Brothers Barron face off in Jets-Habs tilt By: Ken Wiebe Posted: 4:45 PM CDT Friday, Oct. 27, 2023

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This article was published 27/10/2023 (710 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MONTREAL — The moment was envisioned in countless dream-like battles, on the backyard rink, the street in front of the childhood home and the basement where mini-sticks replaced the actual ones.

For Morgan and Justin Barron, the opportunity to compete against one another in an NHL game for the first time became a reality last January at the Bell Centre and it most definitely lived up to the hype.

Round 2 of this Barron battle is set for Saturday night in la Belle Province as the Winnipeg Jets face the Montreal Canadiens to close out a two-game Eastern Conference swing.

“A lot of fun. We both looked forward to it and, honestly, it’s more for our parents than anybody,” Morgan said earlier this week. “They probably enjoy the night the most out of all of us.”

“It’s more for our parents than anybody…they probably enjoy the night the most out of all of us.”–Morgan Barron

As they should, since it was the support from Gerard and Jenny Barron that allowed the boys from Halifax to achieve their goal of reaching the pinnacle of their favourite sport.

“They were supportive and are really proud of both of us,” said Morgan. “I often get pre-game texts from my dad, so (Saturday) it will probably be a group chat with me and my brother. Obviously, my mom, it was the same thing. She was watching every game for the both of us. They’re both really excited and it means the world to them.”

There had been several close calls prior to the January game, as Morgan, 24, and Justin, 21, spent the early part of their respective careers in the American Hockey League and the NHL.

“I had spent a lot of time thinking about it prior because there had been some opportunities where we kind of missed each other,” said Morgan. “(Justin) played against the (New York) Rangers with (the) Colorado (Avalanche) when I was in the minors, and once we both got traded there was a game between Winnipeg and Montreal where he was injured. So, we had kind of danced around it.

“It was cool to reflect on it afterwards. You hear from a lot of friends and family and people you grew up with. I’m often reminded of it and it’s a good lesson to ground yourself and take moments to reflect on it because it’s pretty awesome.”

Barron’s parents will once again be in attendance in Montreal, along with several family friends for what should be another entertaining gathering.

In the first meeting, Justin got the better of his older brother on both the scoresheet and the win column, notching two assists in a 4-1 victory by the Canadiens.

Morgan is determined to even the score Saturday.

This sibling rivalry, while fiercely competitive, is also filled with mutual admiration.

“When we were really young, we had a rink in our backyard and I have lots of memories of playing back there,” said Morgan, who reminisced about some of the moments of their youth. “I still have a scar right here (he points to under his nose) from where he cut me (after) taking a slapshot. It was just the two of us back there and we kept playing.

“We also played a lot of street hockey. It feels like we are part of the last piece of that generation. We were lucky to grow up in a great neighbourhood, where you came home from school and you would have 10 kids over there playing street hockey. Just lucky and blessed. Even with mini-sticks. We always had each other to play with and to kind of push each other.”

The Barrons are the first brothers from Nova Scotia to play in the NHL, something both take a lot of pride in.

“There’s a deep history of hockey in Nova Scotia and we’re all really proud of being from there,” said Morgan, who has two goals and three points in seven games this season while averaging just under 11 minutes of ice time per game. “Just following the guys, some hall-of-famers and some future hall-of-famers from the province, and even to be a small part of that history is pretty cool.”

Having someone so close to you that’s going through the same journey — from prospect to toiling in the minors to finally becoming a full-time NHLer — is an incredible resource to lean on.

A prime example came on NHL trade-deadline day in March of 2022, when Morgan was shipped by the Rangers to the Jets in a package for Andrew Copp, while Justin was on his way to the Canadiens from the Avalanche in a deal that featured Artturi Lehkonen.

“It’s great. There are times when I’m down and I’m able to use him (to pick his spirits back up) and vice versa,” said Morgan. “We both kind of understand that it’s hard to empathize with it until you’ve gone through it. As much as your parents or your friends or whoever may want to help, it’s different to talk through it with someone who has been through it. It’s hugely helpful and I’m really lucky to go through it with him.”

The brothers keep close tabs on how things are going, and there is more than just bragging rights on the line.

”I’m really lucky to go through it with him.”–Morgan Barron

“(The rivalry) still goes on now, whether it’s on the golf course or in the gym during the summer. We spend a lot of time with each other,” said Morgan. “We’re close. He reminds me of myself and we have a lot in common. We definitely push each other. The other day (Tuesday), he scored before our game started against St. Louis, so everyone was saying that I had to score so that he didn’t have more goals than me. Mark (Scheifele) was kind enough to slide over an empty-netter for me, so I was able to tie it back up with (Justin).”

For the record, Justin has a pair of goals and no helpers in four outings.

Morgan is playing on the Jets’ fourth line with Rasmus Kupari and David Gustafsson but also plays an important role on the penalty kill and is often counted on late in games to protect leads when the bench is shortened.

“He’s found a way to find his niche of how to play in this league,” said Jets associate coach Scott Arniel. “He knows that he has to be a really good two-way player, a heavy power forward. He’s playing to his identity. That’s probably the biggest thing right now.

“He gets rated on how good he is on the walls coming out of our end of the rink, on the penalty kill, his forecheck and his (ability) to get to the opposition’s net front. Those are the areas he’s been consistent at and it certainly helps him to play strong every night.”

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

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