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The
Climb Begins Up Here
Gavin Morgan believes that his
hard work with the Hershey Bears will pay off soon, as he continues on his
trek to scale the NHL mountain.
By Ailyn Diaz
For MinorLeagueNews.com
12.01.03 – Hershey, PA -- After exhausting himself on the ice, Gavin Morgan begins his normal post-practice ritual in the Hershey Bears locker room.
First, Gavin unties his skates and then pulls off his heavy hockey equipment, which reveals a yellow t-shirt with black letters – “The Climb Begins Up Here”.
The way to the NHL certainly begins in the minor leagues, but with a degree in Business Administration from the University of Denver, Gavin Morgan could have opted for a career in banking.
Instead, he decided to pursue a profession that involved a different type of ‘checks’. As a matter of fact, he landed his current job with the Hershey Bears on a loan.
Under contract with the Dallas Stars, Morgan had spent the previous four years playing for their American Hockey League affiliate, the Utah Grizzlies.
Earlier this season, Doug Yingst, General Manager of the Hershey Bears, was seeking a feisty center that could enforce on the ice if needed. Therefore, the decision was made to loan Tim Wedderburn, a second-year defenseman, to the Utah Grizzlies in exchange for Morgan.
Initially, Morgan was perplexed with his loan to Hershey, however, he was excited to play under new head coach Paul Fixter.
"His coaching is what makes this team successful", said Morgan after a recent game where he tallied his 100th career assist on teammate Sheldon Keefe’s goal.
To see what truly makes Morgan successful, one must look beyond the Harley Davidson riding, tattooed, tough-guy image he maintains.
His ability to play hockey, is only one of many things, that makes Gavin Morgan exceptional.
Born Tough
Gavin certainly knows how to fight for what he wants, on and off the ice.
The Philadelphia Phantom’s P.J. Stock recently learned this, as Morgan bloodied him in a gruesome, third period fight on November 8th.
“That just happened,” Morgan said. “Any given night, he could come back and maybe give it to me the way I gave it to him.”
It seems Morgan’s propensity to drop the gloves stems, at least somewhat, from a survival instinct that was fostered early on.
“You fight not to lose and you fight not to get hurt,” Morgan stated. “I never had any real formal training, but I had an older brother when I grew up. It was a good stepping-stone into fighting. It’s in my nature. It’s how I play the game.”
Decisions, decisions…
Although Gavin’s hockey skills were apparent by the age of six, when he was playing underage on his older brother’s team, his competitive edge was greater. “My dad put me in lacrosse and I gained a love for lacrosse that became greater than the love for hockey.”
At a young age, Gavin decided to take a calculated risk. “I figured that I really could not go anywhere with lacrosse,” he said. “So, I switched back to really concentrating on hockey.”
Morgan was eventually drafted by the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League and actually went to their training camp, before making yet another crucial decision.
He could have continued with Ottawa, but after visiting a friend who introduced him to NCAA hockey at the University of Michigan, Gavin decided that taking the college route was a better option.
With a mother who is a banker, education was stressed in the Morgan household. Meanwhile, his father, a blue-collar sheet metal worker, always stressed competition.
Morgan felt that the best way to achieve both an education and competition in sports, was in the NCAA, which led to his career at the University of Denver.
Though he went undrafted out of college, Morgan signed as an unrestricted free agent on July 6, 2001 with the Dallas Stars and soon landed up in the AHL with the Utah Grizzlies.
Leading By Example
This season, Morgan is establishing himself as penalty killer and goal scorer, while developing a leadership role amongst the young prospects of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche, who share an affiliation with the Hershey Bears.
“This fifth year is a special year,” Morgan said. “You learn to step up, whether you have a letter on your jersey or not.”
So Morgan, who had 15 goals, 24 assists and 244 penalty minutes for the Grizzlies last season, teaches prospects such as Jordan Krestanovich and Charlie Stephens the rules of the game.
“Play hard and physical,” Morgan instructs.
Morgan’s dedication to his teammates’ development may account for some of the Bears’ multiple call-ups to the Colorado Avalanche this season.
Friendship First
The relationships and trust that Morgan strives to build with his teammates is obvious.
“The camaraderie is what’s important for me,” Gavin admits. “It’s what many guys miss after (they leave) the game.”
Morgan’s devotion to his friends extends to those comrades off the ice as well.
Especially with Matthew Kristensen, a young man Gavin met while playing with Utah.
“We always went to the children’s hospital in Salt Lake City,” Morgan said, describing how he first became acquainted with Matthew.
“(We) made a point to go to every room and try to bring smile to their faces when maybe their times were down,” he continued.
Matthew suffered from Hunter’s syndrome, a rare genetic degenerative disease. From their very first meeting, a special bond grew between the two.
Kristensen was involved in many aspects of the Grizzlies’ team, including helping model the new team jersey with the revised logo.
Morgan likes to reminisce on how Matthew used to wave a Grizzlies rally flag from a twelve-foot pole during game breaks and show off his bright lime green colored hair, which matched his jersey.
“I’m a better person for knowing him.” Morgan stated. “When he passed away in December of 2002, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.”
“He had such a good life. I decided to hold in the tears because that is what he would have wanted me to do,” Morgan said in a futile attempt to protect his tough-guy image.
Perseverance Pays
Certainly, Matthew would have wanted for Gavin Morgan to follow his dream of playing in the NHL.
Morgan, who stands first in penalty minutes and fourth in goals, in twenty-one games for the Hershey Bears, has yet to play a regular-season game in the NHL.
“It’s frustrating to see that Dallas hasn't’t really shown much faith in me to play there,” Morgan acknowledged. “I’ve just got to keep on playing.”
Gavin Morgan talked to Head Coach Paul Fixter about his dream, and the bench boss reinforced that notion.
“Fixy said: 'Not giving up on it is what you have to do',” Morgan disclosed.
With this motto in mind, Morgan won’t give up that easily. He feels that in a Hershey Bears’ uniform he has a good chance to fulfill his goals.
"I’ve worked for that dream and want to keep it alive."
Editor's Note: Gavin Morgan was recalled by the Dallas Stars on 12/2/03. As of 12/10/03, Morgan has played in 3 games with the Stars, recording 11 penalty minutes.
