Ducks GM Bob Murray accused of throwing a chair at a woman

In case you missed the news yesterday, the Anaheim Ducks put longtime general manager Bob Murray on administrative leave pending an "ongoing investigation related to professional conduct."

The Ducks said in a statement yesterday that the team was made aware of "accusation of improper professional conduct" from Murray and that LA law firm Sheppard Mullin will perform a full investigation into any allegations against Murray.

What's most shocking to me though about all of this though is that no one seems to be surprised by this news. ESPN insider Greg Wyshynski even reported that NHL executives aren't surprised that Murray is under investigation. Some went so far as to call Murray an "asshole."

To me, I've always just seen Murray as a hard-assed, no-nonsense, old-school kind of hockey guy. But, after digging around about into his past, it's not difficult to imagine that he could be at the center of some controversy.

A cursory search of Murray's name on Google will bring up a story from 2012 in which Murray is alleged to have thrown a chair at a woman during a Ducks game in Detroit against the Detroit Red Wings. Murray was sued by then 45 year old Rachael Paris who accused Murray of assaulting her and sought damages for assault. The case ultimately went to court and was heard by a jury, but was thrown out because Paris' lawyer had failed to file the lawsuit properly. So... while Murray escaped culpability on these charges, it's important to note that he essentially got off on a technicality.  Witnesses testified that Murray indeed threw a chair at Paris, but again she was not able to receive damages due to improperly filing her case with the state of Michigan.

While this case has nothing to do with the current investigation at hand, it's telling in that it gives you a glimpse into what Murray is capable of. If he managed to do this sort of thing in clear sight of people at an NHL game, I can only imagine what kind of things he does behind closed doors.