Brenden Morrow

Brenden Blair Morrow (born January 16, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger. Morrow was drafted in the first round, 25th overall, by the Dallas Stars at the 1997 NHL entry draft, the organization he would play with for 13 seasons before brief stints with the Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis Blues, and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Morrow played major junior hockey in the Western Hockey League (WHL) for the Portland Winter Hawks. During his junior career, he helped Portland win the 1998 Memorial Cup during the 1997–98 season.

Internationally, Morrow represented Canada, first winning a silver medal at the 1999 World Junior Championships with the junior team. He has also represented the senior Team Canada squad, most often at the Ice Hockey World Championships (four times), winning a gold medal in 2004 and a silver medal in 2005. He also played for Canada at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, which Canada won. Morrow was named to Canada's roster for the 2010 Winter Olympics, where he scored two goals and added an assist in the tournament as Canada won gold.

Playing career

Minor Morrow played minor hockey in his hometown of Carlyle, Saskatchewan, and in the nearby community of Estevan. Despite putting up impressive numbers in his final year of bantam hockey (117 goals, 72 assists in 60 games), Morrow was not selected in the WHL Bantam Draft, and instead walked-on with the Portland Winter Hawks.

Junior Morrow spent his entire junior career with the Winterhawks. In his rookie WHL season, he played in 65 games and recorded 25 points (13 goals and 12 assists). During the 1998 Memorial Cup tournament, Morrow scored one goal and added two assists in four games. After the 1998–99 season, Morrow was named to the WHL's Western Conference First All-Star Team and also to the CHL Third All-Star Team.

Professional Morrow in October 2009. He spent most of his career with the Dallas Stars. Morrow began his professional career in 1999. He split the 1999–2000 season between the NHL's Dallas Stars and the Michigan K-Wings of the International Hockey League (IHL).

After his rookie campaign with the Stars, Morrow became a regular fixture in the Dallas lineup, playing at least 70 games in each season until the 2006–07 season, when he missed 33 games after suffering severed tendons in his wrist.

Morrow played in the NHL YoungStars Game at the 2002 NHL All-Star Game, which was held in Los Angeles, California, where he scored a goal and added an assist. He recorded his 300th career NHL point against the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2006–07 NHL season. The Stars also felt the need to shift some leadership responsibilities to younger members of the team. Morrow's teammates and coaches greatly admired his dedication to the team, and believed he was an ideal choice to fill the role. Morrow returned to action on March 9 after the Stars activated him from injure reserve.

On March 24, 2013, Morrow was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins, along with Dallas' third-round pick in 2013, in exchange for Joe Morrow (no relation) and the Penguins' 2013 fifth-round draft pick.

On September 23, 2013, Morrow signed a one-year deal as an unrestricted free agent with the St. Louis Blues.

On July 11, 2014, Morrow signed as a free agent to a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning. On June 17, 2015, two days after losing in the Stanley Cup Final to the Chicago Blackhawks during exit interviews, Morrow stated that he may "give it one more go," though he stated that he could change his mind in two weeks when it was time to resume workouts. Morrow stated that he had not spoken to Lightning General Manager Steve Yzerman about returning to the team, but he stated that he would love to return. Morrow said that he "had more fun here in this short time than I've had in I don't know how many years." Despite this, the Lightning opted not to re-sign Morrow, who had finished the season with career-low offensive statistics, and Morrow went unsigned throughout the summer.

On March 17, 2016, Morrow announced his retirement. He bookended his career with Stanley Cup Final appearances in 2000 with the Stars and 2015 with the Lightning.

International play

Morrow's first international experience with Hockey Canada was at the 1995 World U17 Hockey Challenge in Moncton, New Brunswick, where he played for Team West and finished fourth. Canada finished the tournament with the silver medal after losing to Russia in overtime in the gold medal game. In August 2009, Morrow participated in Hockey Canada's summer orientation camp prior to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was selected to the team to provide toughness and grit. As the tournament progressed, Morrow found himself playing a larger role on a physical line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry of the Anaheim Ducks. Morrow finished the tournament with two goals and one assist, as Canada captured the gold medal with an overtime victory against the United States.

Personal life Morrow is the son-in-law of former Montreal Canadiens coach and former Dallas Stars teammate Guy Carbonneau, having married Carbonneau's daughter Anne-Marie on July 20, 2002. They have three children together.

Awards and honors 1998 Memorial Cup Champion (Portland Winter Hawks) Named to WHL West First All-Star Team (1999) 2004 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships gold medal Gold medal in the 2010 Winter Olympics (Team Canada) Inducted into the Winterhawks Hall of Fame (2018). Inducted into the Dallas Stars Hall of Fame (2024).

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1995–96 Portland Winterhawks WHL 65 13 12 25 61 7 0 0 0 8 1996–97 Portland Winterhawks WHL 71 39 49 88 178 6 2 1 3 4 1997–98 Portland Winterhawks WHL 68 34 52 86 184 16 10 8 18 65 1998–99 Portland Winterhawks WHL 61 41 44 85 248 4 0 4 4 18 1999–2000 Michigan K-Wings IHL 9 2 0 2 18 — — — — — 1999–2000 Dallas Stars NHL 64 14 19 33 81 21 2 4 6 22 2000–01 Dallas Stars NHL 82 20 24 44 128 10 0 3 3 12 2001–02 Dallas Stars NHL 72 17 18 35 109 — — — — — 2002–03 Dallas Stars NHL 71 21 22 43 134 12 3 5 8 16 2003–04 Dallas Stars NHL 81 25 24 49 121 5 0 1 1 4 2004–05 Oklahoma City Blazers CHL 19 8 14 22 31 — — — — — 2005–06 Dallas Stars NHL 81 23 42 65 183 5 1 5 6 6 2006–07 Dallas Stars NHL 40 16 15 31 33 7 2 1 3 18 2007–08 Dallas Stars NHL 82 32 42 74 105 18 9 6 15 22 2008–09 Dallas Stars NHL 18 5 10 15 49 — — — — — 2009–10 Dallas Stars NHL 76 20 26 46 69 — — — — — 2010–11 Dallas Stars NHL 82 33 23 56 76 — — — — — 2011–12 Dallas Stars NHL 57 11 15 26 97 — — — — — 2012–13 Dallas Stars NHL 29 6 5 11 18 — — — — — 2012–13 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 15 6 8 14 19 14 2 2 4 8 2013–14 St. Louis Blues NHL 71 13 12 25 76 2 0 0 0 0 2014–15 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 70 3 5 8 64 24 0 0 0 22 NHL totals 991 265 310 575 1,362 118 19 27 46 130

International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 1999 Canada WJC 7 1 7 8 4 2001 Canada WC 5th 1 0 0 0 0 2002 Canada WC 6th 7 0 1 1 2 2004 Canada WC 9 0 3 3 12 2004 Canada WCH 1 0 0 0 4 2005 Canada WC 9 0 1 1 6 2010 Canada OG 7 2 1 3 2 Junior totals 7 1 7 8 4 Senior totals 34 2 6 8 26