To say that Allan Morrill is a member of one of Collingwood’s great hockey families would be the understatement of the century. Allan will join his great uncle, Ernie “Rabbi” Fryer; his father Bobby Morrill, of the greatest amateur centre and goal scorers of all time; his two cousins, Barney Walmsley and the late Ab Kirby.
Allan’s active hockey career was far too short. Had he chosen to continue after his junior days, he would undoubtedly have made the NHL.
He had everything –superb stick-handling ability, speed, courage and a shot that could tear out the end of a net.
His ability to score goals can be attested in his splendid goal production when the Collingwood Greenshirts won their first Ontario Junior title in 1950.
In a 15 game regular schedule he scored 25 goals and assisted on 18 more. In the 17 game playoff series, he “lit the lamp” 21 times and was accredited with 20 assists. That makes a total of 46 goals, 38 assists for a total of 84 points.
That year, Morrill and his team mates of Frankie Dance and Jimmy Barrett rolled up the astounding mark of 184 points. Needless to say, Dance and Barrett are also in Collingwood’s Sports Hall of Fame.
Allan’s first provincial medal came in 1949 with Porky Young’s juvenile champions. He was teamed with Frankie Dance and Jim Barrett that season and for the next four years the line held together to win four straight Junior “C” championships. Morrill and Barrett also added a pair of OHA Intermediate “A”’ medals when Eddie Bush called them up to the Shipbuilders Intermediate finals in 1952 and 1953.
The Barrett-Morrill-Dance line was probably the greatest scoring combination in Collingwood’s hockey history. Its passing plays could be described as “Poetry in Motion”. With that combination there was no such a thing as “giving the puck away”. Every move was made as if it was planned on the drawing board beforehand. Dance
would lay out the pass to the point from left or right with deadly accuracy. He did not even have to lift his head because he knew that either Morrill or Barrett would be on the receiving end and the shot on goal was automatic. That kid line accounted for 444 goals and 347 assists for a point total of 791 scoring points during the four year span they were together.
His greatest scoring feat came in the final game of the 1952 Collingwood-Ingersoll series. Morrill scored five goals and assisted on a sixth as the Greenshirts won 7-5. He drew a standing ovation from a crowd of 2,000 as he skated to the dressing room three minutes before the end of the game.
Allan left Collingwood for Gananoque in 1953. He played part of a season for Kingston Seniors before calling it a career in 1954.
Allan Morrill was inducted into the Collingwood Sports Hall of Fame on June 11, 1986.
