Height: 5-8
Weight: 185
Shoot: R
Born: 7 Nov 1948, Calgary AB
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Regular Season & Playoff Scoring Record (key)
| year | team | |||||||||||
| 1973-74 | Minnesota | |||||||||||
| 1974-75 | Minnesota | |||||||||||
| Indianapolis | ||||||||||||
| Totals (2 teams) | ||||||||||||
| 1975-76 | Indianapolis | |||||||||||
| Totals: |
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Saints Sign Another Scorer (excerpt) • by Charlie Hallman • The Hockey Spectator • September 1973
The World Hockey Association — specifically the Minnesota Fighting Saints — moved in to snap up Murray Heatley, leading scorer for the Phoenix Roadrunners last season. The 24-year-old Calgary native is the right wing the Saints truly wanted — and got. In the WHL in 1972-73, Heatley banged in 43 goals and added 55 assists to become the league's second-leading scorer, behind a chap named Robbie Walton. And Walton, too, is now a Fighting Saint. "We needed goal scorers," said Saint General Manager Glen Sonmor. "Now we feel we have some to help Wayne Connelly and Bill Klatt." Last year, Connelly had 40 goals for the Saints. Klatt had 36. No one else had very many. In fact, Mike Antonovich was the only other player to score 20 or more. "We want goals," admits Minnesota Coach Harry Neale. "That's the name of the game, and that's why we signed the players we did." Sonmor adds, "I've watched Murray Heatley since he played college hockey at the University of Wisconsin. He was amazing with the Badgers. In just 90 games, he had 75 goals and 62 assists. That's a point and a half a game average." Heatley left Wisconsin midway through the 1970-71 season after completing his eligibility. His first game as a professional was with the Tulsa Oilers. The S-10, 185 pounder popped in a hat trick that night. His first full professional season was 1971-72, and despite injuries for part of the season, had 20 goals and 30 assists with the Oilers. The last player cut by the Maple Leafs in training camp, Heatley was farmed out to the Western League in 1972-73 under a special arrangement with Phoenix. "Jim Boyd and I were the only Leaf farmhands with Phoenix," says Heatley. "And we both had decent years." |
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Excerpts from Pro Hockey, WHA 1975-76 (by Dan Proudfoot)
The move from Minnesota Fighting Saints, a playoff team, to the lowly, expansion Racers brought nothing but delight to the 27-year-old Heatley, who was growing tired of being a big-league hanger-on. Heatley scored 15 goals and added eight assists in 29 games as he finished the 1974-75 season with the Racers. Earlier, used sparingly, he was credited with only five goals and nine assists as a Saint. "We knew what we were looking for," says coach Gerry Moore, "and that was a goal scorer. This guy can skate and shoot, which means goals." Heatley started his pro career in the Toronto Maple Leaf NHL organization, but after spending three years in the minor leagues the University of Wisconsin graduate switched to Minnesota and the WHA. Now, at last, he's with a team that wants to make full use of his talents. For Heatley it's a matter of doubling his production, doubling his fun. |
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Excerpts from Zander Hollander Complete Hockey Handbook, 1975-76 (by Reyn Davis)
Racers best man in front of the net ... Has a scoring touch on a team that has been agonizingly impotent in front of its own dear, patient fans ... Minnesota Fighting Saints devoted as much time, if not money, in trying to sign "Mole" as they did with Mike Walton ... Once signed, it wasn't long before he was in coach Harry Neale's doghouse ... Trade to Indianapolis gave him a new lease on life ... Consequently, he shaved his beard of protest ... Possesses an excellent wrist shot that is also accurate ... Racers' top sniper in 1974-75, connecting on 18 percent of his shots. |
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