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Salmon Kings' Morrison Named National Conference Coach

January 2, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL)
Victoria Salmon Kings News Release


Victoria, BC - The Victoria Salmon Kings, proud affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks and Manitoba Moose, announced today that Head Coach Mark Morrison has been named as a co-coach for the 2008 Chase Chevrolet ECHL's National Conference All Star Team.

Morrison received the nod as the co-coach along side Las Vegas Wranglers head coach Glen Gulutzman. The Victoria, BC resident was awarded this honor through a combination of the team's winning percentage alongside votes amongst the coaches from within the National Conference. Gulutzman was selected because his team currently leads the National Conference.

"It's a great honor to be voted in by my peers," Morrison said. "This is the type of accolades that a coach receives when he has good players."

Morrison is currently in his first full season as Head Coach of the Salmon Kings. He took over last season on December 28th, 2006. He led the team to a 27-15-3 finish including a club record nine-game winning streak, a 15-point improvement from the previous season and the team's first ever ECHL playoff berth.

This year Victoria is off to their best start ever. The team currently sits in first place in the West Division and second place in the National Conference with a 20-8-0-2 record.

"Our entire organization congratulates Mark on his appointment to the all-star game," Dan Belisle Vice president of Hockey Operations and General Manager said. "He is deserving of this honour. As Mark previously stated, it is also a testament to the quality of players we have on our hockey club. It is their hard work and determination that has propelled three members of our organization to be included in the ECHL All-Star activities, and everyone within the Salmon Kings organization shares in their recognition by the league."

Morrison joins forward Ash Goldie and goaltender Julien Ellis who were named starters for the All Star game in Stockton, California. This year's game will be played on Wednesday, January 23 at 7 p.m.

The Salmon Kings return to action tomorrow night when they take on the Utah Grizzlies at 7:05 p.m. Tickets are available by calling 220-7889.

Biography:

Mark Morrison

Head Coach

Mark Morrison is the fourth head coach in Salmon Kings history. He started with the organization in September, 2005 as an assistant coach. Morrison took over as the team's Head Coach on December 28, 2006. He led the team to a 27-15-3 finish including a club record nine-game winning streak, a 15-point improvement from the previous season and the team's first ever ECHL playoff berth. The team rewarded Mark for his success with a new two-year contract as head coach on April 26, 2007.

Morrison is well known to the Victoria hockey community, beginning his junior hockey career as a member of the Western Hockey League's Victoria Cougars in the 1979-80 season. Collecting 394 points in 191 games, the team's all-time career record, Morrison was taken 51st overall by the New York Rangers in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. At the age of 19, he notched his first NHL goal at Madison Square Garden against the Chicago Blackhawks.

In 1981, Morrison was named as a member of the Team Canada squad that captured the gold medal at the World Junior Championships. He was also the captain of the 1982 team that captured the bonze medal. Morrison later continued his international experience with the Canadian National Team in 1983-84 and 1988-89.

The time he spent playing with Team Canada helped open doors to continue his professional career in Europe, while his goal scoring ability enabled him to produce record setting seasons. Playing for HC Merano, in the prestigious Italian Serie A, Morrison captured the scoring title recording an astonishing 147 points in 36 games.

Morrison then began his transition into coaching by tackling the dual role of player/coach with the Fife Flyers of the British National League. In 12 seasons as the Head Coach and General Manager of the Flyers he was a three-time recipient of both the league's Player of the Year and Coach of the Year Awards. After finishing his time in Fife, he returned to Victoria and began shortly thereafter as an assistant coach with the Salmon Kings.



ECHL Stories from January 2, 2008


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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