MILWAUKEE - Something happens when you mention the name Brendan Morrison in the middle of a conversation with fellow Michigan hockey player Mike Legg. A sense of awe overtakes Legg. His eyes grow wide with admiration and respect. He struggles to find the words capable of describing how he feels about his captain, and he settles on adjectives like "unbelievable" and "incredible."
Morrison wore No. 9 for the final time as a Wolverine on Thursday night. He will be remembered as one of the greatest players in the history of Michigan hockey. Friday, he received the most prestigious individual honor in college hockey - the Hobey Baker Award - which is given annually to the sport's most outstanding player.
To understand why the three-time Hobey finalist's name was finally called, you must first know the story of Hobey Baker himself. The similarities between Morrison and Baker tell the story best.
Hobart Amory Hare Baker, born in 1892, made the St. Paul's preparatory school hockey team at age 14 He went on to become a star, even a legend, in hockey and football at Princeton, and continued his hockey career playing on amateur teams where he was deemed the "wonder player of hockey."
Hobey Baker had all the attributes of a fabulous athlete: fantastic reflexes, instant coordination of hand and eye, iron discipline, blazing courage.
While Morrison's character is what makes him so special, it is important to remember that his personality would probably be a moot point had he not originally earned the spotlight with record-setting play on the ice.
Earlier this season, one game after overtaking former Wolverine Brian Wiseman as Michigan's top assist man of all time, Morrison solidified his place in history, surpassing Denny Felsner as the most prolific point scorer ever at Michigan. Morrison's four-year combined goal and assist total of 284 points has solidified his place in Michigan history.
Over his four seasons, Morrison was named a Hobey finalist three times, first-team All-American three times, CCHA player of the year twice, and CCHA rookie of the year.
Morrison's numerous milestones are the by-product of a mastery of the game that was evident in his first season at Michigan.
"He was the best freshman, he was the best sophomore, he was the best junior, now he's the best player in the country," said senior center John Madden.
One of the keys to Morrison's success is his vision on the ice.
Time after time, Morrison, seemingly stuck in a crowd, finds a way to get the puck to the open man. He can thread the puck through lanes that don't even exist in the eyes of most players. Probably no one has seen him do it more than Jim Hunt, who provides game commentary on Michigan's flagship radio station WTKA.
"He almost has eyes in the back of his head, to see the ice so well," Hunt said. "That's the one thing that's always amazed me."
Someone who may be the most appreciative of Morrison's ability to find the open man more than anyone is senior Jason Botterill, who played on Morrison's line during the majority of the past four seasons.
"He makes the game so much easier out there," said Botterill. "You just need to drive the net and call for the puck and he's gonna put it right on your stick."
Morrison's total awareness on the ice always seems to land him in the right place at the most important times. When the Wolverines need a goal, Morrison scores it. His knack for the clutch was never more evident than when he scored the winning goal in overtime of last year's national championship game against Colorado College.
"There's not that many players that have his aura on the ice," said Jeff Jackson, former Lake Superior coach and current coach of the U.S. national team. "The great players are the ones that make the play necessary to win when the game is on the line and it's a championship caliber game."
He did it again Thursday. With the Wolverines trailing, 3-1, late in the third period, Morrison found the net with 40 seconds left, keeping hope alive. In the end, the goal was not enough to boost the Wolverines into the championship game, but it served as a final example of Morrison stepping up when it counted most. Even more impressive, Morrison scored the goal after taking what amounted to a physical beating from the Terriers throughout the game.
"He was getting knocked over all over the place," Michigan assistant coach Mel Pearson said. "But the kid kept on coming back. Without question he was our best player."
To this day, Hobey Baker is offered as a striking example of the finest that America has produced.
Behind the record-setting numbers and clutch performances is an approach towards life matched by few.
"When I first saw him, he was a scrawny kid," said Michigan coach Red Berenson of the now 5-foot-11, 182 pound Morrison. "I had no idea that he was going to be the player he has become. He had something special in him that made him want to be better than the average player."
Pearson added, "He's not the biggest guy, he's not the fastest guy, but day in and day out he works hard."
Believe it or not, Morrison has had a bad game every now and then. But what's elevated him to the top of the college hockey world is his ability to bounce back from adversity.
"Brendan, he's a different person," said Madden. "He can have a bad game, it very rarely happens, and the next game he comes back with four points. Nothing gets to him."
Pearson, in his ninth year, credits Morrison's upbringing as one reason for the success of what Pearson considers "his best player in nine years."
"I think he's been brought up very well by his folks," Pearson said. "He's learned you always bounce back.
"He doesn't have an ego. A lot of athletes this day and age have a huge ego, even at the college level. But Brendan's a very down-to-earth guy. And that's what keeps him on an even keel."
It's clear that Morrison's mom, Debbie, has helped her son keep life in perspective.
"The character as a human being - that's more to me than all the points he could get," Debbie said.
In spite of all the well-deserved praise heaped upon Hobey Baker, he was unspoiled by it and he was modest almost to a fault.
Through all the fame and glory, Morrison has shown seemingly endless appreciation for others.
No matter the importance of the game, the magnitude of his feats, or the prestige of the award, Morrison credited his teammates with allowing him to succeed. During his Hobey Baker acceptance speech, Morrison went one step further when he thanked the training staff for their work.
"It's the little things that happen behind the scenes that truly make a team run," he said.
Later, Morrison interrupted the ceremony to express a little more gratitude. He explained that he was nervous and had forgotten to thank the fans.
Even in the moments immediately after the Wolverines won the national championship last year, Morrison took time to recognize more than just his team's accomplishment.
"This is for all those Wolverines that got to the final four," he said. "Those were great teams. We did for you guys."
Whatever game he played he always played it first of all for the joy of the sport.
The ultimate team player, Morrison proved his dedication to Michigan last summer. The 1993 second-round draft pick of the New Jersey Devils decided to stay at Michigan for his final season.
The eight other seniors followed suit as Morrison was poised to lead the Wolverines in their quest for another national championship.
"Everybody follows what he does," Madden said.
Morrison's decision to return also won praise from former Wolverine Al Renfrew.
"The thing that's made (Morrison) so great is the fact that he's stayed here for four years," said Renfrew, who helped the 1947-48 Wolverines win the first-ever NCAA hockey championship. "He conducts himself with a great deal of Michigan tradition."
Page after page was written about him in the newspapers. Crowds in evening dress would arrive by carriage or limousines when the marquee read "Hobey Baker Plays Tonight."
Yet Hobey remained unaffected.
With Morrison's return came pressure. Anything less than becoming the first team to win back-to-back national championships since Boston in 1971-72 would be considered a disappointment. On a more personal level, Morrison faced the added pressure of being the preseason favorite to win the Hobey Baker.
The Wolverines' captain handled the pressure with the same grace that he has displayed since arriving in Ann Arbor.
Every team keyed on him. And the abuse he suffered from opponents took its toll early in the season, lowering his goal production. But, naturally, he bounced back, and put together his best season as a Wolverine, with 30 goals and 57 assists.
"He's had so much pressure on him over the last year," Botterill said. "He's lived up to all those expectations. He's been a real leader."
Less than a day after Michigan's season came to an abrupt end, Friday's Hobey Baker ceremony provided a chance for Morrison to help ease the Wolverines' pain, this time by sharing the honor of honors.
"Although this is an individual award, it's not possible at all without the teammates, the coaching staff and the whole University of Michigan," Morrison said.
And again, Legg was in awe.
"He's just so involved with this team, it's incredible. He's everybody's best friend on and off the ice."
"He's my role model, I want to be like Mo."