Brenden Morrow

Morrow played minor hockey in his hometown of Carlyle, Saskatchewan, and in the nearby community of Estevan.[1] Despite putting up impressive numbers in his final year of bantam hockey (117 goals, 72 assists in 60 games),[2] Morrow was not selected in the WHL Bantam Draft, and instead walked-on with the Portland Winter Hawks.[3]

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).[2] Later in his junior career, Morrow contributed more offensively and in his final three seasons in the WHL, he scored 88, 86 and 85 points, respectively. After the 1996–97 season, Morrow was selected by the Dallas Stars in the first round, 25th overall, of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft.[1][2] During the 1997–98 WHL Season, Morrow helped the Winterhawks capture the Memorial Cup.[2][4] During the 1998 Memorial Cup tournament, Morrow scored one goal and added two assists in four games.[2] He represented the Western Conference in the WHL's All-Star Classic three times, in 1997, 1998 and 1999.[5] 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.[6]

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).[2] He played his first game with the Stars on November 18, 1999, against the Philadelphia Flyers, and recorded his first points (a goal and an assist) on November 22, 1999, against the Colorado Avalanche.[1] After this season, Morrow was named the team's Rookie of the Year.[7]

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.[5] He bounced back with a strong 2007–08 season, where he played in all of the Stars' 82 games, but a knee injury (an ACL tear) limited him to just 18 games in 2008–09.[8] He has often played through injuries, including a return to play despite breaking a bone in his ankle during the 2000 Stanley Cup playoffs.[9]

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.[5] During the 2001–02 NHL season, he recorded his 100th career NHL point against the San Jose Sharks.[8] He recorded his 300th career NHL point against the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2006–07 NHL season.[8]

During the NHL lockout of 2004–05, Morrow signed a contract with the Oklahoma City Blazers of the Central Hockey League and played in 19 games.[5]

Morrow with the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs

Prior to the 2006–07 NHL season, Morrow was named the captain of the Stars, after the team asked incumbent captain Mike Modano to step down from the position. The Stars wanted to reward Morrow for his commitment to the team, after he bypassed free agency to sign a six-year contract with the team.[10] 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.[9]

Heading into the 2009–10 season, Morrow ranked 14th on the all-time scoring list for the Stars' franchise.[8] He has a knack for scoring big goals, as evidenced by his scoring three of the team's last four overtime winning goals in the playoffs.[8]

Morrow was injured often during the 2011–12 season. He missed 25 games due to shoulder and upper back injuries, including 18 matches at the beginning of the 2012 year.[11][12] Morrow returned to action on March 9 after the Stars activated him from injure reserve.[13]

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.[14]

On September 23, 2013, Morrow signed a one-year deal as an unrestricted free agent with the St. Louis Blues.[15]

On July 11, 2014, Morrow signed as a free agent to a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning.[16] On June 17, 2015, two days after losing in the Stanley Cup Finals 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."[17] 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.[18] He bookended his career with Stanley Cup Finals appearances in 2000 with the Stars and 2015 with the Lightning.