Cameron played university hockey with the University of Prince Edward Island from 1976 to 1979, during which he recorded 27 goals and 62 assists (89 points) in 49 games with the Panthers ice hockey team. He was drafted by the New York Islanders in the eighth round of the 1978 NHL entry draft.
After completing his university career, Cameron split the 1979–80 season between the Fort Wayne Komets of the International Hockey League and the Indianapolis Checkers of the Central Hockey League (CHL). In six games with the Komets, Cameron had three goals and six assists (nine points), and in 70 games with the Checkers, Cameron had 15 goals and 21 assists (36 points). In the playoffs, he had no points in seven games with Indianapolis.
Cameron returned to the Checkers for the 1980–81 season, where he had a breakout season, scoring 40 goals and 30 assists (70 points) in 78 games, along with 156 penalty minutes. In five playoff games, Cameron had two goals and three assists. On October 1, 1981, the Islanders traded Cameron and Bob Lorimer to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for the Rockies' first-round draft pick in the 1983 NHL entry draft, which the Islanders used to select future Hockey Hall of FamerPat LaFontaine.[2]
Cameron struggled in his second NHL season, as appeared in 35 games with the New Jersey Devils in 1982–83, scoring five goals and four assists (nine points). Cameron also spent time with the Wichita Wind of the CHL, scoring 6 goals and 9 assists (15 points) in 25 games.
Cameron spent the entire 1983–84 season with the Devils, scoring 9 goals and 12 assists (21 points) in a career-high 67 games.
Detroit Falcons/Port Huron Border Cats (1995–1997)
In 1995, Cameron was named as the head coach of the Detroit Falcons of the Colonial Hockey League.[2] In his first season with the club, the Falcons went 33–32–9, finishing in third place in the East Division.[2] In the first round of the playoffs, the Falcons upset the West Division winning Muskegon Fury in five games, however, Detroit lost in five games against the Flint Generals.
In 1996, the Falcons relocated and became the Port Huron Border Cats to start the 1996–97 season. The Border Cats record improved to 38–31–5, which placed them once again in third place in the East Division. In the playoffs, Port Huron lost in five games to the Brantford Smoke in the first round.
Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (1997–1999)
Cameron then moved to the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), as he became the head coach of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. In his first season with the club in 1997–98, the rebuilding team struggled, as they finished with a 20–39–7 record, earning 47 points and missing the playoffs.
In 1998–99, the Greyhounds improved to a 31–29–8 record, earning 70 points and sixth place in the Western Conference. Sault Ste. Marie was eliminated by the Owen Sound Platers in the first round in five games.
St. John's Maple Leafs (1999–2000)
Cameron moved on to the AHL's St. John's Maple Leafs as an assistant to head coach Al MacAdam in 1999–2000. In his only season with the Maple Leafs, the club had a league-worst 23–45–8–4 record, earning only 58 points as St. John's finished well out of a playoff spot.
Toronto St. Michael's Majors (2000–2004)
Cameron returned to the OHL in 2000 as head coach of the Toronto St. Michael's Majors. In his first season with the team in 2000–01, the Majors improved by 38 points, as they went 35–23–8–2 and made the playoffs for the first time since the rebirth of the team in 1997. St. Michael's defeated the Peterborough Petes in seven games in the first round, followed by another thrilling seven-game series win in the second round against the Sudbury Wolves. The Majors then fell in four-straight against the Ottawa 67's in the Eastern Conference Finals.
St. Michael's continued to improve in 2001–02, as the team finished with a 40–19–8–1 record to earn an Eastern Conference best 89 points. The Majors quickly swept the North Bay Centennials in the first round, then defeated the Ottawa 67's in the second round in seven games. St. Michael's then lost in the Eastern Conference Finals for the second-straight year, as the Barrie Colts swept the Majors in four games.
In 2002–03, the Majors slipped to fourth place in the Eastern Conference, as they had a 32–24–7–5 record, earning 76 points. In the first round of the playoffs, St. Michael's defeated the Belleville Bulls in a close seven-game series, followed by a five-game upset against the second-seeded Brampton Battalion in the second round to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the third consecutive season. St. Michael's pushed the Ottawa 67's on the brink of elimination with a 6–2 win Game 5 to take a 3–2 series lead, however Ottawa hung on for a 3–2 overtime win in Game 6, followed by a 5–2 Ottawa victory in Game 7 as the Majors were eliminated in the Conference Finals for the third-straight season.
In Cameron's fourth season with the club in 2003–04, the Majors had the best record in the Eastern Conference for the second time in three seasons, going 38–21–7–2, registering 85 points. St. Michael's survived a scare from the eighth-seeded Sudbury Wolves, winning in seven games. The Majors comfortably defeated the Brampton Battalion in five games in the second round to reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the fourth-straight year, facing the Mississauga IceDogs. The IceDogs eliminated St. Michael's in six games.
Binghamton Senators (2004–2007)
After four successful seasons with the Majors, Cameron became head coach of the AHL's Binghamton Senators. The Senators saw a 26-point improvement in Cameron's first season with the team, finishing in first place in the East Division with a 47–21–7–5 record (106 points). In the first round of the 2005 Calder Cup playoffs, the Senators were upset by the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in six games.
With many Binghamton players promoted to the NHL's Ottawa Senators for the 2005–06 season following the end of the 2004–05 NHL lockout, the club struggled and finished with a 35–37–4–4 record, missing the playoffs by finishing in fifth place in the East Division, seven points behind the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
Binghamton's struggles continued in 2006–07, finishing with the worst record in the AHL at 23–48–4–5 (55 points), well out of a playoff position. It also stood as the worst record in franchise history, with fans in Binghamton regularly chanting for Cameron's firing during home games throughout the season.
Mississauga St. Michael's Majors (2007–2011)
After a three-year stint with Binghamton, Cameron returned to the Majors organization, which during the summer of 2007 had relocated from Toronto to Mississauga to become the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors. In his first season, 2007–08, the Majors saw a 20-point improvement, as they went 31–32–2–3 (67 points) to finish in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. In the opening round of the playoffs, the Majors were swept in four games by the Niagara IceDogs.
Mississauga continued to improve in 2008–09, as they improved by 14 points with a 39–26–1–2 record (81 points) and a fourth-place finish in the Eastern Conference. The Majors defeated the Barrie Colts in five games in the first round but were eliminated in six games in the second round by the Brampton Battalion.
The Majors saw their point total increase again in 2009–10, as the club had a record of 42–20–4–2 (90 points) to finish in third place in the Eastern Conference. Mississauga swept the Peterborough Petes in four games in the opening round, then eliminated the Ottawa 67's in seven games in the second round. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Majors were eliminated in five games by the Barrie Colts.
In 2010–11, the Majors were named hosts of the 2011 Memorial Cup. St. Michael's recorded an OHL-best record of 53–13–0–2 record (108 points) to win the Hamilton Spectator Trophy. In the playoffs, the Majors swept the Belleville Bulls in the first round (allowing just one goal against), swept the Sudbury Wolves in the second round, then eliminated the Niagara IceDogs in the Eastern Conference Finals in five games to win the Bobby Orr Trophy as Eastern Conference champions. In the J. Ross Robertson Cup final against the Owen Sound Attack, the Attack won the series through an overtime goal in Game 7.
Cameron remained as head coach of the Senators for the 2015–16 season. However, the Senators would finish the season eight points out of a wild card spot to miss the 2016 playoffs. On March 22, 2016, Senators owner Eugene Melnyk expressed his disappointment with the team, including Cameron's decision to have backup goaltender Matt O'Connor start the first home game against Montreal, which Ottawa lost.[7] On April 10, 2016, Murray announced that he was resigning as GM and that assistant GM Pierre Dorion would be replacing him. Two days later, Cameron was fired, along with assistant coaches André Tourigny and Rick Wamsley; assistant coach Jason Smith was offered another role in the organization.[8][9][10] Cameron finished with a record of 70–50–17 with the Senators.[11]
Calgary Flames (2016–2018)
On July 6, 2016, Cameron was hired by the Calgary Flames to be an assistant coach on Glen Gulutzan's staff.[12] Cameron was fired on April 17, 2018, when Gulutzan was fired.
After his playing career was over, Cameron returned to university to finish his business degree.[2][19] He went into business with the Bank of Nova Scotia before becoming a guidance counsellor.[2][20]
Cameron and his wife Kelly live in Okotoks. He also has two boys, Connor and Ben.[21]
Won in conference quarter-finals (4-0 vs. BAR) Won in conference semi-finals (4-0 vs. SBY) Won in conference finals (4-1 vs. NIA) Lost in J. Ross Robertson Cup finals (3-4 vs. OS) Finished second in round-robin at Memorial Cup (2-1) Won Memorial Cup semi-finals (3-1 vs. KOO) Lost Memorial Cup finals (1-3 vs. SJ)