The Inferno Interview - ESPN's Aaron Murphy

The Inferno caught up with Aaron Murphy of ESPN and the excellent http://www.murphonice.com/ to talk about his hockey career, how he got into journalism and how he got the call up to work with ESPN. Murph also gives us his views about the UK league and getting the name out while he works across the world, the road to the Stanley cup and all things NHL including that rumour about the chances of the NHL making a trip to Cardiff for the Première games ahead of the season.

Inferno ( IF ) - At what age did you get involved in Hockey and how far did playing take you ?

Murph - I started playing like every other Canadian when I was 4 or 5 I think! I was very lucky growing up to get to travel around quite a bit with hockey. I’ve played all over Canada, the U.S. and Europe. I’ve even played for a Swiss Select team in a challenge cup tournament in Madrid of all places. I have enjoyed playing the game in all these places, and now enjoy the travel to cover many different leagues in a media capacity.

IF - When and how did you get involved with the media side of hockey?

Murph - I had a pretty bad injury with a broken jaw, and a concussion in my competitive playing days. I realized then that playing may not be forever. I thought about how to still be involved in sport, especially hockey, and decided to go to university and do some journalism and broadcasting courses. I graduated from Ryerson in Toronto with a degree in both, and have been lucky to be involved in that realm for about 12 years now. I have been to an Olympic Games, a Stanley Cup, and everything in between. It’s a lot of work at times, but great fun to still be involved in sports.

IF - You work for ESPN and also run your own website www.murphonice.com with views on the NHL all-star games etc - What's been your best moment while in this line of work? Would you recommend it to any budding journalist out there?

Murph - Probably the biggest highlight thus far was covering the Stanley Cup last year. To be in an ‘Original Six’ NHL city like Boston, and to see how bad the fans and team wanted that championship, it was phenomenal. A Stanley Cup win is always great for any city, but there’s something extra special about those traditional markets, and for Boston it was a long drought that they ended. The city was buzzing, and everything was revolving around hockey. It was something to see and be a part of. I would indeed recommend a career path in journalism for anyone who has that interest. Some advice though – it’s a lot of work, some long travel, and it’s not always as glamorous as people think – but it is a lot of fun at the end of the day, and rewarding.

IF - Which NHL teams do you like the look of this season ? Who's going all the way do you think ?

Murph - I like the way the Nashville Predators have gone about their business this season. They could be dangerous come playoff time with the additions they’ve made at the trade deadline, and of course a great goalie in Pekka Rinne, and a captain like Shea Weber. The scariest team overall though has to be Pittsburgh. To get Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang back at the right time – no one can compete with that! Marc –Andre Fleury is an underrated goalie who gets better come playoff time. Evgeni Malkin will probably win the league MVP, and their depth is incredible. This is a team that will be tough for anyone to beat – if they stay healthy! And of course there’s that old saying – never bet against the defending champs! If Tim Thomas gets rolling for the Bruins, then Boston will be hungry to defend their title. And, no one wants to win more than Zdeno Chara.

IF - We understand you've played hockey for a few years which you kept doing when work brought you to the UK. Can you give us an inside into where it all began for you and how much the quality differed to "back home"

Murph - As mentioned, I’ve played hockey my whole life! I started playing in Newfoundland where I grew up, and played high-school hockey, junior hockey and represented my home city - St. John’s, in a few Newfoundland All-Star tournaments. I played in the inaugural season of the Irish Ice Hockey League on this side of the pond, and captained the Dublin Rams Senior team there. We made it to two-straight All-Ireland finals and played in cup tournaments in Edinburgh as well. It was a lot of fun, and a good standard. We had guys on the Rams that were pretty good for any league. Our goalie – Eric Tobia - played in the OHL for the Belleville Bulls with future NHL guys like Jason Spezza and Kyle Wellwood for example. The quality is tough to put into perspective actually. The ‘A’ league of the Irish league was a lot of foreigners from Canada, the U.S. and even Latvia and the Czech Republic. The local Irish guys that made the top clubs were good players – most of them were also Irish Senior Internationals. Unfortunately that league fell on tough financial times, and is currently not operating. I do look back on those few years in the ‘A’ league with a great fondness, and it was a special time for hockey in Ireland.

IF - A few months back, you took in your first Elite league game in. What did you think of the quality on display, the arena and the atmosphere? How would you compare it to say ECHL/AHL/NCAA in terms of atmosphere and quality?

Murph - It actually wasn’t my first EIHL game! I covered several Belfast Giants games over the years when I lived in Dublin. When Theo Fleury was a Giant – that was of course a big story – I used to head up to Belfast, and interviewed him several times. He brought a lot of excitement and exposure to the league. In saying that, Cardiff was a great trip back in December. I thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere, and the vibe at the ’Big Blue Tent’ was great! The place was intimate, and the fans are very knowledgeable, I really couldn’t say enough about Cardiff and the Devils – a great road trip for any hockey fan.

IF - There’s been some talk of the NHL playing another game in the UK and Cardiff’s Millennium stadium has been talked / dreamed about as a venue. Do you think this is something the NHL would look at ?

Murph - Unfortunately the NHL has already cancelled the October NHL Premiere events for Europe because of CBA issues. I fear that the NHL will not be thinking about such a foray in the UK for at least another two years. My sources tell me that the players association and the league are apart on some key issues – so sorting that is a priority for both sides now. I think Cardiff would be a great place for any sporting event, but an NHL games is a ways away I fear.

IF - Is there any knowledge of UK ice hockey in the states? How is it regarded ?

Murph - Well put it this way – wherever I travel for hockey events – whether it’s Canada or the U.S. – I sing the praises of hockey on this side of the pond. I make sure that my media colleagues and hockey friends know about the Elite league and the great hockey and clubs here in the UK and beyond. For example - I will be in Nottingham for the EIHL playoff weekend, and my colleagues will be made aware of that. Hockey is the best game on earth – and it doesn’t matter where it’s played!

IF - What are your views on the proposed rule changes in the NHL? Can you see hybrid icing and 3 on 3 OT making it through, and should they?

Murph - Something needs to be done with the icing in the NHL for sure. It’s only a matter of time before a defenseman is killed going back for touch-up icing. The NHL has to protect its players where it can – and the icing is an area where they could really make a difference. For me personally – I’m happy with 4-on-4 OT in the regular season. I think 3-on-3 takes away from some of the strategy and strengths of the game.

IF - Is concussion just something we are going to have to get used to with the speed of the modern game, or should we be making big changes to equipment to make hits hurt again?

Murph - As someone who’s had a few concussions in my playing days, I can tell you this issue is going nowhere. The game is faster than it’s ever been at all levels, and the players are much bigger. The rink size hasn’t changed, so it’s a no-brainer that players will be having these types of injury more often. Seriously though – it’s always been an issue – but we have more media coverage and exposure now. We know of every injury within moments in the NHL, and see every replay over and over! Equipment changes have been tested and are on-going in the NHL, but the real issue is size and speed – and that’s only going to increase on both fronts. So concussions are something we just have to get used to. The NHL will have to keep early detection techniques, and suspensions for direct blows to the head, as their operating procedures in an attempt to cut down on the issue.

We would like to thank Murph for taking time out from a very busy work schedule to give us this interview and we look forward to catching up with him for a beer at the playoffs in Nottingham and hopefully get an interview with him to reflect on his weekend. You can keep up to date with Murph's on twitter @MurphOnIce and on his website http://www.murphonice.com/