"It's how I am. I try and say as little as possible. When the recorders are on the more you say, the more chance there is of getting in trouble and at this time of year, you don't want to give someone else something to go with," said Moran, who spent parts of five seasons with the Crunch earlier in his career and is the franchise's all-time leading scorer.
Moran has settled nicely into life in Winnipeg and says he enjoys the city and working for the Moose even more.
"To come to an organization that prides itself on taking care of the players and provides a winning atmosphere, it's everything a player could ask for and it's a first class organization," said Moran, who at 5-11 and 185 pounds looks more like a grocer or insurance salesman than a pro athlete.
Moran led all Moose scorers with 77 points in 74 games, scoring 22 goals and 55 assists. The 29-year-old was the club's MVP in a landslide and continually improved his game as the season went on. While Moran isn't willing to trumpet his abilities, lots of others will willing to do so.
"He's good at finding you if you get open ice. He can set you up, dish the puck and make plays. That's what he does and almost to perfection," said linemate Jannik Hansen. "He battles hard in the corners and on the boards. It's a big part of his game. He's not like a lot of playmakers and soft. He gets in there and gets dirty around the net."
Hansen says Moran may look like Mr. Everyman but his teammates just consider him The Man.
"He's not as loud as some guys. But he leads with performance. As soon as he puts on his skates, he's a guy who steps forward with his play," said Hansen. "He's a competitor and we know we can count on him."
Moose coach Scott Arniel sees Moran in a similar light.
"Mo has been on fire and been a leader in all ways. If you talk to players who play with him, they all credit him for their success. When someone gets hurt, they all line up at my door for a chance to play with him," said Arniel. "He's a great teammate. He's a quiet guy but when it's just the guys, he's right in the middle of everything. He's got a sharp, quiet wit. He loves the responibilities of what he is and that's the top offensive guy that's looked to for offence on the power play and five-on-five. He's the farthest thing from a selfish player."
Game 1 in this best-of-seven series is set for Friday while Game 2 goes Saturday. The series will then switch to Winnipeg with Game 3 set for Tuesday at MTS Centre.
Bye, bye, Balej: Moose forward Joe Balej has left the team. The club was hoping he might be ready later in the post-season but Balej has decided to turn his attention to next season.
gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca