Ken Morrow

Kenneth Arlington Morrow (born October 17, 1956 in Flint, Michigan) is a retired American professional ice hockey defenseman and currently serves as the New York Islanders' director of pro scouting. A member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, he played 550 regular season games in the National Hockey League between 1980 and 1989.

Amateur career

Ken Morrow was born in Flint and grew up in the nearby town of Davison, Michigan. He is a graduate of Davison High School.Morrow attended Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio where he was a star defenseman and also represented Team USA at the 1978 Ice Hockey World Championship. His best year as a college player was in 1979 when he was named Central Collegiate Hockey Association player of the year.

The following season, Morrow played for the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team that won the gold medal in an event known as the "Miracle On Ice" during the 1980 Winter Olympics.

Professional career

Selected 68th overall in the 1976 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Islanders, Morrow joined the Islanders immediately after the Olympics. He helped them win their first Stanley Cup in 1980, making him the first player to win the Olympic Gold and an NHL championship in one season. He was an integral member of all four Islanders Stanley Cup teams in 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983; furthermore, although Morrow was never a goal-scorer, during the playoffs the Isles often benefited from his clutch goal scoring at key times. Morrow also returned to the United States national team for the 1981 Canada Cup tournament.

Morrow could be one of the most underrated defencemen in hockey history. Morrow's defensive positioning was technically perfect, his physicality was under-appreciated, and his overall hockey intelligence was astounding. Morrow was also extremely tough. During the 1980 and 1983 playoffs, Morrow had arthroscopic surgeries performed to his knees, and played only days afterward in order to contribute to the Islanders championships, often having fluid drained from his knees between games. He was eventually forced to retire prematurely from the game in 1988–89 due to constant knee problems.

Post Playing Career

Morrow, who was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1995, has been director of pro scouting for the Isles since 1993. He previously served as the Islanders' assistant coach for one season, in 1991–92. He was also co-coach of the International Hockey League's Kansas City franchise in 1990–91 and assistant coach of the IHL Flint Spirits in 1989–90 shortly after retiring from hockey.

Morrow was portrayed by actor Casey Burnette in the 2004 movie Miracle.

Awards and Achievements

*CCHA First All-Star Team (1976, 1978, 1979)
*CCHA Second All-Star Team (1977)
*NCAA West First All-American Team (1978)
*CCHA Player of the Year (1979)
*Lester Patrick Trophy (1996)Olympic Gold Medal (1980)Stanley Cup Champion (1980, 1981, 1982, 1983)

References

* [http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=300567 Article on NHL.com]
*legendsofhockey|13786
* [http://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/1976/76068.html Ken Morrow's bio @ Hockeydraftcentral.com]
*hockeydb|3813

ee also

* List of members of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame