A friend of mine and one of the greatest hockey players to ever play, especially his position. Larry Murphy, the Hall of Famer, joins us. Does an outstanding job as an analyst in studio and during games too, on Red Wings Hockey, on Ballet Sports, and he's joined us here on this Friday morning. Murph, hope you and your family are well. How are you, my friend doing well?
Matt. That's quite the introduction. That's why you're one of my best buddies. Thank you, man.
Yeah, no worries. You deserve it, that's for certain. Tell me a little bit about your thoughts on Most Ciders contract and why you think it was important for the Red Wings to get it done now.
Well, yeah, of course, no option but to sign the most Cider, And of course the Wings are trying to avoid a short term contract. The long term contract gives them that it gives them a player, speaking of Cider, for the next seven years and actually into his free agency PERIODO. That's why the numbers are so big for a young player that's twenty three, because a twenty seven Sider could have become a free agent, but he made the decision to sign with the Wings and play till thirty,
right in his prime hockey years. As you know, Matt, he's the number one guy back on the blue line, plays against the opposition's best forwards. Has really established himself as a top defender in the National Hockey League. So for the Wings trying to build a championship team, he's obviously one of the cornerstones for that process.
What do you admire as a Hall of Fame defenseman yourself and a guy who four cups over sixteen hundred games played folks for Larry Murphy. I don't know if most sider is going to play that many. I mean, hell, he's only played two hundred and forty six in his career, but he sure seems like at least a number one pairing for the Red Wings. You can look at him as as well as anybody. What do you like about his game?
Well, Cider plays with He's a big guy, plays with a lot of grit. He's very difficult to play against. Plays a physical game, so the opposition forwards, there's no free pass when he's on the ice. If he can you know, if he can take a run at ye, he's going to do exactly that. And he's also a very responsible player. That's why, I mean, that's why, that's why he's he's the player he is, or as he is he's considered, as people talk about him, is that
he's a go too. He has the ability also of no matter what the situation is, whether you're up a goal, down a goal, of critical points in the game, you know, at the end of the game, he's he's the guy that's going to be the first guy that's going to go over the boards for the team. So he's he plays critical minutes for this team, and it's, uh, you know,
that's that's key, and he does it well. I mean some teams are forced to put put players in that situation that that maybe aren't so comfortable, but Cider excels in that area and and that's uh, I mean, that's that's why they had to sign up. And that's why he's been, you know, such a great addition to the Wings and the play in the first three years, I mean, comes up great wins. The called her trophy is the
Rookie of the Year. Second year a bit of a I don't know if you'd say a bit of a setback second year James, and then last year boy just just continued the Upswing and I guess for me, I was watching Cider play as well. I mean, if this is only his fourth year, I mean, is this guy going to develop into a you know, an annual Norris
Trophy candidate? Could very well be he's been. Definitely I see another more improvement from this season, which bodes well for the Wings and they're you know, they're gold to make the playoffs.
Hall of Famer and four time Stanley Cup champ Larry Murphy joining us here on Exus and Bros. Steve Eisman has gone about his business I think the right way, but signing most sider Lucas Raymond, obviously, Dylan Larkin to a certain extent, Joe Valento shorter term deal but still an effective player on your back six. Uh, what type of sign do you think that is sending Red Wings fans? With Steve Eisman going about his business.
This way, well, he's always been and he's always managed the cap seemingly well. And he said right from day one, he's not you know, he's not going to basically co after, you know, a thirty two year old player and signed him for six to seven years, He's not going to handcuff the team's cap by doing that. So he's managed
it well. Today is comedy. He's had to make some tough decisions this offseason because both Cider and Raymond both are taking up but you know together that each year they're taking up over sixteen and a half million dollars of the cap space. So Heisman had to manage. But we see guys like Robbie Fabric had to go, you know, Prawn signed as a free agent, and Sprong's gone and Gotta Fear signed to the free agent. These are guys
that produced offense for this team. But he had to make the move, make the decision in order to what's best for this team. It's what they a's are gone now for the Red Wings where they had a pile of cap space and they could actually take on players from other teams that were in cap trouble, that's not the case now now he's you know, they're up against
it now and he's and he's managed it well. He's able to get those two guys signed the long term deals, manages to get Caine to come back, which I think was critical for this season, without a doubt, Patrick Kine coming back, and so he'shumed, He's made the right moves, you know, and it's just now it's a boy. I mean, I mean they should have been in the playoffs last year. I mean things kind of went off the rails a bit at the end of the year and they end
up losing a tiebreaker for that last spot. But I spent matt this year that they're going to be right there knocking against these It's not going to be easy. I mean, a Jersey is an improved team, but I mean the Wings also, I mean they kept these guys, Uh look at Raymond and inside of these guys that are going to continue to improve and take on, you know, take on a bigger role of this team and hopefully more production.
What do you think they learned about making that playoff push but losing the tiebreaker to Washington And what did you learn the first time that you were close to making the playoffs that maybe helped you the next year to get to the postseason.
Well, one thing that helps for a player and for the team is playing critical games late in the season, battles, I guess you become battle tested. And that's the one thing the Wings. You know that every game that's this is first year in quite a few years. Last season, that is last season's first season quite a few seasons where these guys are playing really tough, meaningful games. So you know, you learn from that, You've become more hardened.
You know, it's no longer a surprise for you. Just you're able to deal with the emotions and the pressure. So that, I mean, that'll serve this team well going into going into this season. And uh, I mean, the best case scenarios is that they get themselves into a solid play off position throughout the year and take away that, you know, the pressure of squeaking in at the end.
So that's the best case scenario. But there's a good chance because of the Eastern Conference being so tough, that they're going to be baling right to the end again. But they've been there before, so they will have that to rely.
On the importance of not having just youth, but also having that mix of veteran leaderships or even young veterans. You know, they don't have to be forty years old to lead. You can still be twenty eight to twenty nine, but you've gone through some wars. Bringing in a guy
like Vladimir Tarasenko, cam Talbot's a little bit older. How important is it to have that mix Murph to between the young guys who haven't been there before but have accomplished a lot personally and guys who have been there before and still have an awful lot to add.
Yeah, that's that's the dream of any team is is to have the mix of leadership. You want, the experience in the dressing room and then Cider and Raymond examples there now where these guys are going to take a bigger role in the dressing room in terms of leadership. They've you know, they've been through it now for a few years now. You know they've never gone to the Cup finals or anything, but they they have experience behind it.
But you know, you get that balance. I mean you want, you know, you want raw young energy and you also, as you touch on Matt, is it you know you want you want the veteran presence, uh, the guys that settle things down when you know, when it gets gets a little hairy out there, Guys with a lot of experience. So he's got he's got that's got that good mix of of players that throughout the line up in that in that spectrum.
What what do you think Derek Lallan's been learned uh last year that will help him this year as head goat.
Yeah, I have more experience behind the bench. He's a he's a type of coach that is striving to improve. He uh he has you know, hasn't got the team to the playoffs yet. I think there's going to be pressure on him this season to do that, even though even though the team could theoretically be improved and not make the playoffs, which I mean that's a kind of a sliver of a of an area to get into. But I think Lulan is well respected by the players,
real smart, a student of the game. I think he's you know, a lot more confidence now he's got you know, he's got this team to believe more on what he has on the on the bench, will come to approach it with more confidence this season. He's a smart man. It's good a key year for him though, definitely for in his tender as as coach for the Wings.
Yeah, the division is so much better. I mean, it's it's such a hard division to try and come out of there. I'm interested in this though. You're you're a guy from Scarborough, Ontario, but you're a Detroiter. How caught up are you in in the Tigers' success recent success and and the Lions expectations as a fan?
Stepping back a little bit, well, it's I mean I've been here now, lived in Detroit now for twenty five years. It's uh, I mean I've been here by far longer than anywhere else, even where I grew up, as you point out, in Scarborough. Of course you I'm a huge sports fan, and the Lion story is really the Tiger
story is is really intriguing. That's, you know, a team that you know left for dead I think a bit big of a strong comment, but the team that were you know, nobody thought that they could do with they what they've done this season. So it's an exciting time. And those you know, they've as a team, they've really rallied around being the underdog boy. They've obviously played it to the to the best. And then and then you have the Lions, which I mean the hiccup last last weekend,
a team that the expectations. What scares me is I always hate the situation where some people were handling them the super Bowl, which is always makes me nervous when there's that much calm, and especially in football, so I mean it's excame time. We just need the Pistons to kind of get themselves back on track. They've made management moves, so hopefully that'll be the case. But yeah, for a sports fan now and then the state of Michigan, well you've got a lot to root for.
What would you tell young athletes who have those expectations, because look, you've been on teams and you personally the expectations were there. I mean, you had it with Pittsburgh, you had it with the Red Wings, you had it in Washington with great players, great teams in general, and the expectations were super high. How do you how do you handle that? And how would you suggest young players handle that today?
I think you, Uh, it's almost the same for for for every player in every situation. Is you need to you need to have a real honest talk with yourself, a real honest self evaluation of of of how you're playing and what you need to improve on it that you always have to there's always has need to be a push to improve. That's always got to be a case right to the day that you retire. You got to you can make yourself a better player, and that's a healthy approach to the game. Dealing with pressure is
it's it's difficult. That's a situation you'd love to be in. I mean, the Wings would love to be in a situation where they're considered a threat for the Stanley Cup. That comes with it comes up, you've got to handle. You've got to be able to I guess, push that noise aside. Focus on yourself as a player and focus on what can I do to increase this this team's chance.
And it's the same winning and losing, But dealing with the pressure is definitely a different element that top teams, top teams players have to deal with.
You're working out today as usual.
I'll be there. I'll see you there chep watching you throw those weights around.
Like I'll Actually, I'll be working at my house today. I'm skipping a workout day because I'm working on the house, replacing some some things that I probably shouldn't because I'm really not qualified. How much did you enjoy doing TV? Did you ever think TV?
What's that? Sorry, Matt?
Did you ever think you'd be doing I mean as a player, did you ever think when I'm done? Yeah, I'm going to get in front of the camera. I'm going to be a hell of an analyst for somebody.
Now I it's fell into my lap. Actually at the time it was Fox Sports reached out to me after I retired and asked if I wanted to do it, and I thought, yeah, this is something that I should
like to give a try. And I was happy. It was perfect for me because if you want, like coaching is something that I've been asked about, I want, is that something that you wish you had done or something that you wanted to pursue, And I said no, because it's a it's a huge commitment to coach, time wise, pure wise, and if I wanted to be a head coach, I'd end up having to move taking those steps to
get to that point you got to. I'd have to end up moving coaching a couple of different teams at start an assistant coach, and maybe go around America League head coach. So, I mean, it was a process that I just didn't find appealing TV. I feel part of the game. It's exciting. I get to watch the games, and fortunately it's not my I'm not based on what was on the ice. So winning or losing. I don't have to deal with that pressure. I just have to
deal with doing the best I can. And I love the sports, so I love being around the players, the excitement. So that's you know, being in television gives me that opportunity.
Last thing before I let you go and weisha a happy weekend and a safe one. You have to watch games differently because you played at such a high level. You played with some of the greatest players of all team of all time, rather with Gretzky and them and Yagur and so on and so forth, we go on
and on and on, and you were that too. How challenging is it for such a high level athlete in his sport, among the best the world has ever seen, to watch players and and and truly get impressed by how good they are.
Now, well, it's it's I think in terms of that being impressed. I mean, I'm the same as probably anybody any fan that watches the game and just you know, you get a good player, you wow. I mean, they're they're incredible. I had the good fortune, you know, I played in Pittsburgh with with the Mary Lemue, which would fit in that category. I mean, just stuff that you know only he could do type of thing. And I was even you know, even playing in the in the
National Hockey Tague and he kind of go WHOA. When you see see the things that he was able able to do out there on the ice, it's it's uh, it's it's amazing. It's no matter where you're coming from, it's just you're amazed at what you see. And you know, I'm amazed when you know, I at the Red Wings, I mean this time during the season, especially this past year, where I see Patrick Kine, I mean to talk about a guy that missedter impact. I mean, that's to me,
that's the type of player. I always tried to be a guy that when the chips are on the line, that you come through. And I love seeing guys and then you know, you go sire, go lark, And I mean I can go down the list that during the season where guys step up and crunch time and produce. I mean, that's what I love. I find that that
impresses me to the day. And that's what you tried to do if you wanted to be the guy as the expression goes, you know, when the games on the line can't give me the ball, you know, those are the guys that you just love to watch.
Yeah, Raymond did that for them down the stretch.
All right.
Well, let's hope that he and the Red Wings do it again this year. We'll be watching all season long. Very fortunate to have Larry Murphy breaking it down for us on Valley Sports Detroit, and very fortunate for him to join us here this morning. Murphy, thanks a lot. Man, really enjoyed it as always. You're such a good person, a great and you do a hell of a job on TV. Thanks for the Hall of Fame insight. Have a great weekend, my friend.
Yeah, thanks Matt, you too. I enjoyed it.