Written By Don Klepp
Let’s start this article with a short question-and-answer.
Q: How do you pack a 200-pound heart into a 170 pound body?
A: I don’t know; you’ll have to ask Kyle Murphy.
An example of Kyle’s work ethic and determination came in the final two games of this year’s RBC Cup, held recently in Camrose, Alberta. He played the entire tournament on a wonky left knee. Then, in the semi-final against Wellington, he laid himself full out to block a shot.
The puck sliced his right knee open, but he finished the game and then played the final game with both knees heavily bandaged. As Mark Ferner put it, “Some guys in the playoffs will play on one leg because it’s the playoffs. Murph played that final game on no legs.”
“We brought him in to be a veteran leader because of what we heard about his character. That’s exactly what he brought to the team. He was great in the [faceoff] circle, he checked like crazy, and he just played the game right.”
Kyle often showed his gutsy style in the faceoff circle, where he would get down low and work to tie up opposing centres. He especially excelled late in games. Case in point: in the seventh game against Spruce Grove, Kyle won his last five draws, all in the Viper zone, with the Vipers clinging to a one-goal lead.
His tenacious play led the Viper broadcast crew to refer to the New Jersey native as a “bulldog, ”a “pit bull,” and a “terrier.” (The Viper broadcasters’ grasp of canine terminology is somewhat inconsistent, but they recognize tenacity when they see it.)
Kyle also put up some decent scoring numbers, 20 goals and 28 assists in 78 games, good for fourth place on the team. His biggest goal was the neat deflection that knotted the score at 3-3 in the Vipers’ sensational comeback win over the Powell River Kings in the deciding game of the Fred Page Cup.
He certainly had the pedigree to be successful. He played at a high level in Boston minor hockey and then at the Shattuck St. Mary’s prep school before accepting a scholarship to the fabled Notre Dame university.
At Notre Dame, he didn’t get the ice time that he expected. So, even though the experience of studying and
living at Notre Dame “was first class,” he opted to leave that school to “play the game I love at a level I could accept.”
The study skills he developed at Shattuck St. Mary’s and Notre Dame have certainly helped him navigate a challenging year in Vernon. In order to retain his remaining two years of NCAA eligibility, this year he had to take a full load of university classes and graduate with an associate degree.
This year he took 10 business classes through the extensive online program at Central Texas College. He completed six of those courses after Christmas. How did he manage it? He says, “I still can’t believe it, to be honest. It’s all a blur. It got really hectic, especially during the playoffs when the assignments and exams came thick and fast. But I got some help from the team’s academic advisors and I tried to plan ahead.”
His work has paid off – he has earned an “A” in every one of the 10 classes, an amazing achievement for someone involved in a lengthy playoff run.
One of his business classes was a business internship. He chose to work in the Viper office, with Marketing
Manager Heidi Haas and Business Operations Manager Todd Miller. Kyle helped with publicity, promotions, sponsorship sales, and ticket sales, in what he calls “a really good experience for someone who’s interested in sports and business. I learned a lot about the business side of a sports organization from Heidi and Todd.”
As he reclined in a bed at Vernon Jubilee hospital, recovering from the second of two operations to deal with a staph infection that has ravaged his cut right knee, Kyle spoke of the Viper coaches. “I’ve been lucky to have good coaches over the years, but Ferns and Willy are one of the best, if not the best coaching staffs I’ve played for. Their knowledge and communications make them exactly the kind of coaches a player wants.”
He’s looking forward to getting rid of the IV drip line, which he’ll have for a couple of weeks after he leaves
hospital: “once the antibiotics kick in, I’ll get back to training and I’ll get ready for this fall.”
He is mulling offers from three universities, all in the Northeastern United States. “All three are good schools for academics and hockey. I’m looking forward to next year, but I’ll never forget the great year I had in Vernon.”
