Denny Morrison Website

Season 2008-2009

Season 2006-2007

Season 2007-2008: previous season

You can find the following articles in this archieve:

• Speed Skating Canada Rewards Deserving Athletes and Volunteers
• Denny Morrison crowns season with world title and world record
• Canadian speed skater Denny Morrison caps season with a world record
• Denny Morrison set a world record at ING Finale at the Olympic Oval
• Denny Morrison wins gold, Groves finishes with five medals, Hughes on podium at speed skating worlds
• Women’s pursuit and Denny Morrison earn medals for Canada at speed skating worlds
• World Cup final- Heerenveen, Netherlands
• Canadian medal bonanza at speed skating World Cup
• Canadian speed skaters collect three World Cup medals
• Clear goal for Denny Morrison at upcoming World All-rounds
• B.C. speedskater Denny Morrison shines on World Cup scene
• Canada’s Denny Morrison wins gold at speed skating World Cup
• Jay and Denny Morrison: sibling rivalry at Canadian Single Distances Championships?
• Morrison and Klassen earn medals at speed skating World Cup
• Silver Sunday for Canadian speed skaters on World Cup
• Denny Morrison wins silver medal at speed skating World Cup
• Highs and lows for Denny Morrison at first two World Cups
• Denny Morrison ready for upcoming season 

Date posted: 06/14/2008

This year’s most deserving athletes and volunteers were recognized by Speed Skating Canada at tonight’s Annual General Meeting Banquet in Québec City. The banquet is held yearly to celebrate the successes of the past season and thank those who made a difference To the Relentless Pursuit of Excellence, from coast to coast to coast.

National Team members Charles Hamelin (Ste-Julie, QC), Kalyna Roberge (St-Étienne de Lauzon, QC), Jeremy Wotherspoon (Red Deer, AB), Denny Morrison (Fort St. John, BC) and Kristina Groves (Ottawa, ON) were all named Skaters of the Year, respectively for Short Track and Long Track, Male and Female. Hamelin was second in the 500m at the World Championships and he won 13 medals on the World Cup Circuit this past season. Roberge is still dominating the women’s side in Canada, and she has been winning gold in every distance at all national competitions for the last two complete seasons.

Occasoinally this year, two male athletes surpassed all expectations in long track speed skating. Wotherspoon established a new 500m World Record at his first competition of the season, coming back from a year off the circuit. He won 9 of his 10 World Cup races in the 500m, is the current World Champion in that distance and finished second at the World Sprint Championships. Morrison also established a new World Record this season, in the 1500m, on top of winning numerous World Cup medals. He is World Champion in the 1500m... Read more --->>>

This season could hardly have ended any better for Denny Morrison. At the last competition of the season he raced to a stunning new world record in the 1500m at the Olympic Oval in Calgary, and the weekend before that he won the world title in the same distance at the World Single Distances Championship in Nagano, beating other medal contenders like Sven Kramer, Shani Davis and Enrico Fabris. Back home in Calgary, Morrison reflects on his 1500m and talks about what it felt like to be crowned world champion for the very first time.

By Jolanda Abbes originally written for www.speedskating-online.com Read more--->>>

Calgary, AB -- Canadian speed skater Denny Morrison set a world record of 1:42.01 in the 1,500 metres today at the ING Finale competition at the Olympic Oval.

“It was in the last lap where I got this race,” said Morrison. His previous best time was 1:42.76, the Canadian record. “I am proud of getting this record. I like skating at the Olympic Oval because I know the ice really well and it is really fast.”

Morrison, who won the 1,500 World Championship in Nagano, Japan last weekend, planned to attempt to break the world record time which used to belong to America skater Shani Davis and Erban Wennemars of the Netherlands who were tied at 1:42.32. Read more --->>>

Date posted: 03/09/2008

NAGANO, Japan – Denny Morrison of Fort St. John, B.C., won gold in the men’s 1,500 and Kristina Groves of Ottawa stepped on the podium two more times Sunday to finish with five medals at the world single distance championships in long track speed skating

In the men’s 1,500, Morrison was the winner in 1:45.22.  It was his first career international victory at the distance.  His pair Sven Kramer of the Netherlands and Shani Davis of the U.S., tied for second in 1:45.32.

‘’It’s pretty cool to be world champion,’’ said Morrison, also third in Saturday’s 1,000. ‘’It’s a different feeling. The key to my win was having a really good strategy.  I had a great start and tried to fix what I didn’t do well in the 1,000. I had a smooth race and I was able to hold my pair off at the end.’’

There were still two pairs to go after Morrison’s race.  Davis, the 1,000 winner, was in the next pair.

‘’I knew I had skated a really great time,’’ Morrison said.  ‘’I was very happy with it.  But when I saw Shani go out I thought he was going to get me.  But for some reason his last lap just wasn’t there today. I was pretty confident I was going to win after that.  I thought Shani was the biggest threat.’’

Steven Elm of Red Deer, Alta., was eighth and Arne Dankers of Calgary 13th. Read more --->>>

photo: Koichi Kamoshida/ AFP/ Getty Images

Date posted: 03/08/2008 NAGANO, Japan – Kristina Groves of Ottawa collected her third medal in three days leading Canada to silver in the women’s pursuit while Denny Morrison of Fort St. John, B.C., added a bronze in the men’s 1,000 at the world single distance championships in long track speed skating

In the men’s 1,000, Shani Davis of the U.S., successfully defended his title in 1:08.99 with Yevgeny Lalenkov of Russia second in 1:09.39 and Morrison third in 1:09.42.  It was the second straight year Morrison reached the podium at the worlds in the distance.  Jeremy Wotherspoon of Red Deer, Alta., the 500 winner on Friday followed in fourth at 1:09.67.

‘’To be honest I’m a little disappointed to be third this year,’’ said Morrison, who took silver in 2007.  ‘’I never got good top end speed early in the race.  My first lap felt fast and I skated like I always do but the speed just wasn’t there.  Luckily I had a very good last lap which got me into third.’’

François-Olivier Roberge of St-Nicolas, Que., was 21st. Read more --->>>

Date posted: 02/22/2008 HEERENVEEN, the Netherlands -- Denny Morrison of Fort St. John, B.C., added a silver in the 1,500.

In the men’s 1,500, Shani Davis of the U.S., won the gold and World Cup distance title clocking 1:45.25.  Morrison was second in 1:45.51 and Enrico Fabris of Italy third in 1:45.53.  Morrison faced a tough pair in crowd favourite and all around world champion Sven Kramer of the Netherlands.  Kramer was fourth in 1:45.87.

‘’It was an incredible race for Denny,’’ said Morrison’s coach Marcel Lacroix.  ‘’He wasn’t bothered by the crowd and followed his race plan to a tee.  It was really solid.  Denny’s been very consistent this season and that’s something he’s been striving for.’’ Read more --->>>

Date posted: 02/24/2008 HEERENVEEN, The Netherlands – Denny Morrison of Fort St. John, B.C., and Shannon Rempel of Winnipeg earned two medals apiece on Sunday to highlight another productive day for the Canadians at the World Cup final in long track speed skating.

In the men’s 1,000, Shani Davis of the U.S., took the gold medal in 1:08.63 edging Morrison in second in 1:08.75. Simon Kuipers of the Netherlands was third in 1:09.22.  Davis and Morrison went head-to-head in the final pairing of the day.

‘’It was a lot of fun to race against him,’’ said Morrison.  ‘’I executed my race plan really well.  Where he gets the win is always on the last lap.  My last lap is getting better and better.  Last week I was behind by two tenths so I’m getting closer.  Who knows for Nagano (at the world championships next month), maybe I’ll be just ahead of him.’’

Davis sealed the World Cup title at the distance with Morrison second.  Wotherspoon was fifth.

In the men’s 3,200 metre pursuit, the Netherlands won gold in 3:40.30 followed by the Canadians with Morrison, Arne Dankers of Calgary and Justin Warsylewicz of Regina, second in 3:44.97.  Russia was third in 3:46.75.

The Dutch edged Canada for the season title with 375 points to 360 for second place Canada.
Read more --->>>

Date posted: 02/17/2008 INZELL, Germany
In the men’s 1,000, it was the same 1-2 finish as Saturday with Shani Davis of the U.S., first in a track record 1:09.65, Morrison second in 1:09.86 and Jan Bos of the Netherlands third in 1:09.94.  Wotherspoon was fourth in 1:10.72.

‘’Shani use to train in Calgary so we are developing a little rivalry,’’ said Morrison, second to Davis the 1,000 World Cup standings. ‘’I think I raced better than on Saturday.  My last lap was definitely stronger.  But my top end speed is definitely not there in the first lap and that’s something I’ll work on.’’

François-Olivier Roberge of St-Nicolas, Que., was 11th.  Matt McLean of Winnipeg was third in the B Group race. Read more --->>>

Date posted: 02/16/2008
INZELL, Germany –In the men’s 1,000, Shani Davis of the U.S., was the winner in 1:10.58 with Morrison second in 1:11.03 and Jan Bos of the Netherlands third in 1:11.26.

‘’It was a little bit different to race outdoors,’’ said Morrison.  ‘’I had a good week training but the ice felt different today and I just wasn’t prepared for it. I had a difficult 500 but I’m pleased with how I bounced back in the 1,000.  Most of the Canadians use to train outdoors and that background helps us adapt quickly.’’

Wotherspoon was seventh and François-Olivier Roberge of St-Nicolas, Que., 12th.  In the B Group race, Labrie and Matthew McLean of Winnipeg were sixth and seventh.

Davis still leads the World Cup standings at 590 points followed by Morrison with five medals in 10 races at the distance at 536.  Wotherspoon is fifth. Read more --->>>

photo: Lennart Preiss/ ATP/ Getty Images

After satisfactory performances at the World Sprint Championships in Heerenveen and a gold and bronze medal at the World Cup in Hamar a week later, Denny Morrison is looking forward to skating the World All-round Championships in Berlin this weekend. During a short break from the World Cup circuit Morrison reflects on his performances in Hamar and Heerenveen and reveals what his goal will be for the upcoming World All-rounds.

By Jolanda Abbes originally written for www.speedskating-online.com

Read more --->>>

VANCOUVER - Speed skater Denny Morrison isn't a good traveller. In fact, he finds life in Europe on the World Cup circuit and away from the creature comforts of home often leaves him feeling a little "detached from reality."

Fortunately, the Fort St. John, B.C., native is adapting as he gets more weeks in strange beds. And he's learning to go from Twilight Zone - "seeing all the same people around the hotel; not having your own space" - to in-the-zone on the ice.
On Sunday, Morrison, 22, won a 1,000-metre race in Hamar, Norway, by a razor-thing margin - his second win of the season at that distance - to close the gap on the absent Shani Davis of the U.S. to 34 points in the battle for the season-long title.

Skating in the final pair, just after Simon Kuipers of the Netherlands had been clocked in one minute, 08.58 seconds to take the lead from Jeremy Wotherspoon of Red Deer, Alta., by one/100th of a second, Morrison posted a 1:08.57.
"It was pretty crazy," Morrison said of the incredibly tight finish. "Having seen what everybody else before me did and when I saw I was half a second behind after the first lap, I was a little skeptical that I could win. But I knew I had a strong last lap, that I was capable of doing a 26-second lap. That gave me confidence and I held it together."....

....Meantime, Morrison said he's got his sights set on the 1,000 metres title with three World Cup races left - two in Inzell, Germany, Feb. 16-17 and the final in Heerenveen, Netherlands, on Feb. 23. The final race is worth 30 per cent more points. Davis currently has 490 points, Morrison 456.
"I think (I can do it)," said Morrison. "I'm skating more and more confident races with faster openers. I'm going to work on my speed in the corners a little bit and try to get much faster in the middle of races and carry that speed to the end."

Morrison will fly to Calgary on Monday for a week at home then "parachute" into Berlin next week for the world all-around championships Feb. 9-10.
"I'll leave on the Wednesday, show up on Thursday and skate on Friday," said Morrison, adding that he did the same last year for a World Cup in Torino, Italy, and was third in the 1,500 and second in the 1,000. "It seemed to work OK then."
Morrison says that in his rookie season on the World Cup in 2004, he spent seven weeks on the road in one trip and "went a little crazy at the end."
This year, he hasn't been on the road any longer than two weeks. He and his skate tech have also taken to bringing an XBox 360 on the road to "make it look more like home." Read more --->>>

Date posted: 01/27/2008 HAMAR, Norway – Denny Morrison of Fort St. John, B.C., won the gold medal Sunday in the men’s 1,000 metres at a long track speed skating World Cup competition.  Jeremy Wotherspoon of Red Deer, Alta., was third.  Christine Nesbitt of London, Ont., added a silver in the women’s 1,000.

Morrison clocked 1:08.56 seconds for his second victory this season at the distance.  He edged Simon Kuipers of the Netherlands second in 1:08.58.  Wotherspoon was third in 1:08.59.

‘’I was a half second behind everyone after the first lap and I was little sceptical that I would win the race,’’ said Morrison.  ‘’But I knew I had a strong last lap and capable of having faster finish than the others.   That gave me confidence and I really held the race together.’’ Read more --->>>

Brothers Jay and Denny Morrison can look back on some good results at the Canadian Single Distances Championships. Both managed to skate several new personal best times and Denny even raced to a new Canadian record in the 1500m. Moreover, in this 1500m they were paired together and eventually ended up winning the gold and silver medal. Add Jay’s new personal best time in this distance to the equation and it is obvious that this was an extraordinary 1500m. So how do the Morrison brothers look back on the last weekend of 2007 and on that 1500m in particular?

By Jolanda Abbes, originally written for www.speedskating-online.com. Read more --->>>

Date posted: 12/15/2007 ERFURT, Germany – Canada’s medal harvest in long track speed skating continued Saturday as Denny Morrison of Fort St. John, B.C., and Cindy Klassen of Winnipeg collected silver and bronze in their respective 1,000 metre races to open the fifth stop on the World Cup circuit.

In the men’s 1,000, Shani Davis of the U.S., earned a second straight gold at the distance clocking 1:09.05 followed by Morrison in 1:09.33.  Joon Mun of South Korea, Morrison’s pair, was third in 1:09.49. 

‘’I’d like to be winning the gold medals but this week even the silver was a surprise for me,’’ said Morrison, 22.  ‘’Things weren’t going great in training this week and I wasn’t feeling comfortable on the ice.  I’m happy with the way I turned things around in the race today.  I raced well against Joon and I liked how I reeled him in with a very strong last lap.’’

Davis leads the distance’s World Cup standings after five of 10 races at 430 points followed by Morrison at 296.  Morrison has now posted three consecutive medal performances at the distance. Read More --->>>

Date posted: 12/09/2007 HEERENVEEN, The Netherlands – Denny Morrison of Fort St. John., B.C., and Christine Nesbitt of London, Ont., helped Canada to a quadruple silver medal performance on Sunday to conclude the fourth stop on the long track speed skating World Cup circuit.

Morrison and Nesbitt won two silver each placing second in their respective 1,000-metre races and helping Canada to silvers in the pursuits.....
.....
In the men’s 1,000, Olympic and world champion Shani Davis of the U.S., took the gold medal in 1:08.39 with Morrison second in 1:08.71 and Kyou-Hyuk Lee of South Korea third in 1:08.80.  François-Olivier Roberge of St-Nicholas, Que., was 15th.

‘’It was pretty good but my speed wasn’t totally there this week,’’ said Morrison with his second medal performance at the distance for fourth in the World Cup standings.  ‘’I opened a little slow but did a good last lap.’’

In the men’s 3,200-metre pursuit, the Netherlands took the gold in 3:40.57 followed

Canada's Pursuit Team on the podium in Heerenveen, Photo: Arno Hoogveld

‘’It went really well,’’ said Morrison.  ‘’We had a great strategy and used our strengths really well and that’s why we are consistent with podium finishes.’’

Canada is first in the World Cup pursuit standings for both the men and women. Read more --->>>

Date posted: 12/07/2007 HEERENVEEN, Netherlands – Denny Morrison of Fort St. John, B.C., won the silver medal on Friday in the men’s 1,500 metres to open the fourth stop on the long track speed skating circuit.

All around world champion Sven Kramer of the Netherlands won the gold medal in one minute and 45.21 seconds.  Morrison followed in 1:45.34, a personal best time on the Heerenveen track, and Mark Tuitert of the Netherlands was third in 1:45.54.  At his last 1,500m World Cup race last month in Calgary Morrison fell.

‘’It went really well today, the fall in Calgary never even crossed my mind,’’ said

Denny Morrison, Photo: Arno Hoogveld

Because of the fall in Calgary, Morrison dropped in the World Cup standings and was in the sixth of 10 pairs of the day with compatriot Steven Elm of Red Deer, Alta., who placed 15th.  Morrison climbed back to eighth spot in the standings with his medal performance.

‘’I like racing in an earlier pair and setting the bar if I can,’’ said Morrison.  ‘’ When I finished my race I wasn’t sure it would hold because I hadn’t beaten Sven’s time and he’s not known to win the 1,500.  I felt I had a good race but I wasn’t sure it would get me on the podium.’’ Read more --->>>

Despite the fact that we are only two World Cup weekends into the new long track speed skating season, Denny Morrison can already look back on some great highlights, like a gold medal in the 1000m. At the same time however, some of his other races were not so fortunate. With the European Fall World Cups just around the corner, Morrison talks about his most important ups and downs over the past two World Cups in Salt Lake City and Calgary.

By Jolanda Abbes, originally written for www.speedskating-online.com

After a very good pre-season with fast times in the 1000m and 1500m, expectations for the first World Cups were high for Denny Morrison. And in fact, after just two weekends he can already look back on some impressive highlights. He won a silver medal in the 1500m at the first World Cup in Salt Lake City, and at the next World Cup in Calgary he managed to win the gold medal in the 1000m. On top of that, he finished first in the Team Pursuit in Calgary, together with teammates Arne Dankers and Steven Elm. Read more --->>>

After an impressive past season and a good summer Denny Morrison seems ready for the 2007-2008 season and the upcoming World Cup Team Selection. Last month he surprised the speed skating community by already skating a very fast time in the 1000m, indicating that he appears to be on track towards another good year. At the start of the new season Morrison reflects on his best distances, the 1000m and 1500m, and shares how this summer has been a better summer for him than the previous one.