Mike Morrison
Apr 04, 2008 | By Ben Chaisson | Players Articles Archive
Mike Morrison (born July 11, 1979 in Medford, Massachusetts) is a professional ice hockey goaltender. He currently plays for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League.
Playing career
Morrison was drafted in the 7th round, 186th overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft.
Morrison then played for the University of Maine for 4 years he spent time playing for the ECHL's Columbus Cottonmouths, Greenville Grrrowl and the AHL with the Edmonton Road Runners.
After the NHL lockout, Morrison was given a chance to play in the NHL when goaltenders Ty Conklin and Jussi Markkanen were unable to carry for the Edmonton Oilers. In Morrison's first career NHL start, he stopped 31 shots to put his team on top 5-2 against the home team, the Colorado Avalanche. After that great performance in Denver, he earned more respect from teammates and coaches and received more starts. He had a great run and quietly became the Oiler's starting goaltender. After a few weeks of great play, his magic started wearing down and proved to be hot and cold like his teammates, Conklin and Markkanen, also known as the Conkkanen duo. On March 7th 2006, Oilers head coach Craig MacTavish made a controversial decision of replacing Conklin with Morrison before heading into a shootout during a game against the rival Dallas Stars. The Oilers ended up losing that game by a shootout goal by Jussi Jokinen. On March 8th, 2006 the Edmonton Oilers had finally gotten their goaltending solution by trading their 1st round pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft to the Minnesota Wild for goaltender Dwayne Roloson.
As Edmonton had to unload a goaltender and couldn't find a trade partner, they had placed Mike Morrison on waivers. He was picked up by the Ottawa Senators to back up Ray Emery.
On July 2, 2006, he was signed as a free agent by the Phoenix Coyotes to back up former Oilers starter Curtis Joseph and work with former Oiler greats, head coach Wayne Gretzky, and goalie coach Grant Fuhr.
After posting a 0-3 record, a 6.14 Goals Against Average and a .790 Save Percentage, Morrison was placed on waivers once again. He wasn't picked up and was sent to the minors. After struggling at the AHL level, Morrison finished the year in the ECHL.
Regular season
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-98 | Exeter Academy | High School | 27 | 15 | 11 | 2 | 1632 | 64 | 1 | 2.35 |
| 1998-99 | University of Maine | Hockey East | 11 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 347 | 10 | 1 | 1.73 |
| 1999-00 | University of Maine | Hockey East | 12 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 608 | 27 | 1 | 2.66 |
| 2000-01 | University of Maine | Hockey East | 10 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 490 | 16 | 1 | 1.96 |
| 2001-02 | University of Maine | Hockey East | 30 | 20 | 3 | 4 | 1645 | 60 | 2 | 2.19 |
| 2002-03 | Columbus Cottonmouths | ECHL | 38 | 9 | 18 | 6 | 1948 | 113 | 1 | 3.48 |
| 2003-04 | Toronto Roadrunners | AHL | 27 | 12 | 8 | 2 | 1309 | 55 | 3 | 2.52 |
| 2004-05 | Greenville Grrrowl | ECHL | 26 | 13 | 10 | 0 | 1576 | 72 | 1 | 2.74 |
| 2004-05 | Edmonton Road Runners | AHL | 14 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 728 | 21 | 2 | 1.73 |
| 2005-06 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 20 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 891 | 42 | 0 | 2.83 |
| 2005-06 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 207 | 12 | 0 | 3.48 |
| 2006-07 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 127 | 13 | 0 | 6.13 |
| 2006-07 | San Antonio Rampage | AHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 60 | 11 | 0 | 11.01 |
| 2006-07 | Phoenix RoadRunners | ECHL | 27 | 9 | 12 | 3 | 1423 | 80 | 1 | 3.73 |
| NHL career totals | 29 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 1226 | 67 | 0 | 3.27 | ||
Playoffs
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-05 | Greenville Grrrowl | ECHL | 3 | 1 | 1 | 150 | 9 | 0 | 3.60 |
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