Riga's Present, Future, and Figuring Out Hackett's Legacy

[Renomitsu 934]

Riga, Latvia - As any player approaches the back nine of their career, it becomes more obvious as to exactly what kind of legacy they'll leave. For some players, the Hall of Fame is an inevitability: take Matt Thompson and Julian Borwinn at the ends of their respective careers, or Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen as he's in hot pursuit of another potential Best Defenseman award. For others, it's clearly the opposite: no awards or notable stats to their name, no career-defining season, and a minimal overall impact on the league in retrospect. As Apollo Hackett continues through his sixth season, he finds himself rapidly occupying the latter of these categories: no individual awards to speak of, and a few close-but-no-cigar playoff finishes.

 

"I think we've some promise for this season," Hackett remarked in a presser following Riga's two recent wins, "but I think ultimately my legacy will have to be retiring when I know Riga is in a good position - if that means going out on top, then great; if not, then what can I do in the interim to set them up to be the best in the league?"

 

"Another important facet of this is: how can I help prepare a member of the future classes of the VHL? We have a number of programs that engage us with youth hockey leagues around the world, but I'd like at least one player to say in the future, 'I'm here because of Apollo,' be it in terms of play style or motivation. Once I'm confident both of those are in place, I'll feel some sense of pride in my career.

 

"But right now, I can't be confident in the quality of my career."