Tag: Hockey Stories

FEATURE
A Hockey-Filled Life From College to Coaching With Keith Morris (Ep.21)

A Hockey-Filled Life From College to Coaching With Keith Morris (Ep.21)

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A sporting community can impact lives decades after the final whistle. 

Today’s episode dives into this phenomenon and highlights the lifelong bonds formed through UAA Seawolves Hockey and the initiatives keeping this legacy vibrant.

David Vallieres reconnects with Keith Morris, a distinguished UAA Seawolves Hockey alumnus. Keith shares stories from his playing days, details his professional journey, and talks about his current work with the Anchorage Wolverines. Together, they highlight the Seawolf 4Life Foundation’s mission to enrich alumni relationships through community, connections, and contributions.

Top discussion points include:

  • The impactful recruiting process and his journey to UAA
  • The camaraderie and memorable experiences from Keith’s time with UAA Seawolves
  • Insights into Keith’s professional hockey career and transition into coaching
  • The current state and plans for the Anchorage Wolverines under Keith’s leadership
  • And more

Resources:

Connect with David: 

About Keith Morris:

Keith Morris, who has been living in Columbus, Ohio, has been a scout for the Omaha Lancers of the United States Junior Hockey League for the last two seasons. He served as head coach of the Columbus Crush Junior “B” Team from 1998-2000 and was head coach of St. Charles Preparatory from 1997-2000. Morris has also worked at the Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL) developmental camp as a power skating evaluator and at the Canadian Professional Hockey School as director of on-ice development.

Morris had a stellar career at UAA from 1990-94, scoring 134 points (ninth all-time) and 61 career goals (ninth all-time). Morris played on all three of UAA’s NCAA Tournament qualifying teams including the 1991-92 squad which finished with a program-best record of 27-8-1. The Winnipeg, Manitoba, native played for the Canadian National Team in 1992-93, tallying 8-17–25 totals in 53 games before returning to UAA to captain the Seawolves his senior season.

Drafted by the Winnipeg Jets, Morris played professionally from 1994-97 with stints with the Peoria Riverman of the International Hockey League, Columbus Chill (East Coast Hockey League), Detroit Vipers (IHL), and Manitoba Moose (IHL).

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FEATURE
Hockey’s Lessons in Dedication and Resilience with John Hill – Part 2 (Ep.17)

Hockey’s Lessons in Dedication and Resilience with John Hill – Part 2 (Ep.17)

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How does commitment and support from university administrators impact the success of sports teams?

This week, our returning guest, John Hill, is here to tell us.

In this part-two episode, the hosts welcome back John Hill to reflect on the team’s journey to the final five weekend and shares a funny incident with the team. He discusses the challenges they faced during their bus ride to the twin cities. 

Coach Hill also talks about his decision to leave his position as the athletic director and the impact it had on the hockey program. Coach Hill also shares insights into being an NHL hockey scout and the challenges involved. 

John discusses: 

  • His team’s journey to the final five weekend & some of its most emotional moments
  • His decision to leave his position as the athletic director & the impact this will have on the program
  • The challenges of being a modern day NHL Hockey scout
  • And more

Resources:

Connect with David: 

About John Hill: 

John Hill is a former NHL player and coach. He started his coaching career as an assistant coach for the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) in 1987. He then became the head coach of the Dubuque Fighting Saints, a junior hockey team, in 1989. He returned to UAA as an assistant coach in 1993 and stayed there until 1995. He then joined Colorado College as an assistant coach for four seasons, followed by two seasons as an assistant coach for the University of Minnesota. In 2001, he became the head coach of UAA again and led the team for four seasons. His best season was in 2003-04, when he guided the Seawolves to the WCHA Final Five and a third-place game appearance. He resigned from UAA in 2005 and rejoined Minnesota as an assistant coach until 2011. He retired from coaching after that season.

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