Ken Morrow

Background

Ken Morrow was born in Flint and grew up in the nearby town of Davison, Michigan.

Education

Morrow attended Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio where he was a star defenseman and also represented Team United States of America at the 1978 Ice Hockey World Championship.

Career

He is a graduate of Davison High School. His best year as a college player was in 1979 when he was named Central Collegiate Hockey Association player of the year. Selected 68th overall in the 1976 National Hockey League Entry Draft by the New York Islanders, Morrow joined the Islanders immediately after the Olympics.

Morrow also returned to the United States national team for the 1981 Canada Cup tournament.

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 1988-1989 due to constant knee problems.

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 1991-1992.

He was also co-coach of the International Hockey League"s Kansas City franchise in 1990-1991 and assistant coach of the IHL Flint Spirits in 1989-1990 shortly after retiring from hockey.

On December 31, 2011, Morrow was inducted into the New York Islanders Hall of Fame. In the 1981 television movie about the 1980 gold medal-winning United States. Hockey team called Miracle on Ice, he is played by Scott Feraco. Morrow was portrayed by actor Casey Burnette in the 2004 Disney movie Miracle.

Before the movie, Burnette played junior hockey for the Barrie Colts in the Ontario Hockey League, the Hull Olympiques (now called the Gatineau Olympiques) and the Montreal Rocket, both in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Achievements

• The following season, Morrow played for the 1980 United States. Olympic hockey team that beat the Soviet team in an event known as the Miracle on Ice during the 1980 Winter Olympics before defeating Finland to win the gold medal. He helped them win their first Stanley Cup in 1980, making him the first player to win the Olympic Gold and an National Hockey League 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.

Membership

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.