All Travis Morin wanted was a chance to prove himself. After two years in the ECHL and five frustrating games in the American Hockey League, his opportunity finally arrived.
Despite averaging more than 80 points in his first two professional seasons with the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL and helping the team to a Kelly Cup championship in 2009, Morin saw only five games of AHL action with the Hershey Bears.
“I wasn’t really given a chance to show what I can do and use my strengths,” Morin said. “My wife and I really liked being in South Carolina. We thought that if there was going to be a place we needed to be for a year before we could move somewhere else, this was a pretty good place to be. I stayed positive and knew we had a good team and rode it out until my contract was over.” His efforts grabbed the attention of Texas Stars head coach Glen Gulutzan.
Click to listen to the complete feature with Morin: Part 1, Part 2
“He thought I could play up there [AHL] and he was willing to give me a chance to put me in positions to help me succeed,” said Morin. “After weighing my options, I thought that it [Texas] was the best fit for me.”
With just five games of experience, Morin jumped at his first real opportunity finishing second on the Stars in goals and points and was one of only two skaters to dress in all 80 regular-season games. With a 46-27-3-4 record, Texas rolled into the postseason and Morin had another chance to prove himself, this time against his former team, the Bears, in the Calder Cup Finals.
“I felt like I didn’t get a fair shot there so going back and playing against them was something I wanted to prove and show them I could play,” Morin said. “It didn’t turn out in the end for us. We had our chances and came up a couple games short, but I definitely had a couple nice moments there. In Game 2, scoring the game-winning goal with less than a minute left was pretty neat and it was an experience you never forget.
The Dallas Stars signed Morin to an NHL contract in the summer of 2010 and after starting the season strong in the AHL, he earned his first NHL call-up on January 25, 2011. With Gulutzan now behind the Dallas bench, Morin hoped he would get a chance to play. The following night, the Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, native made his NHL debut in Dallas against the Edmonton Oilers.
“It’s the top moment in my career,” Morin said. “It is what you strive for. You dream about it as a kid, but you never really expect it to happen. Coach put me on the line that would start the game so I got to hear my name called out for the starting lineup and got to stand out there for the national anthem which was pretty cool. You try to soak it in as much as you can, but it goes by in a blur at the same time. It is something I will remember forever.”
Morin’s dream season took a scary turn hours later. While waiting on a plane in Dallas, he suddenly collapsed.
“I was not feeling that great and we had practice that morning,” said Morin. “I probably did not drink enough and was dehydrated. They couldn’t find anything wrong. It was definitely scary. I worked out the next day and then was on a plane to Philadelphia. It did not come at the best time, but it was not something I could control.”
Morin registered two shots and averaged less than nine minutes of ice time in three games with Dallas. Back in AHL with the Stars last season, Morin continued to prove his critics wrong by adding another impressive accomplishment to his resume. On October 14, 2011, he became the all-time leading scorer for the Stars and first player in Stars history to score 100 points.
“Its nice to have and it shows that I can play at this level and succeed,” Morin mentioned. “I’m sure someone will pass me eventually, but it’s nice to hold.” Morin finished the season the season with a team-high 53 assists and 66 points. “I want to get back to the NHL and hopefully get a chance to play up there. At the same time, I want to improve on my season down in the AHL and get a few more wins, make the playoffs and play for a championship.”
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