Mike Morreale accepts his award.

newjerseydevils.com – Mike G. Morreale of Cranford, NJ was named the recipient of the 2008 Service to New Jersey Hockey Award on Monday.

The award is named for the late Dr. John J. McMullen, who brought professional hockey to the Garden State in 1982.  It has been presented annually since 1984 by the National Hockey League’s New Jersey Devils to an individual or individuals who have supported amateur hockey throughout the state.

Morreale, 39, served as The Star-Ledger’s scholastic ice hockey writer for 17 seasons from 1990-91 through 2006-07.  From 1998-2006, he was the Newark, New Jersey-based  newspaper’s lead writer for the Devils/New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Ice Hockey Championships, while employed at Dorf Feature Service (Mountainside, NJ). 

Through Morreale’s efforts, high school varsity ice hockey in the state has increased from 56 schools in 1990 to more than 150 today.  He covered the sport when there was no separation of tournaments (public/non-public) as there is today.

In December 2004, Morreale was honored by the NJSIAA for his contributions to high school sports at its 28th annual Awards Ceremony.  In 2006, he co-authored The Scholastic Ice Hockey Playbook:  Strategies of a High School Coach, with Chatham High School Head Coach and former McMullen Service Award-winner Harvey Cohen.  Morreale currently serves as a staff writer for the National Hockey League and its website, NHL.com.

A 1990 graduate of Rider University, he has been married for 15 years and has two daughters.  At Rider, Morreale played for the Lawrenceville, New Jersey school's first varsity ice hockey team during the 1989 season.  He was the recipient of the Williard E. Lally Award for his contributions to The Rider News, the school's weekly newspaper, and earned the WRRC Behind the Scenes Award for his efforts as sports director at the college radio station.