Staff photo by Robert Willett
For a few fleeting moments, goaltender Mike Murphy could pretend he was Martin Brodeur or Dominik Hasek rather than one of the Hurricanes' prospects.
During a two-on-one hot-shot drill today at the RecZone, the Canes' Ron Francis jumped into the mix, joining the likes of Brandon Sutter or Zac Dalpe in firing shots at Murphy. It was Francis, a Hall of Famer and assistant general manager, against the 19-year-old Murphy, the Canes' sixth-round draft pick this year.
"It was a phenomenal experience and a surreal feeling," Murphy said with a big smile. "He's still got it. It's just an unbelievable feeling to be in a camp that you dreamed of making your whole life."
Francis found the net a few times but Murphy, from Kingston, Ontario, also stoned him one time and earned a big cheer from Hurricanes' fans on hand.
"I got lucky one time," Murphy said. "I'll probably think about it later, Ron Francis shooting on me. It's just a dream."
As for Francis, he said there would be no comeback. No Brett Favre stuff.
"No way," he said.
