Morrissey is still pushing for more

FORT LAUDERDALE – In the hierarchy of individual milestones in the National Hockey League, Josh Morrissey says the 1,000-game mark is one of the most coveted.

However, that doesn’t mean that a number like 600 games – which the Winnipeg Jets defenseman will reach on Saturday against the Florida Panthers – means any less.

“Anytime you get another 100 games, it’s a cool moment,” Morrissey said after the team’s 35-minute skate Friday. “It’s great to get to 600. It goes fast, you hear everyone say that. Lots of good memories and it feels like I’m just getting started.”

The 29-year-old product of Calgary, AB has 17 points this season, tied for second in points by a defenseman (with teammate Neal Pionk) behind only Cale Makar’s 25. Since the start of the 2022-23 campaign, only three defensemen (Makar , Quinn Hughes and Erik Karlsson) have more points than Morrissey’s 162.

Of course, points only tell part of the story when it comes to Morrissey.

He leads the Jets in average ice time per match (24:22), and often goes up against the opponent’s best, and he is also not afraid to put his body on the line. His 31 blocked shots also lead the team, and at 44th on the ice at five-on-five, the Jets are outscoring their opponents 11-9.

He’s been fifth and seventh in Norris Trophy voting the last couple of seasons and feels like he’s unlocking more parts of his game as his career continues.

“I love the game and love the pursuit of getting better, the pursuit of finding ways to improve and be more consistent,” Morrissey said. “I think a lot of that comes from my dad. As a kid, he instilled in me that mindset to never be satisfied.”

Morrissey, an avid golfer, referenced 15-time major winner Tiger Woods when talking about the pursuit of consistency.

“He could hit every shot as an 18-year-old, but when he was in his prime in his 20s or 30s — whenever that was — he could just do it more consistently,” Morrissey said. “So if you feel like you’ve mastered a skill and can do it three out of 10 times, is there a way you can get it to seven, eight or nine out of 10? I think the best players in the league is able to do that on a night in and night out basis consistently.”

Two seasons ago, it was Rick Bowness who had the offseason conversation with Morrissey about unleashing the 2013 first-round pick’s offensive instincts. Bowness told Morrissey that when the longtime head coach was in Dallas, Morrissey’s name was circled on the board when someone Bowness wanted his team to follow.

Through that speech, working with then-associate coach (now head coach) Scott Arniel and the reps he puts in during the offseason, Morrissey took himself off and into the conversation with elite defensemen in the NHL — a place he certainly belongs at home. .

Perhaps it is fitting that Game 600 comes against the Florida Panthers and Morrissey’s first head coach in the NHL – Paul Maurice.

After Morrissey’s first five games in the NHL, he remembers being called into Maurice’s office. Morrissey had one point in the first handful of games of the 2016–17 season, and had made his NHL debut the season before on March 5.

“He had a bit of a smile on his face, as he often does, as you also see in the media. He laughed that day and said ‘you know we’re not sending you down. You can try something with the puck, make a play, do things the way you do,” Morrissey recalled. “As a defenseman, I think it takes a little longer to really start to settle into your game — whether is a few hundred matches, whatever that may be. Like I said, I still feel at 600 games in that I’m still looking at ways to improve, ways to get better.”

Arniel sees that too. As a coach, however, what he loves is not just the point production. It’s the fact that there hasn’t been a drop-off in Morrissey’s defensive game.

“There are many defenders who are extremely good offensively and do not get the opportunity to defend. But he is very proud of that part of it,” Arniel said. “He wanted to have on his plate, and he does. He sees the top lines and he and (Dylan DeMelo) have done a great job of eliminating those top players’ options. Obviously, the offensive side of his game is elite. That’s part of the success he’s had in the last few years.”

Morrissey’s inner drive isn’t going anywhere, and he will certainly be a big part of helping the Jets get back to where they want to be this spring. But part of what makes an athlete like Morrissey so successful is the ability to take things one day at a time and not get too excited about the future or the past.

“I just love the game. I love the competitive element. When I’m playing my best, that’s what drives me,” Morrissey said. “The guys that keep getting better and enjoying the game as they get older, they enjoy competing, they enjoy being around the guys and trying to win games in pursuit of the Stanley Cup. Also the individual game of trying to continue to grow as a player. Hopefully I’m only about halfway there.”