PHILADELPHIA -- The Flyers named Terry Murray coach of their AHL affiliate, the Adirondack Phantoms, on Friday.
Murray, 61, was fired in December by the Los Angeles Kings, who went on to win the Stanley Cup under the direction of Darryl Sutter. Murray was coach of the Flyers from 1994-1997, leading Philadelphia to the Stanley Cup final in the latter. He was 118-64-30 in 212 games for the Flyers.
"I got a call from (Flyers general manager) Paul Holmgren before the draft. We made a commitment over the phone to do this," Murray said. "There wasn't a lot of stuff coming in from the NHL teams after I got fired. The phone rings for about four or five days and then it goes silent, and there was nothing up until Homer called me.
"I took some time to think about it, and ... I'm a hockey coach, I love to coach."
The Kings, who went 16-4 in the post-season, will still give Murray a championship ring, and Sutter rented Murray's house in Manhattan Beach after taking the job.
"We feel very fortunate to be able to bring Terry back to the Flyers organization," Holmgren said. "Terry brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, is an excellent teacher and a strong believer in the development process of young players."
Murray was also coach of the Florida Panthers (1998-2001) and the Washington Capitals (1989-1994).
"I feel I build good teams and get the right attitude and right chemistry together," Murray said, "and let them go play the game."
The Flyers also named Ian Laperriere the director of player development. Laperriere, 38, recently announced his retirement following a career that featured 1,083 games across 16 NHL seasons.
"It's a job that suits me well," Laperriere said. "It's one of those jobs that you need a relationship with the young guys and you need to have some experience, and I think I have both. I've always been able to relate well with anybody, from 18-year-old kids to 40-year-old veterans.
"It's always been one of my strengths, so I'm going to use that."
Laperriere missed the last two seasons due to a head injury. Last season, Laperriere won the Masterton Memorial Trophy for his perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.
"He's a player I have a great deal of respect for, going back to my time of coaching and scouting in the league and being an assistant coach," Murray said of Laperriere. "He's one of the most competitive players that you could possibly face in any given night, and I have a lot of respect for the kind of game that he showed. I know that he's very intense, he's going to work very hard, he has a great deal of experience in the game, and he's going to do a tremendous job with his developmental role."
