Bio

Like most kids living in St. Louis in the late 60's and early 70's, John caught the hockey bug when the St. Louis Blues came to town. John and his younger brother Bill were introduced to hockey by their father Bill Murray Sr. (HOF 2010) in an up close and personal manner. Through the relationship of Bill Murray Sr. with Noel Picard, Barclay Plager and Bob Plager, John was influenced by three of the most colorful players in St. Louis Blue's history.

After attending the St. Louis Blue's hockey school at the Winterland Ice Rink, that fall John joined the Steinberg Hockey Club for the 1971-72 season. Coach Tom Haveland introduced John to the position of defense in his first season of organized hockey. The following season, Bill Murray Sr. initiated the building of the Affton Ice Rink. Here, John played Bantams, Midgets and JR B for Bill Murray Sr. He was a member of the original Affton American JR. B team where he was selected as the league's top defenseman. The Affton High School hockey program was also part of his playing career where he was a member of the 1974-75 Mid States High School Hockey Championship team.

During the last game of his JR.B playoff in 1976, John suffered a serious injury to his left eye when a puck struck it at full force. This left John blind in one eye. At the time, Bill Selman, than the coach of the St. Louis University Hockey Team was following John-s progress as a hockey player. He decided to offer John a scholarship to play Division I NCAA hockey for the hockey Billiken's. Knowing that John still wanted to play baseball, St. Louis U. Baseball Coach Tom Dix assisted Bill Selman in recruiting John to St. Louis U. by adding baseball to the scholarship. John played on the last three St. Louis University NCAA hockey teams from 1976 thru 1979 earning the teams Most Improved Player Award in 1978.

After finishing his hockey playing days, John joined the ranks of the hockey coaches in St. Louis. He spent considerable time teaching kids of all ages the game that he so loved. Eventually, John found his coaching niche at the high school level. He helped guide the DeSmet Spartan Hockey Team to back to back Mid States Championships during the 1988-89 and 1989-90 seasons. Following five seasons as the Head Coach of the Lindbergh Flyers High School Hockey Club, John rejoined the DeSmet Spartans for the 2008-2009 season. During his last season of coaching, the Spartans once again won the Mid States High School Hockey Championship in 2010.

Today, John works as a Regional Sales Manager for the Vistar Corporation. He enjoys spending time with his wife Joan, their daughters Lauren and Lindsay and their grandson Austin. John is humbled and deeply honored to be inducted into the St. Louis Amateur Hockey Hall of Fame.