Pittsburgh Penguins development camp is the domain of draft picks, college free agents and tryouts. So what was goalie Matt Murray doing out on the ice at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex on Wednesday?
Not that Matt Murray.
“A few inches shorter and one number off,” the other Matt Murray said after practice.
This Matt Murray is a 21-year-old UMass-Amherst sophomore who was invited to the Penguins’ development camp – not the 25-year-old, three-year NHL veteran Murray who has won the Stanley Cup twice.
The younger Murray (6 feet 1) was wearing No. 31 at development camp; the older one stands 6-4 and, as Penguins fans know, wears No. 30.
“He can have his number, he can have everything he’s got,” the UMass-Amherst Matt Murray said. “I’m happy with where I am at right now, and hopefully I can be there one day too.”
UMass Hockey's Matt Murray becomes #HockeyEast's goaltender of the month for November. pic.twitter.com/Q97lldiYp1
— Caroline O'Connor (@carolineocon19) December 5, 2018
Penguins camp attendee Murray said Penguins veteran Murray sent him a much-appreciated good-luck text when the younger Murray was draft eligible three years ago. Though he wasn’t drafted, this Matt Murray is making a name for himself — and attracting pro scouts’ attention — after going 20-5-0 with a 2.11 goals-against average and .919 save percentage in college this past season.
That gave him plenty of options for whom to attend camp with this summer, but he chose the Penguins — the team that has his far-more-famous namesake playing the same position.
That just added to the number of times he’s asked about the name-coincidence.
“A lot,” Murray said with a laugh. “A lot, yeah. It’s quite common in my daily life.
“(But) it’s fun, I’m used to it, it’s a good topic of conversation, so I don’t mind too much.”
