Morrissey solid as they come Jets defenceman back in stellar form after enduring personal nightmare By: Mike McIntyre Posted: 7:00 PM CST Friday, Feb. 18, 2022

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/02/2022 (1041 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Confession time, folks. I turned in my “fan card” years ago when I joined the sports department, now I root mainly for things that serve me well on a purely professional and extremely selfish level: Compelling storylines, newsworthy developments and decisive games that move quickly and lack any last-second surprises so I have no trouble filing on deadline.

The Winnipeg Jets scoring in the final minute to force overtime last week in Dallas, for example, was a hair-pulling, stress-inducing, story-altering moment for yours truly. Whereas the Chicago Blackhawks did me a solid earlier this week by breaking a tie midway through the third period of a late-starting game, allowing me to get my copy in just under the wire. Appreciate that, Alex DeBrincat. My thinning mop can’t afford to lose much more.

If I’m to be taken seriously as a journalist, I can’t be out here waving pom-poms for the home team. And so I’ve always tried to call it as I see it, which is why feedback on my stories and columns typically ranges from “you’re too negative” to “you’re too positive” — sometimes on the very same article. That’s usually a good indicator I’ve found the sweet spot.

Still, that doesn’t mean I’ve turned into some stone-cold automaton. Far from it. I have no problem admitting I cheer for good things to happen to good people. And near the very top of that list would be Josh Morrissey.

The 26-year-old Jets defenceman is as solid as they come, and it has nothing to do with his on-ice play. He’s polite, humble, articulate and an all-around quality human being, the exact kind of person you’d want to be part of your organization. There’s not a shred of ego or entitlement to be found. The fact the former Western Hockey League Scholastic Player of the Year was drafted and developed by Winnipeg — paying his dues and working his way up from junior to the minors to the big-leagues — then signed a lengthy extension to remain in a community he’s come to love makes him even more endearing.

One of the most common questions I get from people is “Who is your favourite Jets player to talk to?” Morrissey is always the first name out of my mouth. I always enjoy our conversations, whether they are about hockey, family or just life in general.

All of which is why I’m thrilled to see he’s enjoying a bounce-back season after the nightmarish one he just endured.

As you likely know, Morrissey went through a personal hell as his father and mentor, Tom, was slowly losing his battle to a fast-moving brain cancer. Sadly, that fight ended last August. Morrissey shared his story with me few a weeks later, refusing to use it as an excuse for what he admitted was a 2021 campaign that fell short of his expectations. But how could such a heavy heart not have taken a toll? I got to know the family a few years ago when I did a feature on Morrissey, and it was obvious the apple didn’t fall from from the tree when it came to his father. Their bond ran deep.

Morrissey, who scored the game-winner on Thursday night against Seattle with just over six minutes left in the third period, looks like a guy who’s had the weight of the world lifted off his shoulder. With 20 points in 45 games, he’s on pace to smash career offensive highs. His next goal, for example, will tie his single-season best of seven goals set in 2017-18. He’s logging big minutes and big responsibilities while facing the other team’s best.

Saturday afternoon, for example, he’ll see a heavy dose of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl at Canada Life Centre. Morrissey excelled last spring in a first-round playoff sweep of Edmonton, when he and partner Dylan DeMelo kept the dynamic duo in check. He’s carried over that playoff performance into this new season.

“He’s back to being the player that we expected him to be,” interim Jets coach Dave Lowry said following the Kraken game. “I think the big thing with Josh is just keeping in mind the circumstances that he dealt with all of last year, and you don’t wish that on anybody. It was tough. But he is back and enjoying the game, he is having fun and playing the way that everybody expected him to play.”

You won’t find a player on the Jets who is more respected or beloved than Morrissey — teammates have started calling him J-Movechkin because of the velocity he’s added to his one-timer. There’s a reason he was named an alternate captain after Bryan Little suffered a career-ending injury. Morrissey has many of the same terrific character traits as Little, who was often described as the conscience of the team.

“I’m more concerned about team success and how we as a team can improve as a group.” – Josh Morrissey

Morrissey was recently asked how much enjoyment he’s taking out of this season, where the Jets have underwhelmed so far. His answer showed true leadership.

“I’m more concerned about team success and how we as a team can improve as a group. But part of that is individual play,” he said. “I’m just going to continue working hard to get better. I think I’ve improved on a lot of things and will continue to try to do that. Overall, just focused on trying to win games, trying to get points.”

Since the All-Star break, the Jets have gone 4-1-1 to get back in the race. And a big part of that is the play of their top players, including Morrissey who has four points in his last four games.

“I think with what he’s had to go through, in his personal life over the last couple years, last year especially, it weighs on a player. The whole thing is emotionally tough,” general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said in his chat with us last week.

“We try to support the players as much as we can. We have different things there for players to lean on from a personal standpoint to make sure that they’re doing well from a mental perspective. That’s first and foremost a priority with us within the organization, is the person. It’s great to see his play getting back to the level that he would expect it to be, and certainly that we expect it to be. He is a big part, and he’s going to have to be a big part of this push down the stretch.”

As I stated above, I don’t lose any sleep over whether the Jets win or lose. I know their success makes a lot of people in my community happy — the run to the Western Conference Final in the magical spring of 2018 was a blast around here — so I’d obviously have no issue with history one day repeating itself.

But I would love nothing more than to see a good human like Morrissey continue to enjoy success. He truly deserves it.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg

Mike McIntyre
Sports columnist

Mike McIntyre grew up wanting to be a professional wrestler. But when that dream fizzled, he put all his brawn into becoming a professional writer.

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