Bears - once and forever

[FrostBeard 2,043]

Bears - once and forever

 

Well then, those who remember the time back in S67 a trade sent my first player John Frostbeard, a forward that Calgary decided to draft in S66 as 12th overall even though my expected draft position was quite a few picks away. I was happy and to know that I would have a chance to play with talents like Brick Wahl, Elasmobranch Fish and Diljodh Starload got me really fired up. Sadly or fortunately my time in Calgary ended quite fast as just a few games into the season I was traded to Seattle. 

 

Well, my story this week is not going to controversial. I want to talk about my first experience with Seattle and how it turned out to be the place I always want to return no matter what. 

 

Let's start with the simplest. General manager... What makes a good general manager? Is it winning a ton of cups, is making a team their own and creating an atmosphere of friendship, cohesion and rainbow sparkles? Hmm, I think what makes a great GM is his connection to individual players. Each of us is different and if our GM can connect and make it work with anyone, he is a great GM. It sure helps if GM has a winning attitude and if he makes his LR a place of all ideas. Bana is that. Bana has probably been the person I couldn't have been more wrong about. Back in Calgary GM Bushito had a lot to say about Bana, many people had a lot to say about him. As a VHLM GM I respected his authority and leadership, as a player I feared him. When I first got noted that I am being traded (About an hour before the trade happened) I was worried that I will be hated, not accepted in a group of people that I didn't know much about, sure, I had seen them around, Rayz was a fellow VHLM GM. With the first contact I had with Bana outside of VHLM I knew that he is an honorable and caring GM that will do anything to make his players feel at home, feel needed by their GM. 

 

The Crew. Winning was great and seeing so many new faces was amazing but I think I have never and probably will never see such a devoted team of personalities, devoted to each other. Bana, Rayz, Dok, Hogan, Berocka and Acyd made Seattle feel like a pace where you can be anything, you can achieve anything, there were no limitations to what we could talk about, discuss and just enjoy our time. We wanted to win so bad and yet I think deep down we never really cared that much about winning, we cared about all of us being there and enjoying our time. Every moment felt good, no matter if we lose a game against Malmo or beat Vancouver. 

 

In the end, those 3 seasons I had the pleasure to be a member of Seattle made me realize fully that I want to be a Bear. If Bana is the GM, I want to be there and support one of the best people in the VHL and help him be one of the best GMs in the league history. In my opinion, with his recent accomplishments I think we are looking at the best modern age GM.  

I guess, in the end I just want to say thanks to the crew. You made me keep going in VHL and create new opportunities that I could have never dreamed of. 

[Banackock 7,974]

Thanks, Frosty. The “crew” and those times were awesome and I’m glad we’re able to keep them going. It is part of the family I’m always preaching, hah. Sometimes players part from a team and that can be it, but that hasn’t been the case with those you named and even a bunch from later teams. 
 

DA BEARZ  

[diacope 2 764]

Very interesting recollection of your early experience in the league Frosty. "as a player I feared him.". I had a sort of similar view of Bana at the start of my career. I kind of stayed in my own little bubble in Saskatoon at first though, I just knew Seattle was a contender. When we won the S73 with an aging core, that's when I was first like, "this guy is for real". Hopefully we can go out and get back to back cups again. 10/10