Barrons clash for eighth NHL dogfight

ST. LOUIS — This is what all of those endless games of mini sticks, countless hours on the outdoor rinks and extra reps in the gym were meant to bring about one day.

While the shine might not be quite as bright for Morgan and Justin Barron, the appreciation for the opportunity to go head-to-head in an NHL rink has yet to dull and it’s not something they’re about to take for granted.

Tuesday’s clash against the Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues marked the eighth NHL meeting between the Barron brothers, who took divergent paths after growing up in Halifax.

“I’m always pulling for him and then all of a sudden, you’re fighting in the corner for a puck,” Morgan recalled after the morning skate on Tuesday. “It’s no different than in the summer or playing mini sticks in the basement and all of that stuff.

“We’ve done it for a long time now. It’s always fun getting a chance to play against him in the NHL.”

It’s easy to understand why it would be.

Morgan is the older brother by three years, so he never had the opportunity to skate on the same team as Justin.

The elder Barron left Nova Scotia to attend St. Andrew’s College, a prep school in Ontario, for two years, and after that second season, he was chosen in the sixth round of the 2017 NHL Draft by the New York Rangers.

“It’s always fun getting a chance to play against him in the NHL.”

Justin, meanwhile, ended up playing for the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, starring for the hometown team for parts of four seasons and being chosen in the first round (25th overall) in 2020 by the Colorado Avalanche.

“I kind of felt like I was chasing his career there for a while,” said Morgan. “He played at home for the junior team, was a high (draft) pick. He still lives with me in the summer, so I spend a lot of time with him and we’re still kind of able to push each other. We spend a lot of time together.

“It’s good to have someone like that. It’s a blessing that not many people have, to have someone in your corner that is rooting for you. If I’m down, I can always talk to him about it. We have shared experiences.”

Those shared experiences are discussed in frank phone calls and text message exchanges.

And while having a fellow NHLer watch your shifts closely with an intricate knowledge of your strengths and weaknesses can be both encouraging and humbling, it’s impossible to beat the support system.

“It’s huge,” said Justin. “It’s just nice to have someone that close that has gone through a lot of the same stuff or is going through a lot of the same stuff. Obviously, every situation is different but there are little things we can certainly relate to, even though we’re on different teams.

“He was always a person I looked up to growing up and I have a huge amount of respect for him.”

“It’s nice to have a guy with his perspective. He was always a person I looked up to growing up and I have a huge amount of respect for him.”

What we know for sure is that the Barron brothers are hoping to keep adding to the total of head-to-head meetings.

“We’re getting there,” said Morgan. “He likes his Central Division teams, so that kind of adds to the count.”

That count would already be higher were it not for injuries, demotions or a few healthy scratches along the road.

Justin made his NHL debut for the Avalanche against the Rangers, but unfortunately Morgan had been sent down to the American Hockey League just a few days before.

Later that season, both players ended up being traded by their respective teams. With Morgan headed to the Jets in the Andrew Copp deal, while Justin was acquired by the Montreal Canadiens.

On Jan. 17 in 2023, the Barrons became the first brothers from Nova Scotia to battle against one another in an NHL game.

“I just remember my parents being really excited about getting the chance to come,” said Morgan. “The first time was just a little bit more for family. The people that helped us get here. It was a big moment for my parents and everyone else to be there for it.”

When asked what stood out about the previous battles, it’s been tough to pinpoint a jarring check or highlight-reel moment.

“I feel like the first few times we played each other, we were rarely on the ice together,” said Morgan. “I don’t know how that happened or why. We might have only had one or two shifts, but as time has gone on, it’s gotten a little more normal.”

Justin doesn’t recall taking a run at Morgan or vice versa, but they’ve found themselves battling for loose pucks on several occasions.

“I don’t think we’ve tried to line each other up or anything like that,” said Justin. “We’ve definitely had a couple of battles, most of the ones I recall are net-front.”

Justin was placed on waivers by the Predators near the end of this season’s training camp, but was claimed by the Blues.

“I’m honestly a big fan of his game, I see how hard he works and I get to see him on the ice pretty much every day there through the off-season,” said Morgan. “It’s great to have someone like that (where) I can push him and he can push me. His game has come a long way and I’m sure it will continue to do so.”

Tuesday’s tilt marked Morgan’s 330th NHL game — and 312th regular-season appearance in a Jets jersey — and it’s clear he’s grown into a versatile player.

“That’s what he is for me, a moveable object,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel. “He’s a big-body, (a) power centre that you can’t have enough of. Especially when you run into those bottom six lines, you really see that most of the time they’re quite heavy. Penalty kill, being able to throw him into a wing position on another line, those are all situations where he’s real valuable that way.

“We talk about (Alex Iafallo) being the Swiss Army knife, well (Barron) is a lot of that too. The other added benefit is he can play centre and he’s real good on face-offs.”

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