Every kid dreams of playing for their hometown team, and Brendan Morrison was lucky enough to turn his dream into reality with the Vancouver Canucks.
Morrison was born in Pitt Meadows, British Columbia, and he kicked off his hockey journey with the Ridge Meadows Minor Hockey Association in Maple Ridge in 1990. He suited up for the Knights and Lightning, where he registered an astonishing 420 points in 132 games played before joining the Penticton Panthers of the B.C. Junior Hockey League (BCJHL) for the 1992-93 campaign.
Morrison played 56 games with the club that season, putting up 35 goals, 59 assists and 45 PIM en route to capturing the Rookie of the Year award in the offseason. He was showing early signs of becoming a dominant, point-producing centre, and professional teams were starting to take notice.
Morrison was selected 39th overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft.
Only 18 years old at the time, Morrison decided it would be best to continue developing his game at a semi-professional level, joining the Michigan Wolves of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) for the 1993-94 season.
Morrison played four seasons with the Wolves, registering 284 points in 155 games played, including a 31-goal, 88-point campaign during his final stint with the club.
Morrison attended the Devils’ training camp the following year and was assigned to the Albany River Rats in the American Hockey League (AHL). He spent most of that season in the minors but did receive two separate call-ups, including his NHL debut on December 4th, 1997.
Morrison managed to play 11 NHL games during the 1997-98 campaign, putting up a respectable nine points over that span. He was able to land a full-time roster spot the following year, and his 46 points were good for second in rookie scoring, behind Avalanche legend Milan Hejduk.
Morrison finished 5th in Calder Trophy voting that year, but that would be the extent of his success with and contribution to the Devils. He dealt with complicated contract negotiations and limited ice-time the following season, and with his time in New Jersey inevitably coming to an end, Morrison was ready to move on.
On March 14th, 2000, Morrison’s wish was finally granted.
The trade
That day, the Devils received Alexander Mogilny. In return, Morrison, as well as fellow centre Denis Pederson, was sent north to the Vancouver Canucks.
In other words, Morrison was going home.
He finished the 1999-00 season with nine points in 12 games and followed up that performance with 16 goals and 38 assists in his first full year with the Canucks. He also helped the team reach the postseason for the first time in five years after they secured the eighth and final position in the Western Conference.
The playoff buzz did not last long at all, as the team was swept by the eventual Stanley Cup-winning Colorado Avalanche. Despite the early exit, Morrison was able to register one goal and two assists over four games with linemates Markus Naslund and Todd Bertuzzi.
More importantly, Morrison had established himself as the team’s number one centre, and, as all Canucks’ fans are aware, this was just the tip of the iceberg for Morrison during his tenure in Vancouver.
Cue the 2002-03 season.