MINNEAPOLIS — Justin Morneau watched the Toronto Blue Jays win back-to-back World Series titles.
As a kid with a dream growing up in New Westminster, British Columbia, the 1992 and 1993 championships showed him it was possible.
And after the nation's only Major League Baseball team just made another magical run before falling behind by millimeters, the former Minnesota Twins first baseman sees even brighter days ahead north of the border, with a renewed passion for the sport.
“Any time the Blue Jays are good, it's good for baseball in Canada,” Morneau said Monday after watching Team Canada's morning skate at the World Junior Hockey Championship. “There was a wave of players—Jason Bay, Jeff Francis, a ton of kids around our age—who watched the Blue Jays win the World Series and then believed in ourselves that we could be there.”
Toronto suffered a crushing Game 7 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the last fall classic, but one of Canada's top talents on the diamond said the full impact may not yet be realized.
“When you see the whole country come together and cheer for something, it’s really special,” Morneau said. “Hopefully we'll see baseball come out in 10, 12 years and have an impact on a lot of young people choosing this path.”
A veteran of 1,545 games for four teams before retiring in 2016, the 44-year-old father of five also knows his way around the rink.
Hockey Canada invited Morneau, the third goaltender on the 1998 Memorial Cup-winning Portland Winter Hawks, to watch the world junior team perform and address the group before a game against Denmark.
“We used to get together when tournaments were overseas and watch them at 3 a.m. on the West Coast,” said Morneau, who still lives in Minneapolis-St. Paul region and received a Canadian jersey with his familiar number 33 as a gift.
“It's kind of surreal. I've gotten to do a lot of really cool things in my life. But to be around this team and to be around something that means so much to Canadians, it's pretty special.”
Morneau said his favorite sports memory as a fan was attending the World Junior Championships in Vancouver in 2006, when Canada won gold.
“It was a shared pleasure for everyone in the building,” he said of what he remembered. “To witness this and be reminded of how great Canadian hockey is and how we come together as a nation when something inspires us.”
Morneau, who wore the red Maple Leaf four times in the World Baseball Classic and did some television work for the Twins while also serving as an “unpaid Uber driver” for his children, said his message to these elite hockey talents was simple.
“Regardless of who succeeds, as long as there is success, that's all that really matters,” he said. “These guys understand it well. But every now and then you get a message from someone else, someone new… it means a lot more when you're playing for each other.”
Team captain Porter Martone said all eyes were on the group.
“A Canadian legend,” he said. “Different sports, but you represent your country and all that matters is the logo on the front.”
Morneau, who eventually moved from catcher to first base after being drafted by the Twins in 1999, begged his father for years to let him become a hockey goalie before finally getting his wish at age 11.
“The thing I just really enjoyed,” said the 2006 American League MVP and .281 hitter in the major leagues. “There's nothing better than being a goalkeeper. The pressure and how you can influence the game is so unique.”
“This was my childhood dream,” he added. “Still have a love for hockey.”
That passion included being part of Portland's title-winning team, a team that coincidentally defeated the Guelph Storm, led by current Canadian junior general manager Alan Millar, in a memorable final.
“I had nothing to do with the Memorial Cup championship,” Morneau said with a smile as he looked at a lineup that included future NHL players Marian Hossa, Brenden Morrow and Andrew Ference. “I was cut early on in trying to get closer to that (junior) world team. The writing was on the wall for me.
“Everything worked out the way it was supposed to… and now I can come here and be a part of it.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 29, 2025.
