Finding Murph: How Joe Murphy Went From Winning a Championship to Living Homeless in the Bush

by Rick Westhead

Finalist for the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize JOE MURPHY HAD IT ALL. In 1986, he became the first college-educated hockey player selected first overall in the NHL entry draft. He won a Stanley Cup in Edmonton four years later. But since then, his life has taken a tragic turn, largely due to the untreated brain injuries he suffered as a player. Murphy’s life didn’t begin on a track that would lead to homelessness. He was smart, dedicated to hockey and was a key player for the Oilers, Red Wings and Blackhawks, among other teams. But one vicious body check changed his life forever. Despite being shaken by the hit, Murphy was cleared to return to the game. Soon after, his entire life seemed to change.  Murphy became a journeyman, moving from team to team. Along the way, other NHLers said they noticed something different about him, too. Murphy wasn’t acting like himself and soon found himself out of the NHL entirely. Eventually, Murphy became homeless. In the spring of 2018, Murphy made his way to Kenora, Ontario, where he lived in the bush, spending his days outside a local convenience store, muttering to himself and taking handouts of food and drinks from passersby. The player who had once set the NHL aflame now slept by the side of the road in the unforgiving North.  In Finding Murph , Rick Westhead traces the true story of Joe Murphy and examines the role of the NHL in the downward spiral of one of the league’s most promising players.

Genres: Hockey, Sports, Nonfiction, Biography, Audiobook, Autobiography

360 pages, Hardcover

Published October 13, 2020

Reviews

[Mylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, but incredibly tough to read at times. Joe Murphy is a #1 NHL draft pick who, after playing nearly 1,000 games in the league, left hockey. Since retirement, his mental state and fortunes have declined significantly, due at least in part to the head trauma he sustained over the years as a professional hockey player. He is currently penniless and homeless. This book reads well, but reading about the human side of mental health and CTE is troubling, and the NHL's inaction to study, understand and prevent these types of head injuries is even more troubling. I would recommend this one along with Ken Dryden's Game Change for any hockey fans out there questioning the prevailing knowledge of "hockey people" and their disregard for the health of players.

[Jen Keating · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2. Full disclosure- This was my husband’s book. I grabbed it on a recent flight as I had finished the book I brought, so it’s not my normal reading material.

Interesting background into traumatic brain injuries and concussion syndrome, and really disappointing reading about how the NHL has and continues to handle concussions/CTE/concussion protocol. There was a lot of material to include, though, and sometimes the Murphy storyline seemed more of an after-thought to help personalize the tremendous research done about concussions/brain trauma in the NHL- we learned more about some of his head injuries in the last 30 pages than in the first 300. Overall, it was a good read. I really hope this book sparks a movement to better protect and take care of NHL athletes.

[Trina · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 I had too high of expectations. I was expecting it to be an expose of the concussion crisis in hockey and a biography of Joe Murphy, but I feel it fell short in both regards, at least narratively. It is an absolute travesty that he hasn't been helped with the mental health consequences of his career; he was still unhoused in late 2022. The NHL needs to do a lot better.

[Joshua Giblett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for someone who is interested in CTE or wants to learn about the effects of the disease. Truly unbelievable as a hockey fan, to read about a first overall pick, Stanley cup champion, and what happened after his career was over.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

first, absolutely amazing book! like sooooooooooooooo good. however! genuinely sick to my stomach after reading this! gary bettman deserves jail time! i think very definitely the most impressive work of investigative journalism i have ever seen and the most amazingly comprehensive account of head injuries in hockey and the nhl's blatant disregard for the wellbeing of its players. rick westhead is a king for doing this. things i took away from this: everything the nhl does is to avoid pr scandals. nobody in charge of that league cares at all about protecting current players or supporting former players. additionally, how is the nhl worse at handling concussion protocol than the nfl. like. be sooooooooooo serious. that's so embarrassing. the nhl concussion spotter program is literally just for show. the nhl will spend years conducting studies on marketing techniques but will not spend a single second actually trying to make the sport safer for the athletes that make the money for the owners. i fear i could talk about this book forever and i will never ever have a nice thing to say about any of the nhl admin because the bottom line is they are cowards! and deserve jail time! once again, a hockey book uncovers the blatant negligence committed by all the doctors and coaches and trainers who were supposed to take care of this guy who entered this league at 18 years old. and once again, this kid literally never stood a chance! i did really enjoy the fact that this included interviews with joe murphy. so many of these books are only written after an athlete dies and in retrospect everyone interviewed feels bad about how much they didn't notice, so it was really awesome to see the early interviews with murphy where he called bullshit on all of these things and called the nhl out for giving him absolutely no help even when he asked. imagine being retired from the nhl for a year after being the first overall pick, winning a stanley cup, playing for a decade, being ignored by the doctors who are supposed to protect you during your career, and then going to the nhl/nhlpa substance abuse program and BEGGING for help only for them to say "you're not in the league anymore, we can't help you. best of luck!" i am so so so so so genuinely nauseous. i do however recommend this book with my whole entire heart and soul and think it should be required reading for anyone who is even mildly interested in hockey <3

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tough read. It did seem that the author blames all of Murphy’s issues on concussions/head injuries. His symptoms are more consistent with schizophrenia and by not interviewing the family in depth he left out possibly a major contributor to the problem. His ex-wife was glossed over as well. I think their wedding picture might have said it all. However a generally good look at the problem of mental illness in professional athletes

[Carolyn Woolridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

this isn’t my go-to genre, but it was recommended by a friend, so i figured i’d give it a go. while i didn’t find it was a real nail biter or page turner - you kind of know how things turn out in the end, it was still a great read.

i don’t follow the NHL much, so i was unaware of how bad their blindness towards concussions really was, and how little support they provided to their players once they were no longer with the organization. from my experience, any corporation that refers to itself as a “family” is a crock of shit anyway.

the author left no stone unturned, and tried to get the story from so many different angles. he spoke to people from all parts of joe’s career, and it helped create a whole picture of the person you’re learning about. i think the comparison to big tobacco is spot on - they are willfully ignorant to the vastness of information available to them.

it’s clear that joe was (is) a bit of an enigma, but lovable nonetheless. what’s more clear is that his health suffered as a result of his job, and no one paid enough attention - or, at least, they didn’t care to step in. and this is a guy who spent ten years in the league and won a stanley cup - those aren’t the average statistics i’m sure.

there’s no happy ending to leave you feeling uplifted - it is a sad, but interesting story detailing a severely corrupt organization.

[Anbey · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are guys falling through the cracks, big guys. Think about being on top of the food chain for all the years that guys play in the NHL. Whether it's fame or fortune or all the stuff that goes along with being one of the top 700 players who do their craft, it's a pretty damned good chapter of life. The next chapter, 30 to dead, is a long time.

Having read Boy on Ice recently, it's heartbreaking how often the NHL fails its players. There's so much research on the debilitating consequences of brain injuries, and not enough action taken to prevent/treat them. Great journalism. The inclusion of internal emails within the league was especially enlightening. 3.5 stars.

[Timon · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insightful book on the impact of concussions on NHL players and the approach the league has taken to support them (or not) as told through the story of Joe Murphy's hockey career and life after retiring from the league.

[Tricia Conroy · Rating 5 out of 5]

We saw Joe many times wandering through Kenora. Rick W is an impressive hockey journalist. This is an inside view of the lack of involvement of the NHL and NHLPA with regards to the concussion program. It's a sad story about Joe Murphy's spiralling life. My wish would be for less NHL fighting. I've made a library request for Rick's next book called We Breed Lions.

[Geoffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tragic story, chicken or the egg, addiction or the concussions? A must read for all hockey parents.

[Boni · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great detailed hockey book that gave snippets of history about junior and college hockey, draft day and rookies in camp, the politics of salary battles between management and players, famous coaches, famous teammates, winning the Stanley Cup, free agency, depression and mental health… wait, whaaaa? Yes, the game’s speed, hits, violence, and intensity does yield collateral damage. But what that damage is, is highly controversial, with corporate NHL Brass not wanting to listen to the ugliness of science, of facts, once you slice into the brain of an ex-warrior of the ice wars known as the National Hockey League. Well, any league actually.

Such a well-written book for the pure hockey fan, even without the focus of head trauma, of caution for parents out there who want to protect their progeny from concussions, from, headaches and body aches, from temper control issues, memory loss, confusion.

This is the story of Joe Murphy, a highly touted 18-yr old, ready to burn up the NHL, working his wares for one of the most storied organizations in hockey, the vaunted Detroit Red Wings. He would be their savior, eh. Jimmy Devalano, Mike Ilitch, Jacques Demeurs, Harry Neale… all revealed. Then we follow his journey through the NHL, eventually leading to homelessness brought on by severe mental health issues. But brain trauma aside, it’s clear this star was uniquely ‘wild’ to begin with. I’d never heard of his behavior in the staid team culture that is hockey. What an amazing collection of anecdotes, highlighting the personal demons of one Joe Murphy. 18 years after his last game, we find him on a Kenora park bench, with painful interviews recalling this young/old man’s journey. Finding a place to sleep and $20 was his main concern in life nowadays… having made and lost $20M over his hockey career. Drugs, gambling, and mental illness robbed him of that life. And the NHL didn’t care, worried about their public relations dilemma of fighting, of concussions, of making more money.

The book delved a little too deeply into CTE studies (linking concussions to long-term neurological disorders) for my tastes/intelligence, which was much less interesting to me than the actual hockey reminiscing itself. There are 318 players suing the NHL for concussion-related reasons. Superstar Sydney Crosby was out for 320 days. And the basics… There are about 700 players on the 32 teams, with an average salary of $2.7M, compared to $8.3M for basketball, $4.0M for baseball, and $3.3M for football.

The book had a great chapter near the end, on homelessness and the problem of living on the street, or in the forest, or at a shelter. So sad for everyone in that situation. Such a fall for a #1 draft pick, former friend and businessman, husband and father… now wearing his pants inside-out, searching for archangels.

[Brad Lockey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although a bit scattered at times, it's still a good read about something that I didn't know I would take so much interest in.
Hockey players were role models to me as a child.
I played hockey.
I watched hockey.
I looked up to the athletes.
And, as I got older, I started to read about things in the media; arrests, brawls off the ice, athletes spitting beer in patrons' faces at bars, car accidents, jail time, drug issues ... and the list goes on.
Only then did I realize that these athletes, these gods to children who adore the game of hockey, were also fathers, husbands, brothers, sons, uncles, cousins, etc... and they were not mentally built for stardom when entering the NHL at the ages of 17,18,19 and 20.
There's immense pressure on athletes today, and there always has been; however, I feel like kids entering the league today have a much more solid grounding of who they are, and who they will be personified as on the ice.
Mr. Joe Murphy got hit early in his career.
He got hit hard.
And it damaged his brain.
And it went unnoticed.
And now, he's living on the streets of Kenora/all over Canada with little, to no money.
Now, the fact that he ripped through millions of dollars during his career was his choice.
The fact that he didn't invest appropriately, bought things and sold them shortly after at a loss, and gambled $100,000+ away is not to go unsaid.
However, the NHL is a business.
Gary Bettman has said numerous times that the NHL is a family.
But it's a business first, and Bettman wants the NHL to be viewed as a family first.
There's a disconnect, and just like every other spectacle out there; it's about the $$$

[Sleaze Roxx · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and sad look into the effects of brain injuries in sports.

Finding Murph follows the career of NHL forward Joe Murphy, and his downward spiral. Was Murphy's current condition caused by the hits he took while playing the physical game of hockey... or was he always slightly 'off'? After reading this book cases could be made for both arguments.

The most frustrating aspect of Finding Murph is how the NHL both tried to discredit and hide the effects of concussions on their players, by both the league itself and former players who were later employed by it. In fact, there is an entire other story contained within that doesn't even involve Joe Murphy but should be explored by the author in future writings.

My only issue with Finding Murph is how a few tales begin and are quickly discarded without closure. That's a small gripe however, as Finding Murph is a book that tugs on your heart strings while also leaving the reader angry and aggravated.

[Dom Hung · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very important and difficult read about the dark corners and secrets of the NHL

Joe Murphy was a prime example of the post hockey life that may be more common than we would care to admit. Rick Westhead does a great job referencing some of the prior tragedies of past hockey players including recent ones like Wade Belak and Rick Rypien, as well as ones trying to bring proper care and justice to league like Dan Carcillo

I hope this book continues to get more attention as the NHL needs to not just go “back in my day…players were tough” as many of those players wind up like Joe Murphy or worse. Not all get glamourous post hockey life. However until people like Bettman, Campbell and others are out of the game, I’m more pessimistic than optimistic but this book I hope continues to build the pressure

[Costa Voutsinas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreaking book about Joe, as well as the ostrich in the sand NHL, especially the commissioner and his cronies. The author does a wonderful job sequencing Joe's childhood and pre-NHL hockey life with major events in the sporting world, especially hockey. As Joe is drafted by the Wings, we read how his downfall as a product of a major sport league, was for the most part predictable: pressure, distractions, money, drugs, gambling all exacerbate character traits that led to a destruction of Joe's marriage, family, career, sanity, and even his life. Hopefully this book helps position his legacy as one that can help others in their own lives. As for the NHL, they are and will always be 'all about business'. Ashamed to read about Montreal's role in hiding player injuries when those entrusted clearly have the pedigree and medical knowledge to care for these men.

[C.J. Frederick · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
I picked up this book because of the video I watched about the downfall and disappearance of Joe Murphy. I am not really interested in books that recount NHL games or seasons (just not my interest area). I skimmed most of the book until the final chapters where I read about CTE and Joe Murphy and the NHL's treatment of its players. This is one of the most devastating stories I've ever heard. Overall #1 NHL draft pick, Stanley Cup winner, now living homeless. (BTW, do we have any recent updates about Joe and his whereabouts? I think abou think about him often.)
The NHL is indeed a big business and the players are simply rooks on the board. We'd love to think that their health and happiness matter, but when it comes to the almighty dollar, it doesn't. That makes me sad. Thanks to the author for exposing and shining light on Joe Murphy's devastating situation.

[John De Marchi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rick Westhead did a fine job researching and exposing on how the NHL knew there was a problem with brain trauma injuries and did little to combat the safety of the hockey players. Even a lot of the teams didn't do enough to address this problem.

Unfortunately, for Joe Murphy, we went from being the no. 1 pick in the NHL, winning the Stanley Cup , to being homeless after his NHL career was over. His brain injuries led him to his impairment and cognitive judgements that led him being in trouble with the law, marriage breakup and penniless.

Here is a documentary from W5:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8vqU...

[Robyn]

DNF

I like hockey, and I was interested in reading about the physical and mental toll it takes on its players, especially prior to a lot of the safety rules that have come into place in the last few decades. However, this is brutal to get through. The author takes readers through Murphy’s early years and goes into way too much detail about scores of past games, etc that are monotonous and uninteresting. Combined with the fact that I’m newer to hockey, and wasn’t alive in the 70s-80s, a lot of the names and details are going over my head and I couldn’t keep track of it all. So much felt irrelevant.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never thought I’d read a book about Joe Murphy, formerl member of the vaunted Edmonton Oilers “Kid Line,” being homeless. This is an incredibly sad story of a former NHL player who lost everything. A head injury suffered while playing in the NHL a likely major contributing factor to his downfall. Not properly treated it started a domino effect on his life which has culminated in his current situation. Rick Westhead has done a masterful job of documenting his life and career and what likely led to Murphy’s current challenges. Maybe one day the NHL will listen, but I doubt it.

[Jim Peplinski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finding murph
Some interesting anecdotes
Not much I haven’t seen / heard before
NHL is a business. Follow the money.
Murphy’s case is more spectacular than most - highs to lows and not uncommon only in its range and intensity
Unclear how much his behaviour was already ingrained
No responsibility personally - pro sport has a physical cost with risks. Your pay check, love of the game, access, ego, (celebrity status) is what you get for taking those risks.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

The NHL continues in denial, not wanting to study the effects of on-ice concussions because to do so would require that they change their approach to brain injuries. The way the owners treat team doctors is particularly damming.

And so the lives of players like Joe Murphy will continue to be released into an existence of self medication (drugs), divorce and, all too frequently, suicide.

Apparently Joe has left Kenora for good and now can be found wandering the streets of Regina

[Mark Nenadov]

The story of Joe Murphy, born in London, Ontario. He was the first draft pick in the 1986 NHL draft. He won a Stanley Cup, spent 15 years in professional hockey, and played roughly 1,000 games. He made over $15 million throughout his playing career. The book emphasizes the role brain trama from injuries played in his life. He ended up moving in Costa Rica, got deported, and has since lived most of life up to now homeless in various locations in Canada.

[Earl Grey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great look into how hockey players were treated in the 80's and 90's in regards to their mental health and treatment that was available or lack there of.

After reading this one, I have a greater appreciation for professional athletes in any sport of any caliber as they have given up more than you may think to entertain the viewers.

I would recommend this book to any sports watchers or anyone interested in mental health.

Earl Grey, signing out.

[Matthew RC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of interesting but I wonder if concussions are truly the issue here. At least perhaps not the sole issue. Seems to me that Murphy has at least some underlying mental health diagnosis perhaps BPAD or a schizophreniform disorder? Lots of long standing issues with Murphy’s thought processes that seem to predate the head trauma. Now, should the NHL and hockey in general be doing more about concussions? 100%!! Are concussions the sole cause of the unravelling of Joe Murphy? I’m less convinced.

[Jason Weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scary what hits to the head/ concussions can do to a person if not treated properly.
Murphy’s story is a sad one. A lot of the times people/athletes like Murphy self medicate because of the pain/side effects, so that never helps their situation in the long term.
A must read for any hockey/sports fan.
I hope that Murphy finds the help he really needs.

[Benjamin Pearce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very on par with Steve Montador and Derek Boogaard's books. An deep insight on the horrors of CTE, the aftermath of playing pro hockey and the NHL's denial of anything wrong. My one major gripe - the book makes it seem like ALL of Murphy's life problems stemmed from CTE. I'm not buying that. I think Murphy's life choices and a combination of brain trauma caused him to end up homeless.

[Jeff Oberholtzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

book was okay. could have removed a couple of chapters at the end dealing with concussions in general and nothing really about Joe. hopefully the author is giving some of his earnings from this book to Murphy!

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story of how the NHL has not done enough to take the proper care for their employees once they have a concussion. Really makes you wonder what findings will be found in 50 years from now from all former professional athletes.

[Dallen Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more than just a book about a hockey player. The author is a true historian with amazing stories and analysis on more than just Joe Murphy. A lot and I mean a lot of CTE talk, endless chapters. This book is sad, and shines a new light on the NHL, the business, not the “family”.