Rangers Announce Coaching Staff Additions
Gord Murphy, Mike Kelly, and Jim Midgley named Assistant Coaches with the Rangers; Steve Smith named Assistant Coach with Hartford Wolf Pack
NEW YORK, August 24, 2021 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury announced today that the team has named Gord Murphy, Mike Kelly, and Jim Midgley Assistant Coaches with the Rangers, and that Steve Smith has been named an Assistant Coach with the Rangers’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack.
The 2021-22 season will be Murphy’s first full season with the Rangers coaching staff, as he has previously worked with the Rangers coaching staff during his tenure with the organization. Murphy served as an assistant coach with the Blueshirts during the Qualifying Round of the postseason in 2020, and he also assisted the Rangers coaching staff for several games in March of 2021.
Murphy enters the 2021-22 season with 18 years of professional coaching experience, including parts of 16 seasons as an assistant coach in the NHL. He previously served as an associate head coach with the Rangers’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, for the past two seasons. Murphy has served an assistant coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets (2002-03 – 2009-10), Florida Panthers (2010-11 – 2013-14), and Philadelphia Flyers (2014-15 – 2018-19) in his coaching career. He was on the same coaching staff with Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant in Columbus for parts of four seasons (2002-03 – 2006-07).
Prior to beginning his coaching career, Murphy played parts of 14 seasons in the NHL (1988-89 – 2001-02) with the Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, and Atlanta Thrashers. The defenseman skated in 862 career NHL games, registering 85 goals and 238 assists for 323 points, along with 668 penalty minutes.
Kelly has served as an assistant coach in the NHL for parts of eight seasons with the Vancouver Canucks (2006-07 and 2007-08), Florida Panthers (2014-15 – 2016-17), and Vegas Golden Knights (2017-18 – 2019-20), and he was a member of Gallant’s coaching staff with both Florida and Vegas. He also served as an assistant coach with Team Canada at the 2021 IIHF World Championship and helped the team win a gold medal. Kelly’s coaching experience dates back to 1988-89, when he first served as an assistant coach with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).
Midgley has served as a coach in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) for nine seasons, including one season as the Head Coach of the Halifax Mooseheads (2017-18). In his one season as Halifax’s Head Coach, he guided the Mooseheads to a 43-18-6-1 (W-L-OTL-SL) record and helped the team advance to the second round of the QMJHL Playoffs. Most recently, Midgley served as an Amateur Scout with the Philadelphia Flyers during the 2020-21 season, and he is serving as an Assistant Coach with Team Canada at the 2021 IIHF Women’s World Championship.
Smith joins the Rangers organization after spending parts of the last 11 seasons as an Assistant Coach in the NHL. He most recently served as an Assistant Coach with the Buffalo Sabres for parts of three seasons (2018-19 – 2020-21). Smith has also served as an Assistant Coach with the Carolina Hurricanes (2014-15 – 2017-18), Edmonton Oilers (2010-11 – 2013-14), and Calgary Flames (1997-98), and he spent two seasons as a scout with the Chicago Blackhawks (2008-09 – 2009-10).
Smith, who is a native of Glasgow, Scotland and grew up in Cobourg, Ontario, played parts of 16 seasons in the NHL (1984-85 – 1996-97; 1998-99 – 2000-01). A defenseman, Smith skated in 804 career NHL games with the Edmonton Oilers, Chicago Blackhawks, and Calgary Flames, registering 72 goals and 303 assists for 375 points, along with a plus-139 rating and 2,139 penalty minutes. He is a three-time Stanley Cup Champion, as he helped the Oilers win the Stanley Cup in 1986-87, 1987-88, and 1989-90. Smith played in the 1991 NHL All-Star Game and helped Canada win the 1991 Canada Cup. He was inducted into the Cobourg and District Sports Hall of Fame in 2019.
###