Greg Eagles after the VHL

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Today we are reflecting back on past players and what they have done after retiring from the VHL. Today we will focus on Goaltender, Greg Eagles, who played for the Vancouver Wolves and the Riga Reign. After a very successful VHL career, Greg, had an interesting retirement.

 

"I never wanted to retire early but those are the league rules" said Greg for the interview "I felt like I could have played a lot more seasons but hey, it is what it is"

 

After retirement he immediately went into professional soccer, which was his favorite sport, and signed with his hometown team Slask Wroclaw. He played in the midfielder role for 1 season and helped his team to a 3rd overall finish in the division. He ended his short soccer career with 10 goals in 30 games played. While he enjoyed his playing time in soccer he wanted something more and that is when he entered something that no one expected.

 

"Soccer was fun but I think at that point I just wanted to get away from team sports and do something for myself" said Greg "I always loved watching MMA and when I had the opportunity to join this new upstart league, I just took a chance"

Greg signed up with an short lived MMA company. He trained for a full year before joining and quickly became a household name. He had a record of 5-1 and was the next title contender before the league folded due to league management going AWOL. If the league would have continued, we believe Greg would have eventually became the next lightweight champion. He put in lots of time and dedication into the sport and was quickly becoming an expert.

"I think I surprised myself with how well I was doing" Greg continued  "I was dominating and quickly climbing up the rankings. As soon as I hit contender and had the #2 spot the league unexpectedly folded. I definitely wasn't happy with all the time I put into it and I felt my title shot was taken away from me"

With the league being dismantled, Greg, did not know what to do next but while watching his son Tom play in the VHL for the Wranglers an idea popped into his head. What if he returned to the VHL as management?

 

With this idea in his head, Greg, started to fill out his paperwork and start studying all aspects of the management side of hockey. Within a few months he decided to go for it and apply to the newly opened Calgary Wrangler AGM position. He wasn't sure if he had the right skill and qualifications to get accepted but he knew it would be a great opportunity to get back into the league and to top it off be a part of the same team as his son.

 

After a few rounds of interviews, Greg, finally received the call where he was announced as the next AGM of the Wranglers. Greg couldn't have been happier and this is where he presently is.

"I am enjoying my team here as the AGM and I think this is the best place to be in retirement" said Greg "I get to come to the rink everyday and try to make our players better every day. It's a very rewarding experience and who knows, maybe sometime in the future I will decide to apply for some GM spots"