No, you didn't stumble across Lowetide

This is Nyjer Morgan. He still has the puck he scored his first WHL goal with, one of two goals he scored in 1999-2000 with the Regina Pats. He played only 7 games, but managed 20 penalty minutes. He played with current NHLer Derek Boogaard (who had 17 PIMs in 5 games).

Anyways, according to an old Dodgers broadcast I was re-watching this morning, Morgan started playing hockey because it was his passion. Morgan's a black kid from San Fransisco: the only thing less likely than a black man from California being passionate about hockey is a black man from California voting against Proposition 8. (insert rim shot here. pun intended).

"Most definitely my best asset is my speed. I was blessed with natural speed. I never ran track before, none of that stuff, I've just got it in my genes, I guess," said Morgan, whose first name is pronounced as NIGH-jer. "It was my biggest asset in hockey, too."

After hockey, Nyjer went to Walla Walla College, and in 2002 was drafted in the 33rd round (!!) by the Pirates, where he has been since (in the system that is: he spent most of 2008 in the AAA Indians farm club).