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dizzyDC · 02-21-2019, 01:15 PM

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Ready for grading: 1510 words

It’s been a good long while since we’ve heard from Louie Garrett here at the Simulation Hockey News Network. The once young and vocal star has since developed into a league superstar, but has managed to all but completely avoid talking to the media in that time span. We’ve been receiving numerous requests from our viewers to see if we could get the star centerman for an interview. We reached out to Garrett and he accepted the offer for an interview… this is what we learned from that interview.

“Hi Louie, it’s been quite a while since we’ve gotten to talk to you. A lot of things have happened in your life, career-wise, since we last chatted. First of all, let’s talk about how things ended in Seattle and your eventual trade to the Texas Renegades.”

“Yeah, things kind of ended on a sad note there in Seattle. It was always a dream of mine to get to play for my hometown team, you know. I think a lot of kids in this sport have dreams of playing for their favorite team from their childhood and I got to live that dream which is kind of wild to be honest. I had some good seasons and not so good seasons there in Seattle, but I have a lot of fond memories of my time there. I really do miss my old teammates, coaches, and managers. We may not have been the best team overall, but we all had a good time and did the best that we could.”

“How do you feel about the Seattle Riot moving to Tampa Bay and becoming the Barracuda?”

“You know, I’m not really sure if it’s my place to comment on the move to Tampa Bay. I think that Seattle had a lot of history and it’s a shame to see it be only that now… history. I think that the team still could have found success in that city as they had a good fan base regardless of outcomes. Anyway, yeah I wish the franchise could have stayed in Seattle but I’m sure that the ownership knows what’s best for the franchise going forward, so if they thought a move was necessary I wish them all the luck in that.”

“Do you keep in touch with members of the old Riot squad or have those relationships gone by the wayside?”

“I try to keep in touch with my old teammates as well as I can, but it’s not always the easiest thing to do. In terms of the management, when the new general managers came in they kind of cut ties with a lot of the old guard. I played a lot of games in Seattle and gave my heart to that team and so it’s kind of a shame to be pushed to the side like that, but at the same time I understand that they are trying to build a new culture around there and want their own guys. Again, no real hard feelings there. It’s a business and they have to make business decisions that are the best for their organization.”

“So you don’t think you’re going to see Garrett’s number lifted into the rafters there?”

“Yeah, I don’t really think that is going to happen, you know. Maybe if the team had stayed in Seattle then it could have been a possibility, but since the move to Tampa I don’t really see that happening. Like I said though, I totally get the new managers there wanting to create their own culture and atmosphere.”

“Alright, so tell us specifically about the move to Texas?”

“The move to Texas has been absolutely nothing but wonderful for me. I really feel like the trade reinvigorated me and my career. Things were kind of not looking so great there in Seattle before the trade, but right after I got traded the points and goals started to pile up again. I honestly feel really blessed to be on a team that has great managers, coaches, and teammates. They’ve really done everything in their power to make me feel wanted and like an integral part of the machine. I can honestly say that is why I chose to sign an extension there. I’m really proud to be a Renegades and represent the state of Texas and I think that we have a really good shot at bringing the cup home this season. We were really dang close last season, but I think that we will still be top dogs in that race.”

“Yes, speaking of last season. What have you done since your game 7 overtime loss to the eventual champions Edmonton Blizzard?”

“I’m always just focused on improving my game as a hockey player. I’m starting to get on the older side so it’s not always as easy as it has always been to grind out the practices but I can guarantee that I’m still giving it my all out there each and every practice and game. I want to be the best player in the league and I want to help bring a championship to the state of Texas.”

“You mentioned wanting to be the best player in the league. Some might already consider you to be that player. You were voted the MVP of last season by the players in the league, but Tommy Tuck won MVP decided by the committee. Any comments on that?”

“Honestly, I’m sure it was a tough decision by the committee. Yeah I led the league in points, but Tuck had a season that went down in the record books. In my opinion he was definitely helped out by having the most stacked roster in the league skating in front of him, but I don’t want that to sound like I’m being petty. He still played incredibly well last season. I’m interested to see how he does now that Edmonton has lost a couple of pieces to free agency and the expansion draft though. In terms of my winning of the Sarmad Khan Trophy, it was a total honor. It felt really nice knowing that the other players in this league saw what I brought to the Texas Renegades. Hopefully next season I leave no doubt and win both the Mexico and Khan. There are a lot of great players in this league though so it will definitely be a challenge to do that.”

“You keep on leading me to my next question, so thank you for making my job easy. You brought up the expansion draft. How do you think these two new teams will compete this season?”

“I mean, you never quite know how team chemistry will come together. I know a lot of people are looking at New Orleans because they signed a lot of high profile players through the draft and free agency. They are going to be a tough team this season I believe and that is rough considering they are in the same division as Texas. Chicago I think is taking a little different route and building for the future. I will look forward to seeing what they can do as well. It’s going to be a really interesting dynamic this season seeing how the playoff race is going to go. It’s honestly a really exciting time for the SHL.”

“Alright, now lets turn to the future. Do you know how many more seasons you have left in the tank?”

“Honestly, I have no idea. I want to play as long as I can in this league even if it means taking a back seat to some up and coming stars. Right now, I’m just focusing on winning championships and propelling myself to the highest level that I can. I’ve heard some chatter already of eventual Hall of Fame nominations, but I don’t want any of that noise right now. I’m still trying to better myself as a player and person. So that’s a tough question to answer. Right now I don’t have a time table for my retirement. I’m just going to keep on skating as long as there is a team out there that is willing to sign me to a contract.”

“Finally, you mentioned up and coming stars. Want to name any specifically?”

“They are all over the place man. It seems like every team in the league have these young guys that can come out and skate circles around us vets. Texas has several guys out there that make me look silly during practice. That being said, I’ve been watching guys out there in midget hockey and there’s this guy… man, he’s looking good. It’s still going to be several seasons before he even qualifies for the SMJHL draft, but he’s going to be a good one. It’s this defenseman named Dizzy Dombroski. Put it in your book now, he’s going to be a star. I can guarantee that.”

“Thanks for your time, Louie. Hopefully we don’t have to wait this long again to get another interview!”

“Yeah, no problem. Glad to be here and GO RENEGADES!”