 1 in the UK. Their goal is to win straight away and advance up the ladder to the Super League. Premier will cover all their games, and I’ll be a part of the on-air crew.
Here’s a few clips from our first broadcast January 22nd, a bit of Rugby and Transatlantic sports history!
Murph with Wolfpack Captain Craig Hall:
Murph with Wolfpack Coach Paul Rowley:
Follow the Wolfpack on twitter all season long – @TOwolfpack
Follow Murph on the new Rugby beat as well here – @MurphOnIce
It is an honour to be a part of such a huge hockey initiative, and the work of the Belfast Giants and all involved with bringing one of the biggest events of the sporting calendar to these shores.
The Giants and NCAA Hockey have announced another two years after the success of the 2015 and 2016 events…long may this incredibly professional and welcoming hockey event take place! I hope to see you all in 2017 and 2018 at SSE Arenain Belfast!
