Morris Mott

At the end of the 20th century, many media outlets were debating the greatest athletes of all time.

The Vancouver Province newspaper however took a different angle however - they ranked the 50 worst athletes of all time. By writing this silly story, they embarrassed a proud Canadian hockey player.

For the record, British ski jumper and Calgary fan favorite Eddie the Eagle was named the worst athlete of the century. The list was made up primarily of basketball and baseball players, but named two hockey players - Morris Mott and Kerry Ketter.

Neither deserved to be there. Ketter was just another nameless, faceless skater, who was probably as good or as bad as hundreds of others who had a cup of coffee at the NHL. Mott was more than just a nameless, faceless skater however, the newspaper's lack of research is a slap in the face of a very proud Canadian.

A terrific skater and penalty killer, the diminutive Mott represented Canada in 3 World Championships (winning 2 bronze medals) and 1 Olympics (1968, winning a bronze medal) before playing a minor role with the NHL's California Golden Seals.

Before joining the Seals Morris attended two years at Queen's University where he was studying history.
Perhaps his only greater love than hockey was Canadian history

Mott played 3 years in California. Because of his lack of size he wasn't given much of a chance to show any of his offensive gifts, but he proudly excelled as a defensive specialist and penalty killer. His breakaway speed was his best hockey attribute. As he played with the Seals continued working on his doctorate in history. A professional athlete excelling at scholastics while still playing his sport was a rarity back then (and today for that matter). The Sporting News editors were so impressed that they ran a full page article on him in the 1973-74 season.

Mott left the Seals in the summer of 1975 and returned to a venue he really loved - international hockey. He signed with Vastra Frolunda of the Swedish Elite League and did quite well for himself, scoring 16 goals in 36 games. Following the completion of the Swedish season, Mott finished the year by playing 2 games for the WHA Winnipeg Jets before hanging up the blades for good.

Since his hockey days Mott has evolved into a University professor (in Brandon, Manitoba) specializing in Canadian history. He is also an accessible member of the Society For International Hockey Research.