Top 50 Canucks players of all time: #32 – Brendan Morrison

Join us this summer as we count down the top 50 Vancouver Canucks players of all time! #32: Brendan Morrison

As one era ends, another begins. And that’s exactly what happened when the Canucks traded away Alex Mogilny and received Brendan Morrison in return.

Now, Morrison was the third string alongside Markus Naslund and Todd Bertuzzi, but he was the final piece to the puzzle that became the West Coast Express Canucks era.

As mentioned above, the Canucks acquired hometown talent Brendan Morrison from the New Jersey Devils halfway through the 1999-2000 season. Despite only playing the tail end of that season, Morrison still made an impact, tallying two goals and nine points in just 12 games.

In his first full year in Vancouver (2000-2001), Morrison scored 16 goals and 54 points in 82 games. However, it wasn’t until the following year that the West Coast Express line officially formed, despite all three players being on the roster.

Head coach at the time, Marc Crawford, began to put trust in the trio early, and they immediately gelled. Their combination of size, speed and skill quickly made them one of the most dominant lines across the NHL. Morrison posted career highs in goals (23), assists (44) and points (67) that season, only to smash those records the following year.

The 2002-2003 season was the peak of the West Coast Express. While Naslund and Bertuzzi led the way offensively, Morrison still had a respectable 25 goals and 46 assists for 71 points in yet another full 82-game season. These totals were good for 26th across the entire NHL, and the West Coast Express line as a whole accounted for 45% of the entire Canucks goal totals that season.

Vancouver finished with 104 points in 2002-2003, which marked the franchise’s best year to date. His efforts that season earned him a new leadership role, as he was recognized as an alternate captain in 2003-2004.

Morrison and the Canucks continued their success in the following season, finishing with three fewer points in the standings, yet improved in their division, taking home their first Northwest Division title. Personally, Morrison took a small step back, scoring 22 goals and 38 assists for 60 points. However, Morrison scored one of the most memorable goals in Canucks history to that point, and certainly in his career: a triple overtime winner that forced Game 7 against the eventual Western Conference Champion Calgary Flames.