It’s a tough job…

A bit of scary news came over today when the Chicago Blackhawks announced that coach Joel Quenneville had been hospitalized and was in stable condition. Quenneville’s exact ailment was not immediately disclosed, but Quenneville has suffered from fatigue issues in the past and, in general, the stress of a late-season playoff push can’t be healthy for any NHL coach. Along those lines, Terry Murray was asked today about job stress, how difficult it can get and what measures he takes to try to avoid it…

MURRAY: “I know Joel went through a stress-related problem a few years ago, when he was over in Europe coaching Team Canada. Do I know what it feels like? Sure I do. It’s been 30-some years of it now. It’s hard. It’s hard to win when you’re supposed to win. That’s probably the hardest thing there is in sports. When you’re in that position, and you know you’ve got to get the job done and get to the Finals, and everybody is expecting you to get there or repeat, I have spent a lot of sleepless nights. You’re up until 2 in the morning sometimes, looking at your computer trying to figure things out. You’ve got to find some ways to get away from the game, too. You’ve got to spend time with your family. You’ve got to work out. You’ve got to just try hard to train yourself to break away, emotionally and mentally, even if it’s just for that evening. Those are maybe not the right answers, but that’s just something you have to train yourself to do.”

Question: Do you have any hobbies, or things that you try to do?

MURRAY: “I play golf in the summertime. I don’t play in the winter, though. I put the clubs away. I’ll work out. Especially in the early part of the year, I’ll work out. I think that, to me, does a lot. If I don’t work out at the practice facility, I have a bike and I’ll go for a ride on the Strand in L.A., go for a 15-mile bike ride. So it’s just doing something to get some kind of physical activity to get your mind away from the game. It works for me.”