In the name of the father

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This article was published 25/04/2022 (1276 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

This has been a hockey season to remember for Josh Morrissey. One filled with healing. With hope. And with happiness. And despite a lack of on-ice success for his team, the Winnipeg Jets defenceman says he’s made sure to savour every second.

“I’ve felt a renewed sense of enjoyment and appreciation of being at the rink. I’ve just never had more fun playing the game than I have this season,” Morrissey said in a recent interview. “I’ve enjoyed everything from the different hotels on the road, meals and restaurants and fans in different cities, fans in our own arena. And all the things that kind of come with playing in the NHL. It’s definitely been a healing year for me. And being at the rink was a huge part of that. I’m grateful for that and my teammates and the game of hockey.”

Now Morrissey, has one more reason to celebrate. The 27-year-old has been selected as his club’s nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, voted on by the local chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association and given annually to the NHL player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey.” The winner will be announced during the Stanley Cup playoffs, along with the other major awards.

“It’s an honour to be selected, and certainly means a lot to me,” said Morrissey.

“I think those are the things you really learn from playing sports. I think that is what my parents, and my dad, really loved about having kids in sports, and certainly in hockey — the teamwork element, the perseverance when it doesn’t always go your way. Certainly, you’re going to have tough games or little setbacks along the way. Sticking with it, not giving up and doing it with a smile on your face — I remember he always used to tell me to look at things with a glass-half-full approach.”

Morrissey’s father, Tom, died of brain cancer last August, just a few weeks prior to the start of the season. It’s left him playing with a heavy heart, but also a renewed sense of purpose following a tough 2021 campaign.

“That’s where he always tried to help us, setting small goals and whether you achieved them or not, knowing you were still moving forward and still leaning in the direction of eventually where you want to be. That’s what I would say has always been important to us, and definitely prevalent during his illness. He exemplified those things tremendously, and so did our family, I believe,” said Morrissey.

“My dad’s wishes for me and my brother were to do our healing and do what we needed to do, but also to go on with our lives and live how he’d want us to.”– Josh Morrissey

“My dad’s wishes for me and my brother were to do our healing and do what we needed to do, but also to go on with our lives and live how he’d want us to. So I think, for me, after a few weeks when I got back into the arena in mid to late August, basically from there on it was a place where I was just excited to be, excited to be around the guys. When you’re going through something like that, I think the situation with what was going on in my life, being around friends and teammates and what not just really helped a lot. And being on the ice. That’s where I’m my happiest, that’s what I love to do.”

There have been lots of things go wrong for the Jets this season. But Morrissey’s play is not one of them. The Calgary native, selected 13th overall by Winnipeg in 2013, has set career highs in goals (12) and points (34). He’s also repeatedly shown himself to be a leader, not only as an alternate captain who always answers the bell with media, but also his many charitable endeavours in the community.

Morrissey works closely with the Dream Factory, including hosting an annual golf tournament in Winnipeg, and he raised more than $3,000 for CancerCare Manitoba by auctioning off a special purple blazer he had made for a game earlier this year as part of the Hockey Fights Cancer initiative.

“The reaction kind of blew me away. At first, I just wanted to sort of do it for myself and my dad, as a tribute to him. Then I kind of thought maybe there was something more there or something we could do to raise awareness or raise some money,” said Morrissey.

“The crazy story is that a friend of ours who I got to know over the years actually bought the blazer and has decided to give it back to me so I can keep it and I had no idea. I thought that was a pretty touching thing for someone to do. I would say a friend, but not overly close, but for them to do that was again, that’s the kind of support that we’ve had. It’s really helped so much to get us through and to have that sense of community is what people need when they are going through a tough time. Hopefully in the future, hopefully we can (forward) that to other people.”

“My dad was always someone who told my brother and I from a young age that whatever you do, you have to give back and help people.”– Josh Morrissey

Morrissey is also an active board member with the True North Youth Foundation, an ambassador for Camp Manitou and Project 11 and started his own foundation called Glass Half Full which helps raise funds for various mental health programs.

“My dad was always someone who told my brother and I from a young age that whatever you do, you have to give back and help people,” said Morrissey. “I remember as a young kid, going to Flames practices and meeting some of the guys, that he always made sure to tell us afterwards that if you guys ever end up making it to the NHL that you always remember that. Crazy enough, I guess I did (make the NHL) and I certainly do remember that, so I try to pay that back as well now. It’s the least you can do.”

And now Morrissey plays on, remembering his father, doing his best to make his mentor and role model proud every day.

“For me, personally, last year was the most difficult season of my career. The hardest part was not being able to be there and knowing what was going on and sort of how things were progressing — unfortunately, pretty fast. Just the unfortunate feeling of not being able to be there and always having it in the back of your mind,” said Morrissey.

“Obviously, this season, the finality of things, I know that he’s in a peaceful place. I feel very grateful that we were able to have very meaningful conversations along the way, which have really given me a lot of solace and peace as well going forward. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of him, or something doesn’t remind me of him.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg