The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/465847
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? BY MICHAEL SPATH T here was something poetic about the goal that was scored at 3:35 of overtime in the 1996 national cham- pionship game. A shot from forward Greg Crozier ricocheted out to forward Bill Muckalt, and his shot rebounded into open ice, onto the waiting stick of center Brendan Morrison. Arguably the greatest hockey player in Michigan history — and undoubt- edly the best Red Berenson has coached in 32 years at U-M — Morrison buried the goal into the net, providing the Wolverines their first NCAA title since 1964 and their eighth all time. "I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time," said Morri- son, now 39. "When you go into those games, even as a little kid, you want to be the guy. "You picture yourself as the guy that wins it for your team, but I played with great linemates, and I would never have had that opportunity in the cham- pionship game, or have experienced the career I did, without my teammates." Featuring a résumé with more points (284) and assists (182) than any other player in school history, Morrison is the antithesis of boastful, and it is his humility that endeared him to coaches and teammates. "To this day, you have a hard time getting him to tell you he was any good, and he was great," Berenson said. "He's such a humble guy, and that's how he was as a teammate. They all looked up to him, the way he played, but they looked up to him more because of the way he handled it — always giving credit to the other players." Morrison's hockey career began in Pitt Meadows, B.C. He enjoyed im- mense success in junior hockey, tal- lying 35 goals and 94 points for the BCJHL's Penticton Panthers in 1992-93. The left-handed-shooting center- man, however, wanted to play college hockey, influenced by a family that WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Brendan Morrison Thankful For A Long Hockey Career Morrison ranks first all time at U-M in career assists (182) and career points (284), and 10th in career goals (102). PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS