Derek Terrence Morris (born August 24, 1978) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the latter a reference to ...

who played over 1,100 games in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL) for the

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play thei ...

, Phoenix Coyotes,

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

and

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

. He was originally drafted out of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...

(WHL) 13th overall by the Calgary Flames in the

1996 NHL Entry Draft The 1996 NHL Entry Draft was the 34th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Kiel Center in St. Louis, Missouri, on June 22, 1996. The last active player in the NHL from this draft class was Zdeno Chára, who retired after the 2021–22 season. ...

Playing career

Morris played

minor hockey Minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body contact, vary from c ...

in the

Alberta Midget Hockey League The Alberta Elite Hockey League or AEHL (formerly the Alberta Midget Hockey League) is the provincial U18 "AAA" ice hockey league for Alberta, Canada. The league consists of 17 teams split into the North and South Divisions. League champions go ...

(AMHL) with the Red Deer Chiefs and was awarded the Brian Benning Trophy as the league's top defenceman in 1995. He went on to play

major junior Junior hockey is a level of competitive ice hockey generally for players between 16 and 21 years of age. Junior hockey leagues in the United States and Canada are considered amateur (with some exceptions) and operate within regions of each cou ...

with the

Regina Pats Regina (Latin for "queen") may refer to: Places Canada * Regina, Saskatchewan, the capital city of the province ** Regina (electoral district) ** Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Regina France * Régina, French Guiana, a commune United States * ...

of the

(WHL). After his rookie WHL season, in which he scored 52 points in 67 games, Morris was drafted 13th overall by the

in the

, a somewhat surprising pick as Morris had been projected to be a third- or fourth-round pick. He returned to play a second season with the Pats, improving to 18 goals and 75 points before turning pro. Following Morris's

1996–97 WHL season The 1996–97 WHL season was the 31st season for the Western Hockey League. Eighteen teams completed a 72-game season. The Lethbridge Hurricanes won the President's Cup. League notes *The Edmonton Ice joined the WHL as its 18th franchise, playin ...

with the Pats, he was assigned to the Calgary's

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...

(AHL) affiliate, the

Saint John Flames The Saint John Flames were a Canadian ice hockey team in the American Hockey League from 1993 to 2003 in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. The Calgary Flames bought and relocated the Utica Devils, to be their AHL affiliate. History The Saint J ...

for the final seven games of the regular season, as well as five post-season games. In 1997–98, he scored 9 goals and 29 points in his NHL rookie season with the Flames, earning

NHL All-Rookie Team The NHL All-Rookie Team is chosen by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association from the best rookies in the National Hockey League at each position for the season just concluded based on their performance in that year. The team was first named a ...

honours. He continued to improve to 34, then 38 points in his second and third seasons with the Flames before an injury-shortened season in 2000–01 kept him to 28 points in 51 games. In 2001–02, Morris was again sidelined after sustaining a left wrist injury. During the season, he was unintentionally involved in a tragic incident in a game against the

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ...

on March 16, 2002, when an

Espen Knutsen Espen Knutsen (born January 12, 1972) is a Norwegian former professional ice hockey player and currently the general manager of Vålerenga in the Norwegian GET-ligaen. He played five seasons in the North American-based National Hockey League (NHL), ...

slap shot deflected off him and into the stands, striking 13-year-old Brittanie Cecil in the temple. She died from the impact two days later, prompting the NHL to implement protective netting at the ends of the rinks at the start of the following season. Morris completed the season with 34 points in 61 games. After five seasons with Calgary, reaching the 30-point mark four times, Morris was traded to the

. He made an immediate impact with the Avalanche in his first season, tallying a career-high 11 goals, 37 assists and 48 points in 2002–03. The following season, Morris was traded for the second time in as many campaigns, this time to the Phoenix Coyotes. He completed the 2003–04 season playing in 14 games and recording 2 assists with the Coyotes after being traded. He finished with a combined 32 points. In his first full season with the Coyotes in 2005–06, Morris tallied 28 points in 53 games, then recorded back-to-back 25-point seasons the following two campaigns. On March 4, 2009, Morris was again dealt at the trade deadline, this time to the

. He did not re-sign with the Rangers in the off-season, instead signing a one-year contract with the

worth $3.3 million on July 24, 2009. On March 3, 2010, Morris was traded back to the Coyotes for a conditional fourth-round pick in the

2011 NHL Entry Draft The 2011 NHL Entry Draft was the 49th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 24–25, 2011, at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was the first time the Draft was held in the state of Minnesota since the Minnesota North Stars host ...

. After the season, Morris signed a four-year, $11 million contract extension with the Coyotes. With Phoenix, Morris went deep into the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs. His highlight of the playoffs was a shot from centre ice in Game 1 of the

Conference Finals Conference Finals may refer to: * NBA Conference Finals, National Basketball Association * NHL Conference Finals The National Hockey League (NHL) Conference Finals are the Eastern Conference and Western Conference championship series of the NHL. ...

that beat

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and was founded on June 5, 1967, after Jack Kent ...

netminder

Jonathan Quick Jonathan Douglas Quick (born January 21, 1986) is an American professional ice hockey goaltender for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). Quick was selected in the third round, 72nd overall, by Los Angeles at the 2005 NHL ...

. However, the Coyotes lost the series in five games. Though he never officially announced his retirement, Morris has not been active since the 2013–14 season.

International play

Morris has represented

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

on three occasions at the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

. After appearances in

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

and 2001, he won his first gold medal with Canada at the 2004 World Championships in the Czech Republic. He contributed five assists in the gold-medal effort.

Personal life

Morris has three sons: Traiten, Presley and Asher. He coached for his son Presley's team, The Jr. Coyotes 02 AA, and also for eldest son Traiten's team, The Jr. Coyotes 00 AA. Morris settled in north

Scottsdale, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Winfield Scott , image_skyline = , image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg , image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg , nick ...

. In the summers, he and his family return to Alberta. Morris is currently an assistant high school coach with Chaparral High.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honours

Transactions

* October 1, 2002 – Traded to the

by the

(alongside

Jeff Shantz Jeffrey Dale Shantz (born October 10, 1973) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He played predominantly in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Chicago Blackhawks, Calgary Flames and the Colorado Avalanche. Playing career S ...

and

Dean McAmmond Dean W. McAmmond (born June 15, 1973) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. McAmmond played in the National Hockey League from 1992 to 2010 for nine teams. Pre-NHL career McAmmond played four seasons in the Western Hockey League wi ...

) for

Chris Drury Christopher Ellis Drury (born August 20, 1976) is an American professional ice hockey executive and former player. He has served as the president and general manager for the New York Rangers since May 5, 2021. He previously served as the genera ...

and Stéphane Yelle. * March 9, 2004 – Traded to the Phoenix Coyotes by Colorado (alongside

Keith Ballard Keith Galen Ballard (born November 26, 1982) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who previously played in the National Hockey League with the Phoenix Coyotes, Florida Panthers, Vancouver Canucks and Minnesota Wild. He played ...

) for

Ossi Väänänen Ossi Reijo Juhani Väänänen (born August 18, 1980) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey defenceman. He was the captain of Jokerit of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), with whom he has previously won two silver medals as runner-up for ...

, Chris Gratton and Phoenix's second-round pick (

Paul Stastny Paul Stastny (born December 27, 1985) is a Canadian-born American professional ice hockey center for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, Winnipeg Jets ...

) in

2005 NHL Entry Draft The 2005 NHL Entry Draft was the 43rd NHL Entry Draft. Originally scheduled to be held on June 25, the 2004–05 NHL lockout led to the draft being postponed to July 30. Special procedures were required to determine the order of picks, because ...

. * March 4, 2009 – Traded to the

by Phoenix for

Nigel Dawes Nigel Alexander Dawes (born February 9, 1985) is a Canadian- Kazakhstani professional ice-hockey winger for Adler Mannheim of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). He has played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers, Phoenix ...

, Dimitri Kalinin and

Petr Průcha Petr Průcha (born September 14, 1982) is a Czech former professional ice hockey forward who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers and the Phoenix Coyotes. Playing career Průcha led the Czech Republic Junior Leagu ...

. * July 4, 2009 – Signed a one-year contract with

as a free agent. * March 3, 2010 – Traded to Phoenix from Boston for a fourth-round pick in the

. * July 1, 2010 – Signed
four-year contract
with Phoenix.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Derek 1978 births Living people Boston Bruins players Calgary Flames draft picks Calgary Flames players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey defencemen Canadian people of English descent Colorado Avalanche players National Hockey League first-round draft picks New York Rangers players Phoenix Coyotes players Regina Pats players Saint John Flames players Ice hockey people from Edmonton