Ducks’ Murray out, to seek help for alcohol abuse

Anaheim Ducks executive vice president and general manager Bob Murray resigned on Wednesday, and will enroll in an alcohol abuse program, the team announced.

Jeff Solomon will be the club’s interim general manager, replacing Murray, who was placed on administrative leave Tuesday pending “an ongoing investigation related to professional conduct.”

Murray, 66, had been with the organization since 2005.

“First and foremost, we apologize on behalf of the organization to anyone affected by misconduct from Bob. We expect every member of our organization to be treated with respect and will not stand for abuse of any kind,” team owners Henry and Susan Samueli said in a Wednesday statement.

The team’s news release also included a statement from Murray.

“I want to apologize to anyone adversely affected by my behavior. I vow to make changes to my life, starting with enrolling in a treatment program,” he said. “I want to thank Henry and Susan Samueli, and Michael Schulman, as working for them has been one of the highlights of my career. As I step away from the Ducks, I will focus my attention on where it should be: improving my life for the betterment of my family and friends.”

In the release, the Ducks promised “a methodical, extensive search for a permanent general manager to lead us forward. We expect to complete this process no later than next summer.”

On Tuesday, the team said it “recently became aware of accusations of improper professional conduct” against Murray. The Ducks reviewed the matter internally and then hired the law firm Sheppard Mullin to perform an independent investigation.

Murray was an assistant general manager when Anaheim won the Stanley Cup in 2007 and replaced Brian Burke as general manager in November 2008. Murray was named NHL general manager of the year for the 2013-14 season.

It wasn’t one singular incident that led to this investigation, but rather Murray’s continued behavior toward staffers, coaches and players, sources told ESPN Tuesday night. One source described it as an “abusive culture.” A team source says all of the initial complaints involve verbal abuse.

This is the second internal investigation into the behavior of an NHL front office this year.

In October, the Chicago Blackhawks accepted the resignations of general manager Stan Bowman and senior director of hockey administration Al MacIsaac following an independent investigation into how the team handled sexual assault allegations against former video coach Brad Aldrich during its 2010 Stanley Cup run.

Former Blackhawks/then-current Florida Panthers coach Joel Quenneville also resigned after meeting with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman about his inaction after the claims made by former player Kyle Beach.

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