Flyers hire Gord Murphy as assistant coach

The Philadelphia Flyers have hired Gord Murphy as an assistant coach, according to general manager Ron Hextall. At the same time, Hextall announced that John Paddock will not return for the 2014-15 season.

Hextall had this to say about the addition:

Gord brings a wealth of experience as a player and as a coach at the NHL level. We are excited to have Gord on our staff and look forward to him working with our defensemen and the rest of our coaching staff. We’d like to thank John for being an integral part of our organization and we wish him the best in his future endeavors.

Murphy, 47, served as an assistant coach for 12 years, most recently in Florida alongside Kevin Dineen.  In 862 games as an NHL defenseman, Murphy recorded 85 goals and 238 assists with 668 penalty minutes.

Here's what Murphy had to say about his new gig:

I’m very excited and really looking forward to the opportunity and challenge of working with the Flyers organization and with Craig Berube and his staff. I couldn’t be more thrilled for this opportunity for myself and my family coming back to Philly. As a former player and now the last 11 years in my role as an assistant coach, I consider myself a good teacher with a good balance of experience. I really look forward to working with and mentoring the defensemen everyday by having them continue to improve and get the Flyers to where we all want to be.”