Inductees

Remember the call “Do you believe in Miracles?” as Team USA Hockey upset the Soviet Union 4-3 in the 1980 Olympics? Because Ken Morrow does. He was on the ice.

“Our historic win in the ‘Miracle on Ice’ game and in winning the Olympic tournament was truly a team effort. We couldn’t have done it without all 20 players contributing,” Morrow recalled. “My contributions were playing a regular shift and trying to keep the Russians from scoring, so I was on the ice for the final minute and a half and got to hear my name called in the famous Al Michaels call at the end of the game.”

The victory led to the gold medal two days later and then a tremendous career in the National Hockey League before Morrow relocated to Kansas City, where for the past 32 years he has helped grow hockey in the Midwest.

That’s why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame proudly inducted Morrow with the Class of 2022.

Certainly, the Show-Me State is lucky to have him. Morrow played 550 games (127 playoff games) for the NHL’s New York Islanders from 1980 to 1989, helping the team win four Stanley Cups. He landed in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 1995.

Since 1990, Morrow has called Kansas City home. He was associate coach of the International Hockey League’s Kansas City Blades in 1990-1991, at times a youth coach and, over the past decade, has served as president of KCIce, an outdoor ice rink development management company.

Morrow joined the Islanders for the 1991-1992 season as an assistant coach and, in 1992-1993, became Director of Pro Scouting but kept his family in KC for stability.

Eventually, he and an entrepreneur opened KCIce, which built a hybrid rink/sand volleyball court at both Old Kinderhook Country Club and in Lee’s Summit, and operates an outdoor rink at Zona Rosa in Kansas City.

“This has been very enjoyable and has allowed me to help grow ice skating and hockey at the grassroots level,” Morrow said. “KCIce originated when we were trying to get another indoor rink built in Kansas City. KC is still underserved and needing more sheets of ice. You go across the state to St. Louis, and they have an abundance of ice rinks. We are trying to do our small part to grow the sport.”

Additionally, Morrow has participated in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame’s Stan Musial Hall of Fame Championship presented by Landau Pontoons, entertaining golf teams by sharing his incredible hockey stories.

He grew up in Davison, Mich., with a makeshift hockey rink in the backyard, complete with boards and floodlights.

In his teens, travel teams were big and, after high school, he joined the Junior A hockey club of the Detroit Junior Red Wings for a season before attending Bowling Green State University in Ohio.

The Islanders drafted him in 1976 as a freshman, but Morrow wanted a four-year college career. Ultimately, he was invited to the 1978 World Championships, and then the Olympic Sports Festival, the precursor to the 1979 Sports Festival that selected the 1980 USA Olympic hockey team.

What a dream come true. He’ll never forget Lake Placid, N.Y., as Team USA Hockey came from behind in five of its seven games and outscored opponents 16-3 in third periods.

A week later, Morrow joined the Islanders, becoming the first player ever to win an Olympic gold medal and Stanley Cup in the same year.

“The team had quickly become a force in the NHL in the late 70s, and I was lucky to step in when they were on the verge of becoming a dynasty,” Morrow said, noting the Islanders’ 19 consecutive playoff series wins from 1980 to 1984 remain an NHL record.

In fact, he scored three overtime goals, the first in 1980 against Los Angeles and another in 1984 against the rival New York Rangers in the deciding final game – in what’s considered one of the best playoff games in NHL history.

His success is from mentoring by his dad, brother and Gale Cronk, a travel hockey coach.

Even better, Morrow has long had the support of his wife of 42 years, Barb, and their children, Krysten, Brittany and Evan, and six grandchildren.

“I am truly blessed and so fortunate,” Morrow said. “Hockey has meant everything to my life and allowed me to do things and meet people and to give back, something that will never be forgotten by me.”