Deep Ink: Morgan Geekie

Is getting tattoos addictive? If you ask Morgan Geekie, the answer is yes.

The Kraken forward can't remember when exactly he got his first tattoo, "I was 16 or 17," but he knows he was young enough that his dad had to accompany him to sign the consent form. It took all of 45 minutes to get the ink done and "hurt less than I thought." Geekie was hooked.

"They always say once you get one that you want more and more and more," Geekie said.

Almost seven years later, the 23-year-old has added a full sleeve and another piece of ink on his chest with plans for further work. His markings share personal philosophies, and the story of his life as it unfolds through body art.

The Saying

Atop the center's left chest in script are the words, "Think with your head, act with your heart." The first marking the then teenage-Geekie ever had done was a saying he came up with on his own. He's not sure if anyone has ever articulated the same message in the same way, but to Geekie, this was a way to remember how to ground yourself in decision making.

"Lots of times, your gut instinct is the right answer," Geekie said. "Obviously, there's some things in life that you need to think about and weigh your options on, but lots of time, your heart is the one that can make the big decisions for you."

The Sleeve

A few years later, Geekie was drafted by the Hurricanes. He spent one more year in the WHL before joining Carolina's AHL squad in Charlotte. Now in a new town, there wasn't a specific intent to get another tattoo, but as Geekie and his partner walked around the city, they found a tattoo parlor. It was the home studio of an artist whose work the forward had seen on Instagram. Interest piqued, the two walked in to see if there were any openings. The artist Geekie had first discovered wasn't available, but another artist was. An appointment was made, and a friendship was born.

The concept Geekie had in mind was to bring to life the mantra of "chop wood, carry water." It was an idea rooted in a Buddhist saying that he'd come across a few years prior. The message had stuck.

"The meaning behind the tattoo is 'before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood carry water,'" Geekie said. "Essentially that means do the little things to get to where you want to be and once you get to where you want to be, you still have to do those little things. Details matter and don't forget where you came from."

Geekie knew the idea was "unorthodox." He shared his ideas with his artist who embraced the Asian theme.

The resulting design has Buddha and an "enso" (a sacred symbol in Zen Buddhism which Geekie says represents "enlightenment") at the center. A tree and an axe (evolved from Geekie's original idea of a Celtic axe) spread up and down his arm to represent "chop wood." Water flows around the tree to complete the saying.

Geekie's first appointment was eight hours. It happened right before the season started in Charlotte so the center's days were full of "a lot of saran wrap and Vaseline" to protect the new ink that included the tree, buddha and enso.

Halfway through the year, he sat for another five-hour work session to flush out the body art with more branches and cleanup work.

"I booked the second appointment on a whim that we would have an off day trying to base it off (my artist's) schedule," Geekie said. "I was lucky enough that we did so. I hit the lottery on that one. We finished half of what I wanted to do, and then I went back before the start of (the 2021-22) season to get the other half done (the axe and the water)."

The Sparrow

By now, Geekie was becoming a true tattoo aficionado. And when hockey brought him to Seattle, he again began his research about what piece of art to put on his body next and where to get it.

He settled on the idea of a sparrow. Traditionally, this is a sailor's tattoo. According to Geekie, seafarers get the bird mark every 5,000 miles. They also usually get them in pairs, but because there was already ink on the forward's left chest, one would have to do.

Geekie didn't specifically add up all the miles he traveled but he looked at the organizations he's been with as well as the travels he's had outside of where work has taken him.
For the inking itself, Geekie went to Seattle's Electric Cobra Tattoo Parlor.

"I've been to Charlotte (AHL), I've been to Carolina (NHL), I've been (in Seattle), I've been on both sides of the country, I've done a lot of traveling," Geekie explained. "(The sparrow) was just something that I thought was really cool. I like the simplicity of it. It's kind of an American traditional tattoo."

What's Next

In the off-season, Geekie plans to visit his artist, and now good friend, in Carolina. The two recently connected when the Kraken played in Charlotte in March. There's some more to do on his sleeve, including filling some room towards the hand…the center already has "tons and tons of ideas," but after that, the type of ink he'll get may evolve into a different look.

Geekie doesn't think he wants another sleeve. He's finding more interest in patchwork ink and continuing the traditional American feel that the sparrow has brought to his body. Maybe getting some smaller pieces of work are in the forward's future. But one thing is for sure, there's more tattoos to come.

"As you grow older, you change your interests," Geekie said. "So, it's nice to not have a ton (of tattoos) already and then you kind of grow into what you like."

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Photography by Chris Mast