It’s been a while since we’ve been able to catch up with Richmond, Virginia’s own favorite hockey player, Scott Greene. Greene has had a roller coaster of an off season, and all this after a very interesting season in the VHLM. He’s been drafted into the VHL, moved cross-country to a new city, had plenty of personal drama and many successes. We managed to sit down with him in his new Seattle apartment to get his perspective on a few things. He set us up in his office, with a nice little view overlooking the city. Dune Rats song “Scott Greene” was playing on the stereo, a sort-of joke that Greene has come to embrace, and he made coffee for us. “Coffee is huge here in Seattle, so I knew we were going to get along just fine! I’m a huge coffee drinker,” says Greene.
The view from Greene’s apartment
The main thing we wanted to ask him when we first started was how he had adjusted from being on a team like the Mississauga Hounds, which was a team looking to start a new legacy, to a well-established and storied franchise like the Seattle Bears. “Wow, yeah. Leaving Mississauga was difficult. I very much miss my former home. It was a great time. The hardest part was having many of my friends be drafted to other teams,” says Greene. “People like Cody Smith and Dan Gles were very close, and it’s a bummer to not talk to them. Same with my friend Callum McElroy, who I haven’t seen since the last game of the VHLM playoffs. Some say he’s still playing football in skates. It’s also going to be weird playing against my former GM, Jerry Garcia, on the ice finally. He’s a great player and an amazing friend (thanks for the Greene, Jerry), but something changes when you’re on the ice against another person. I’m looking forward to taking all of these guys.”
But it wasn’t all bad for Greene. He had many of his former teammates follow him to Seattle, including future Defenseman of the Year, Hulk Hogan, future franchise goalie for the Seattle Bears, Rayz Funk, and top prospect and many people's pick for VHLM Player of the Year, Berocka Sundqvist. “It’s amazing that I still have the opportunity to play with my friends. If anything, it’s kept me motivated to continue to improve,” says Greene. “We really do have an unbelievable amount of talent coming out of Mississauga, and I think we can all be future Hall of Famers if we keep it up! Once we get Berocka up here on the team, me, Hogan, Funk, and Berocka will be reunited as the Funk Brothers, brother.”
The Seattle locker room was also something we wanted to ask Greene about. The team has been looked at as a team with a lot of potential in future seasons, but most definitely not a contender this year. “I think people are counting us out super early. Sure, we are a young team, but I’m super optimistic I guess. I think we can exceed many people’s expectations,” says Greene. The draft was a great success for the Bears. Many of the players that they picked up are looked at as having great potential, and the Bears are looking to build a dynasty with them. But, it hasn’t been seamless and easy. “Well, we’ve had a little bit of locker room drama, which is natural I think,” says Greene. “You have all these big personalities, you know, and obviously, we all want to be the best. It’s just trying to figure out where you can stand with some people. I don’t love off-ice conflict, and thankfully that’s pretty much died down”
Key Arena, home of the Seattle Bears
“For the most part, though, it’s been friendly, We’re all getting closer. People that I hadn’t met like Acyd Burn, Henrik Zoiderberg, Ambrose Stark, Thomas Kennedy, and Joel Ylonen have been great, and frankly everyone I’ve talked to in this organization has been awesome.” The Bears have had to begin a very difficult rebuilding process. With all of their picks in the first and second rounds, they’ve gotten themselves a very strong core of new players who have tremendous chemistry. If this keeps up, the Bears should be a formidable team in the very near future, and we’re pretty sure that the Bears front office will want to keep all of these players together if the successes start coming. “That’s one of the most encouraging things for me, actually. Some of my best friends have stuck around, so it’s nice to have the consistency, you know? Especially after the tough move.”
We asked Greene how it was to move all the way across North America to Seattle, Washington. “It was a challenge, you know? First of all, I had to fly, which I really hate doing. I ended up leaving a city I had grown to love. Me and my girlfriend broke up, which I really would rather not linger on. I’m further from my family and old friends, so it was kind of a bummer at first. But, I’ve really been able to focus on my playing and getting to know my new teammates, which I think will end up being a blessing in disguise. These guys want to win badly. I just want to show what I’m worth!”
Greene left us with a very strong sense of optimism, and, in a way, his attitude really reflects where the Bears are right now; things are tough, but they will become easier very quickly. All it takes is hard work and teamwork, and we’ve seen time and time again that the Bears are capable of this. “We have the long game in mind. As corny as it sounds, and as many times as it’s been said, it’s a marathon and not a sprint. We need to keep our eyes forward and focus on really building something here, ya know? I’m excited and I want to share that excitement with everyone. It’s going to be a great time to be a Bears fan!”
_________________________________________________
1020 words, claiming for two weeks because I like being lazy
.png.ed69a7260a477fcf4feead7a0e4b7506.png)
