Ivan Morozov Biography [1/2]

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The Biography of Ivan Morozov

 

It’s Christmas day of 1994.  It’s an especially cold, snowy day in Moscow, even more so than the rest of the notorious Russian winter.  A newborn baby boy is dropped off at an orphanage in the city with very little explanation, except for a name: Ivan.  With no knowledge regarding his parentage, the child is given the last name “Morozov” due to the weather, as it derives from the male nickname “Moroz” which roughly translates to “frost”.  

 

Through the years, Ivan had a fairly rough childhood growing up in the orphanage - with no experience of being around people outside of the small brick building in the city and the area surrounding it.  In school, he was an outcast - he wasn’t nearly as well-adjusted socially as the other kids, and he was generally quiet and kept to himself.  Being an orphan certainly didn’t help his cause, as he was constantly bullied by his fellow students.  This only made Ivan retreat inwards, and this was when he felt the most alone.  He had no friends, no parents, and didn’t feel very comfortable anywhere - but he also didn’t know anything different.

 

Everything changed, however, when he found hockey.  He first started skating in a physical education class at the age of 10, and from then on he was a natural.  At first he would have to borrow equipment from classmates, but it wasn’t the equipment that was his main concern.  When he was playing hockey, Ivan felt something he had never felt before - he felt at home.  He was suddenly outgoing, able to express himself, and he was actually accepted by others.  The ice was the most comfortable place for Ivan.  Some days he’d spend hours alone at the closest rink, skating around after school with the hand-me-down skates he’d gotten through the orphanage.  When playing, he’d often have borrow a stick from one of his classmates and even play without pads.

 

Morozov didn’t stop getting better.  He was clearly a natural-born skater and quickly improved his puck handling with time.  As he started to improve, he began to play more organized games of hockey, as local coaches were clearly starting to notice.  Despite being undersized, Morozov was competing successfully against kids older than him.  As Ivan grew older, he started to truly understand the disadvantages he’d had compared to others.  He didn’t have that support system that many of his teammates and classmates had.  Hockey was his only way to move up, so he had to work twice as hard.  

 

 

Despite hockey helping him to fit in, Ivan still had trouble making friends.  There was just one person, a teammate named Alexei Kozlov, who befriended him.  Alexei wasn’t as skilled as Ivan, but he was much bigger and usually played in defense, while Ivan played on the wing.  Despite the latter’s tendency to keep to himself, Alexei was determined to break through that barrier out of kindness.  Over time, the two slowly became close friends - the first real friendship that Ivan had ever formed.  The orphanage wasn’t much of a home, so he began to spend more and more time at Alexei’s house.  Alexei’s parents, a politician and a lawyer, were not only financially stable enough to buy new hockey gear for Ivan, but became the parental figures that Ivan never had before.  

 

After four years of friendship with Alexei, Ivan was formally adopted by the Kozlov family at 15 years old.  Meanwhile, he only seemed to improve at hockey.  Morozov became the standout player in his area of Moscow, catching the attention of scouts from around the country with his abilities.  Multiple Russian teams offered him contracts, but at 16 he would get an offer from a team that would take his career to the next level - HC Dynamo Moscow.

 

Dynamo Moscow was the first team from the KHL to approach Ivan, and with the advising of his new adoptive parents, he signed a contract to join the team for 3 years, with the first year being less intensive and more focused on adjusting to a new team as he finished school.  With a new support system in place and confidence growing by the day, Morozov took to it like a fish to water.  Despite being much shorter than many of his teammates - he was roughly 5’5” and going through puberty at the time - his ability shined through.  What he couldn’t match with physicality, he made up for with tact and agility.  As his first year came to a close, Morozov was building up more and more hype as a hot prospect.  

 

Taking the number 94 due to his birth year, Morozov wasn’t likely to be a significant player on the team but would be making occasional appearances during his first proper season.  While he didn’t get much playing time at all, Morozov was still impressive in his short appearances.  Now 17, he struggled at times with decision making at the speed of the professional game, but still showed potential.  It seemed clear that Dynamo had plans for him, and was easing him into the team as he did better and better in practice.  He even reached a milestone, getting his first career point with an assist in the last game of the regular season.

 

 

Morozov seemed likely to get a fairly regular spot on the team’s fourth line in his for the next season, but disaster struck in the beginning of his third season.  In the last practice before Dynamo Moscow’s first game of the season, the young winger collided with a teammate in the middle of turning, bending his knee awkwardly.  As soon as he went to the ground, Ivan knew it was bad, but it wasn’t until he got to the hospital that he would learn how bad it was.  Morozov had torn both his ACL and MCL, and would be out for the season.  He’d likely be out for at least 8-10 months, and being so early into his playing career, he might need to take a bit of extra time to ensure he would be ready to return to playing.

 

The next year would be dedicated to recovering.  Hockey was the only thing Ivan had ever wanted to do, and he wasn’t going to give up on it that easily - even if his contract would run out by the time he was done rehabilitating.  With the support of his adoptive family, Morozov was able to bounce back - after 10 months, he could skate again, and after 11 he was back to playing.  However, Dynamo Moscow, who hadn’t been involved in Morozov’s rehabilitation, didn’t make any offer to renew his contract.  The team was unsure about how he would bounce back from the injury, especially one so early in his career.  Morozov now looked for options with other KHL teams, or even to Europe.

 

Just as he began his search, things turned south.  His adoptive father, Pyotr Kozlov, died abruptly.  The official cause of death was a heart attack, but circumstances were suspicious.  A politician, Pyotr had been a strong opponent of Vladimir Putin - and was in great shape with no history of heart problems before his death.  Ivan and the Kozlov family had no chance to looking back - they had spoken with Pyotr about this possibly happening before.  They fled the country.  Ivan’s hockey career was on hold as the Kozlovs had to get as far away as possible.

 

The next few years were focused on trying to find a place to settle down.  They started in Finland, then moved to Sweden, then Germany.  The family could never really settle down, until they got into contact with Klaus Müller.  Müller, a retired hockey player, was now a representative of the Solas Agency and wanted Ivan to be one of their clients.  He was aware of Morozov’s talent from watching the KHL, and the agency was looking for a new client to play in the Victory Hockey League.  Müller had an offer - come to New York, the agency help arrange a work permit and job for his adoptive mother and a place for her, Alexei, and Ivan to live, and some coaches would help him get his hockey career back on track with a view towards the Solas Agency representing him in the VHL.  With no real permanent place to stay and no steady source of income, Ivan and the Kozlovs took the offer.

 

 

The move to New York went much smoother than expected - the family was able to settle into their new home better than they had before.  But Morozov, now 22 years old, hadn’t played an organized hockey game for three years.  He wasn’t sure if he’d be as good as could have been before the injury.  But as soon as he got back on the ice, the passion was back.  For the next two years, he prepared with coaches and advisors for a return to professional hockey in the VHL, building confidence and improving his English in the process.  After 24 months of constant training, he was finally ready to revive his career.

 

Now, Morozov has officially entered the VHLM and has been claimed by the Oslo Storm.  He’ll be entering the Season 58 draft, and some have been saying that he’s the top prospect available.  But there are still questions over whether he can live up to that label, or whether the knee injury has damaged his career irreparably.  Can he complete the comeback?

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Review:

Love the Yakupov pic.

Nice time on the Dynamo Moscow.

Damn, tearing both an ACL and MCL would suck. Lots of pain.

Good luck on the VHL career!

Word count met on this bio. Good write-up!