Canucks Rewind: The Brendan Morrison trade, and his time in Vancouver
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.
Morrison began the year once again centring the first line with Naslund and Bertuzzi, and the trio picked up right where they left off. Their up-tempo, high-scoring and dominant style of play propelled the team to the top of the Northwest Division, and opponents began marking their calendars in preparation for when the West Coast Express would be coming to town.
Statistically speaking, Morrison made the smallest splash on the scoresheet compared to his linemates, but his offensive contributions were still extremely important to the club. His line accounted for 135 of the team’s 246 tallies that year, good for 45% of the club’s goal production, and that helped the Canucks secure a 104 point-record upon conclusion of the season.
He also recorded his first and only career hat trick that season against the Calgary Flames.
Most notably, however, Morrison was a key factor in the team’s 14-game winning streak that season, which still stands as one of the longest stretches without a loss in franchise history. During that span, Morrison put up six goals and nine assists, including three and four-point performances against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Atlanta Thrashers during games 13 and 14.
The West Coast Express combined for a mind-blowing 26 points over that 120-minute span.
Morrison recorded 25 goals, 46 assists and 71 points that campaign, which would all end up being career-highs for the Pitt Meadows native, and he finished third in team scoring and 26th in league-wide scoring.
More importantly, he once again helped carry the Canucks to their third-straight postseason appearance. The team went on one of their better runs in recent history during the 2003 playoffs, knocking off the St. Louis Blues in the first round before blowing a 3-1 series lead against the Minnesota Wild during round two.
Morrison concluded the postseason with 11 points in 14 games, second to Naslund’s 14 points.
Morrison would go on to have three more consistently-productive seasons with the Canucks, where he registered 60, 56 and 51 points respectively. He was a top-five scorer each year and recorded his most important goal as a Canuck during the 2004 playoffs, potting the triple-overtime winner to force game seven against Miikka Kiprusoff and the Calgary Flames in the opening round.
Unfortunately, like many players, Morrison was bitten by the injury bug during the 2007-08 season.
He underwent wrist surgery in December, which put an end to his ironman streak of 542 games. He was able to return to the lineup in February but played for just under a month before tearing his ACL in March. He only suited up for 39 games total that year, the last of his contract with the club, recording just nine goals and 16 assists.
Morrison would go on to play five more seasons in the NHL, bouncing between the Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars, Washington Capitals, Calgary Flames and Chicago Blackhawks. He was still able to put up decent numbers as a middle-six forward for those clubs, but it was evident that his best days were well behind him.
Morrison never played an NHL game after the 2011-12 season, unofficially announcing his retirement. He finished his career with 601 points in 934 games played.
During his time with the Canucks, Morrison was one of the most reliable forwards with the franchise. He was known for his effective 200-foot game and was consistently deployed in important even strength, powerplay and penalty kill situations. Arguably the most well-rounded player on the roster during his time in Vancouver, Morrison also established himself as one of the better point-producing centres in the league.
Most importantly, Morrison played an integral role in reshaping the team’s identity for much of the 2000’s decade, helping them climb their way to the top of the Northwest Division.
Even though their regular season accolades never translated into the postseason, his contributions, as well as the help from Naslund and co., raised the franchise’s expectations to new heights that are still upheld by players, coaches and fans to this day.
Even though he never focused much on statistics, Morrison still holds a top-10 spot in a few Canucks records, including game-winning goals, shorthanded goals, overtime goals and consecutive games played.
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He was a leader both on and off the ice, and will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the city’s favourite local-grown products. Thanks for the memories, B-Mo!