Bernie Morris

Bernard Patrick Morris (August 21, 1890 – May 16, 1963) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played for the Seattle Metropolitans of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) from 1915 to 1923. When the Metropolitans became the first U.S.-based team to win the Stanley Cup in 1917, Morris scored 14 of Seattle's goals (in a best-of-five series). Morris also played for the Calgary Tigers, Boston Bruins, and various minor league teams.

Playing career

Born in Brandon, Manitoba, Morris played for several senior teams in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia before joining the Victoria Aristocrats of the PCHA in 1914. He moved over to the Seattle Metropolitans the following season, played eight seasons for Seattle, and was a member of the Stanley Cup champion 1917 team. He had an outstanding 1917 series, scoring 14 goals in four games.

Morris was scheduled to play in the ill-fated 1919 series, but was arrested by the United States for alleged draft dodging and jailed. He received a sentence of two years, to be served at Alcatraz. The fact that he was a British subject did not stop the American authorities from arresting him, as by treaty, he was supposed to register for the draft (then claim exemption), but he neglected to attend his physical, thus making him the "first foreign national on the West Coast convicted of draft evasion." By fall he was transferred to an Army unit and in March 1920 granted an honourable discharge.

Morris returned to hockey after the 1919–20 season and played in the 1920 series for Seattle.

In October 1923, Morris was traded by Seattle to the Calgary Tigers. He played for the Tigers in the 1924 series against Montreal. In all, Morris played a season and a half with Calgary before being traded again. He was traded to the Montreal Maroons and then to the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL) on January 3, 1925. He was released by Boston in February 1925, and he returned west to play for the Regina Capitals.

From 1925 to 1930, Morris finished his career with various teams in the minor California Pro League, Can-Pro, and International League. Morris managed the Hamilton Tigers during the 1928–1929 and 1929–1930 seasons. He made his home in Hamilton, Ontario and did not move to Syracuse when the team was transferred there in 1930.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs

Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1910–11 Brandon Shamrocks MIPHL 6 6 0 6 — — — — — — 1911–12 Moose Jaw Brewers Sask-Pro 8 21 0 21 — — — — — — 1912–13 Phoenix Hockey Club BDHL 4 10 1 11 — 4 5 3 8 — 1913–14 Phoenix Hockey Club BDHL 10 4 0 4 4 — — — — — 1913–14 Regina Victorias S-SSHL 1 2 0 2 3 — — — — — 1914–15 Victoria Aristocrats PCHA 10 7 3 10 0 — — — — — 1915–16 Seattle Metropolitans PCHA 18 23 9 32 27 — — — — — 1915–16 PCHA All-Stars Exhib 3 7 3 10 0 — — — — — 1916–17 Seattle Metropolitans PCHA 24 37 17 54 17 — — — — — 1916–17 Seattle Metropolitans St-Cup — — — — — 4 14 2 16 0 1917–18 Seattle Metropolitans PCHA 18 20 12 32 9 2 1 0 1 0 1918–19 Seattle Metropolitans PCHA 20 22 7 29 15 — — — — — 1919–20 Seattle Metropolitans St-Cup — — — — — 5 0 2 2 0 1920–21 Seattle Metropolitans PCHA 24 11 13 24 3 2 1 0 1 0 1921–22 Seattle Metropolitans PCHA 24 14 10 24 36 2 0 0 0 0 1922–23 Seattle Metropolitans PCHA 29 21 5 26 30 — — — — — 1923–24 Calgary Tigers WCHL 30 16 7 23 13 2 1 1 2 4 1923–24 Calgary Tigers W-PO — — — — — 3 2 4 6 4 1923–24 Calgary Tigers St-Cup — — — — — 2 0 1 1 0 1924–25 Calgary Tigers WCHL 7 2 0 2 2 — — — — — 1924–25 Boston Bruins NHL 6 1 0 1 0 — — — — — 1924–25 Regina Capitals WCHL 7 1 2 3 2 — — — — — 1925–26 Los Angeles Palais de Glace Cal-Pro 10 10 9 19 8 — — — — — 1926–27 Edmonton Eskimos PrHL 27 18 6 24 28 — — — — — 1927–28 Detroit Olympics Can-Pro 37 16 9 25 35 2 0 0 0 6 1928–29 Hamilton Tigers Can-Pro 12 3 2 5 14 — — — — — 1929–30 Hamilton Tigers IHL 17 3 3 6 12 — — — — — PCHA totals 167 155 76 231 137 6 2 0 2 0 St-Cup totals — — — — — 11 14 5 19 0 NHL totals 6 1 0 1 0 — — — — —

Awards PCHA First All-Star team: 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1922 PCHA Second All-Star team: 1921, 1923