Getting to Know: Matt Murley

SArampage.com caught up with San Antonio forward Matt Murley prior to practice at the Ice Center at Northwoods. The sixth-year pro is in his first season with the Rampage. He spent last season with the Albany River Rats. In 59 NHL games, all with Pittsburgh, he has registered two goals and six assists.

SAR:  Where are you from and what is it nearby?

MM:  I am from Troy, New York. It is right outside of Albany, NY which is 2.5 hours north of New York City.

SAR:  What was it like playing for the Albany River Rats last season? It had to be pretty neat to play in your hometown.

MM:  When I signed with Colorado that was the idea that I would get to play in Albany. It was a great year. It was fun having family and friends come to all your games.

SAR:  How did you end up in San Antonio this year?

MM:  There is a lot of opportunity signing with Phoenix. Also it lets me see a different part of the world and play in a different conference. Plus, the opportunity to play another season.

SAR:  Pete Vandermeer said that he has noticed that games in the Western Conference seem to have a little more flow than in the Eastern Conference. Have you noticed that?

MM:  It is tough to tell for me so far because it has only been a couple of games. That is what I have already heard though. I have always played out East, so as the season goes on I'll have to keep an eye out for that.

SAR:  Any superstitions?

MM:  Everything I do is a superstition. Although I don't consider them to be superstitions. I think of it more as a routine that helps breed consistency. If you are doing something the same it prepares you to play the same way every night.

SAR:  Anything you have to do before a game or you literally just don't feel ready to play?

MM:  I would say my pre-game nap. That's probably my favorite part of the job.

SAR:  Favorite piece of technology?

MM:  My cell phone. Without being able to call or text people I wouldn't be able to survive.

SAR:  Favorite hockey memory?

MM:  My first NHL game. It was a dream I had always worked for and thought about since I was four or five years old. When I finally accomplished it by playing against the L.A. Kings with the Pittsburgh Penguins (Oct. 10, 2003), that was a pretty good day.

SAR:  First hockey memory?

MM:  The one I remember is the first penalty I took. I didn't know what was going on and I was playing on my older brother's team when I was four or five years old. They tried to put me in the penalty box and I threw a big temper tantrum.

SAR:  Biggest influence on my career?

MM:  My parents and my brother. They were always there to drive me out to Syracuse to practice which was a 2.5 hour drive each day. They always supported me. The youth hockey in Troy wasn't that great at the time, so they found a team in Syracuse that had a great coach and some other good players.

SAR:  Where did you go to school?

MM:  I played tier II juniors up in Canada and then I played four years at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. I studied Business Management and concentrated in Marketing and got a minor in Psychology. While I was at R.P.I., I got drafted by Pittsburgh in the second round in the 1999 NHL entry Draft.

SAR:  Favorite college hockey memory?

MM:  It would have to be my first game. Playing in my hometown and there were a lot of expectations on me. I had a goal and we ended up beating Boston University in overtime.

SAR: Have you always been a forward?

MM:  Pretty much. I played forward on a high school team close to home and also for the Syracuse team. My first year of Mites I played forward, but my second year I played defense because we didn't have any, then I switched back to forward.

SAR:  Favorite NHL team growing up?

MM:  I was an Islanders fan because they had their AHL team in Troy, NY and I grew up watching them.

SAR:  Player you enjoyed watching growing up?

MM:  I always liked watching Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. I also liked Joey Juneau because he went to R.P.I. and I grew up watching him.