Shawville has lost one of its most famous residents, and a legend in the Pontiac.
Former Ottawa Senators General Manager Bryan Murray, who wore his Shawville roots on his sleeve, passed away on Aug. 12.
Just one look at the outpouring of stories, condolences and well-wishes shows how many lives Murray touched.
People from Shawville, and many small towns, pride themselves on the fact that their word is their bond, and a handshake is as good as a signature on a dotted line.

When Murray was negotiating a new contract with Senators defenseman Chris Phillips, the two sides hammered out a deal with no agents present and sealed the deal with a simple handshake.
After their road trip, the two sides signed a contract that was the exact same as the one they had agreed to verbally.
“That’s how I was raised,” Murray said. “Honesty and taking a man’s word is important. I hope that’s one of my legacies, that when I gave my word they knew I was good for it.”
In keeping with his Shawville roots, many people in the hockey community constantly referred to the fact that despite his success, Murray always remained a down-to-earth Shawville boy, regularly recounting stories from his days growing up here.
“What I always enjoyed about Bryan Murray, no matter his NHL status, is that he was Shawville through-and-through,” tweeted Sportsnet’s Arash Madani.
Sports journalists are some of the most cynical journalists out there. So when you hear so many of them speak about Murray the way they have, you know he had an impact on them.
Even the way that Murray faced a terminal cancer diagnosis – with nothing but dignity and strength – goes to show what kind of character he had.
In the face of his own mortality, he managed to turn an agonizing personal situation into something that helped others.
Murray famously said that if he had a colonoscopy done, it would have saved his life. So he implored others – especially men – to get their colons checked.
Many of the men who were affected by Murray’s story – and his courage – recounted their experiences getting an early diagnosis thanks to a colonoscopy. Thanks, mainly, to Bryan’s efforts.
He was a man who valued community and family more than anything.
After building what would become a powerhouse team with the Mighty Ducks, Murray up-and-left to come back home – to Ottawa.
“When I got a chance to come home where my family and friends were, that was important to me,” he said.
His impact was immediate. Murray came back to the Ottawa Valley in the 2005-06 season where the team lost in the second round of the playoffs.
The following year, he took the team all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals for the only time in the organization’s modern history.
Although the Senators lost to the Mighty Ducks in five games, it seems fitting that the only team Murray’s squad couldn’t beat was the one he had made.
Building on his image as a proud local boy, Murray showed his affinity for the region by drafting and developing several players from the Ottawa area.
Names like Marc Methot, Cody Ceci, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Mark Boroweicki are all Ottawa-area names that were brought in by Murray.
“If you bring local people into the organization you get, first of all, loyalty,” he said. “And it’s a good attachment for the fans.”
Boy, do the fans love Murray.
Before he was enshrined in the Ottawa Senators’ Ring of Honour, Murray got his own personal space in many of our hearts during the fight-filled game between the Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres in 2007.
The sight of Murray standing on the board screaming at Buffalo’s enraged coach Lindy Ruff will be forever seared in our memory.
That moment showed us just the kind of guy he was. Never afraid to back down. Never afraid to go stick up for his players. One of us.
It’s why his players loved him, and why Senators fans hold him in such high regard.
Well, Senators fans and the hockey world will be out in full force at the celebration of life on Aug. 24 to pay respects to the first truly local product that us fans bonded with.
He will be missed, but the towering achievements of such a great man will serve as a constant reminder of just the kind of person he was.

Chris Lowrey