| Round | Overall |
| 1 | 11 |
 |
 |
Left-hand shot. Hockey News Pre-Draft Ranking: 17
Pre-Draft Statistics
| Year | Team | League | GP | G | A | TP | PIM |
| 1968-69 | Ottawa | OHA | 46 | 24 | 26 | 50 | 48 |
| 1969-70 | Ottawa | OHA | 52 | 22 | 24 | 46 | 53 |
| 1970-71 | Ottawa | OHA | 44 | 26 | 32 | 58 | 36 |
Pre-Draft Notes
Also played right wing. ... Attended Laurentian High School in Ottawa.
Career Vitals
| First contract: | August 16, 1971 |
| Debut: | October 29, 1972 (Montreal at Detroit) |
| Final NHL game: | April 12, 1979 (playoffs) (Los Angeles vs. N.Y. Rangers) |
| Retired: | 1979 |
| Stanley Cup: | 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978 |
| Numbers worn: | 17 (Montreal); 9 (Los Angeles) |
Career NHL Statistics
Teams: Montreal,
Los Angeles
Years: 1972-1979. Playoffs: 1973-1979
| Regular Season | |||||
| GP | G | A | TP | PIM | |
| 7 years | 386 | 94 | 95 | 189 | 162 |
| Stanley Cup Playoffs | |||||
| GP | G | A | TP | PIM | |
| 6 years | 53 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 32 |
| Complete statistics available at NHL.com | |||||
Career Highlights
Also played right wing during pro career. ... Won AHL Calder Cup with
Nova Scotia in 1972. ... Scored goal in his first NHL game at a 4:22 of the first period
to gave Montreal a 1-0 lead in a game the
Canadiens went on to win 2-1. ... Played 12 regular-season games with
1977-78 Montreal team that went on to win Stanley Cup, but did not appear in
playoffs due to injury. ... Member of the Ottawa West Hockey Association Wall of
Fame.
Wilson Wins in Court
Wilson retired from pro hockey during Los Angeles' 1979 training camp. At the time, he was suffering from chronic foot and back pain, partially related to surgery he had in the fall of 1977. He still had two years left on his contract and money owed to him, but the Los Angeles Kings argued that the money should be paid by Montreal, which had knowingly traded them an injured player. Los Angeles felt that it did not have to pay the money because Wilson's injuries were pre-existing conditions when he joined the team. The case ended up in court, and on June 23, 1981, Wilson was the winner, as an arbitrator awarded him $230,000 from the Kings.
Transaction History
Oct. 6, 1978 -- Traded by Montreal
to Los Angeles for future considerations (Montreal later sent its
1981 first-round pick, Gilbert Delorme, to Los Angeles in exchange for
1979 first-round pick, Jay Wells).
Significant Injuries
Missed remainder of 1977-78 season and entire 1978
playoffs with pain in knees and hips, aggravated for the final
time during Montreal's Nov. 12, 1977, game vs. Toronto. The injury
required season-ending surgery to repair a disc in his back. ... Missed part of 1978-79 season with shoulder injury,
suffered in Los Angeles' Jan. 6, 1979, game at Pittsburgh. He did
not return until Los Angeles' Feb. 21, 1979, game vs. Boston.
Life Outside the NHL
Full Name: Murray
Charles Wilson
Other Post-Draft Teams: Nova
Scotia (AHL)
Broadcasting Career: Named
Montreal English-language radio color commentator in October 2000 and
remained in that position until he retired at the end of the 2009-10
season.
•
Wilson on LinkedIn
Family: Older brother of former NHL player
and current NHL executive Doug Wilson
Jr. ... Son of former Ottawa (OHA) scout Doug Wilson Sr.
Miscellaneous:
| Selected by Chicago Cougars in 1972 WHA Draft -- the first-ever WHA Draft -- in February 1972. | Selected by Cincinnati Stingers in 1973 WHA draft of established professional players. | Son of a Canadian Air Force Major, he spent three years of childhood in Grimsby, England. | Played on line with Rejean Houle and Henri Richard for Montreal in 1972-73. |
| Was widely recognized as one of NHL's fastest skaters during his playing career. | Had his first name spelled wrong as "Murry" on Stanley Cup in 1973, 1976, and 1977. | Missed part of 1978-79 season due to medical complications involved in birth of his daughter. | Became active player in the Oldtimers' hockey circuit during years after his retirement. |
| SNAPSHOT '71 | |
| Total Selected: | 117 |
| Forwards: | 63 |
| Defense: | 45 |
| Goaltenders: | 9 |
| Major Junior: | 84 |
| College Players: | 19 |
| Canadian: | 107 |
| Euro-Canadian: | 2 |
| American: | 8 |
| European: | 0 |
| Reached NHL: | 50 |
| Won Stanley Cup: | 5 |
| Hall of Fame: | 3 |
| All-Star Game: | 10 |
| Year-end All-Star: | 5 |
| Olympians: | 4 |
| Picks Traded: | 18 |
| 1971 PICKS BY TEAM | ||
| Boston | Buffalo | California |
| Chicago | Detroit | Los Angeles |
| Minnesota | Montreal | New York |
| Philadelphia | Pittsburgh | St. Louis |
| Toronto | Vancouver | |
OTHERS DRAFTED IN 1971