Murray Craig Anderson (August 28, 1949 â May 13, 2025) was a Canadian ice hockey defenceman. He played 40 games in the National Hockey League with the Washington Capitals during the 1974âÂÂ75 season. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1970 to 1977, was spent in the minor leagues.
As a junior player in the MJHL and WCHL for the Flin Flon Bombers, Anderson teamed with future NHL greats Reggie Leach and Bobby Clarke.
Anderson was drafted in 1969 by the Montreal Canadiens with the 44th overall pick, but spent his early career playing in the AHL. Following the 1972-73 season, Montreal traded him to the Minnesota North Stars with Tony Featherstone for cash. After 1973-74, Anderson's most productive season in professional hockey (nine goals and 34 assists), Minnesota left him unprotected and he was claimed by the Washington Capitals during the 1974 NHL Expansion Draft.
In Anderson's only NHL season, 1974-75, he played 40 games for the hapless expansion Capitals (8-67-5 for 21 points) tallying a single point on an assist in a 10-3 loss to the Chicago Black Hawks. Anderson then played another two seasons in the minors before retiring.
Anderson died on May 13, 2025, at the age of 75.