Scott Greene: Leaving Home

[DoktorFunk 810]

Scott Greene: Leaving Home

 

September 10th. 6 am. The sun rises over downtown Seattle. The sounds of the city waft lightly through the open penthouse window. Suddenly, his alarm goes off. The same sweet jingle he's used for years. The one that means get up and go. Time to meet the media. Or, more specifically, me. 

 

I'm DoktorFunk. I’ve worked for the Seattle media for 10 years now. And I've been following Scott Greene ever since he first got drafted by the Hounds. I've spent countless hours writing about him and the Bears, and eventually he and I became good friends. I’m meeting him in a local cafe today.

 

It’s his last day in Seattle.

 

"I was up late," he says, as we sit in the diner’s booth, slowly sipping our french roast. The waitress asks if Scott wants to be topped off. He laughs and she pours more coffee. “Thank you. I promised myself I'd take it easy, but we still celebrated like it was the first time."

 

"Funny that it's the last."

 

"Yeah that's funny. It’s weird, that’s for sure. I still can’t really believe it”

Greene out with the Bears celebrating their fourth Continental Cup win

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Soon, Scott Greene will be the 1st line center man for the Calgary Wranglers. A team he spent a significant amount of time playing against in the Season 73 North American Conference Finals. He was surprised by this information the day after winning the Continental Cup. I ask if he’s excited and he smiles broadly. “Despite my history with them, I’m absolutely hyped to join them.”

 

Calgary is a team he knows all too well.

 

After going down 3-1 in the series, the Seattle Bears came back by winning two games to force a game 7. They were up against the wall. 

 

After game four, I interviewed Scott Greene inside the Bears locker room. 

 

“Hey there Scott! Tremendous performance by you and the Bears tonight. Are you happy with your performance?”

 

"Yeah, I think we played great, you know? Definitely brought our game to them. Just hoping we can keep going. It’s tough. Calgary… they’re impressive. But, as long as we go 1-0 each day, I like our odds.”

 

Calgary had fielded a very  impressive team. They had taken it to the three time champs with outstanding play from their center, Kris Rice, and record-breaking play from their goalie, Jacques LaFontaine. Many people were quiet in the Seattle media, and the fans were even quieter. The fabled “3-1” curse could still happen, but it wasn’t likely. After all, the Wranglers were cleanly outplaying the Bears. How could it happen?

 

“It’s probably the most stressed I’ve ever been,” says Greene.

 

The Bears General Manager, Blake Campbell, would sit down and look at the tapes for the next 24 hours. He wouldn’t sleep, he wouldn’t eat. He crunched all the numbers in the hopes of cracking the code.

 

“It was pretty wild to see,” says Greene. “He barely said anything to us until game day. Then, he essentially came out of all of that and said ‘follow my lead’. So we did, and we hoped we could do it.”

 

The Bears would do it.

 

For the fourth time in six seasons, the Seattle Bears were on their way to the Continental Cup Final. 

 

“It really is an amazing feeling,” said Greene. “I don’t think any of us expected this to happen in our careers. I had plenty of moments where I thought we were completely out, but we’re just playing really great hockey.”

 

“What was it like coming back from that big of a deficit?” I asked.

 

“It was incredible,” he said. “None of us stopped believing, none of us stopped working. We really went out there and played our hearts out. We had fun. We played… well… we played like the Bears! We played the game we always like to play. And that includes Rayz. You could tell he was having an amazing time out there.”

“And how do you feel about Calgary?”

 

“They’ve sort-of become friends, you know? A very friendly rivalry there.”

 

“That’s good to hear. Their goalie was giving you a tough time!”

 

“Oh yeah, Jacques is a phenomenal goaltender,” Greene said. “He’s in the same conversation as Rayz for sure! An amazing talent. I know their time will come, for sure. “

 

“Well, Calgary gave you a tough time. Are you relieved?”

 

“Absolutely.”

 

“And how do you feel going into this series with Helsinki?”

 

The Helsinki Titans

 

One of the most decorated franchises in the history of the Victory Hockey League. If there was going to be any team to face the Bears this year, it was the Titans. Both teams had the same number of wins and the same number of points. The Bears were a little older and more experienced, but the Titans had been playing their own, unique brand of the game all season, and had shown why they deserved to be the dominant team in Europe. The stage was set for an amazing finale, and the question was this: Can the Bears…….. do it again?

 

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“I was optimistic," Greene takes another sip of coffee. “We had a good record against the Titans. We were over the moon after beating Calgary. To us… Calgary was the Continental Cup finals."

 

Greene had his history with Calgary.

 

“Yeah, when I was younger, me and the rest of the team had some… unflattering things to say about the Wranglers.”

 

“Fortunately, that’s cleared up a bit. I was kind of a hot head when I first started out. I don’t fight as much as I used to. I’ve learned how to use my body better. I don’t want to use the word ‘nuance’, but that’s the closest word I can come up with.”

 

Greene has undergone a lot of changes since going 66th overall in the VHLM entry draft. But one thing hasn't changed: his teammates.

 

"I've played with Rayz, Hogan, and Berocka my whole career. We've talked to each other for years. It's going to be hard for me to imagine anything different. That's why I'm glad we get one more shot at the cup together. It'll be nice to have our names on there four times! And, it’ll be fun to get some of the young guys on there, too!”

 

But first, the Titans. If the bears were going to win, they'd have to be at the top of their game. The first two were split by the bears and titans, and looked like polar opposites. one game, the bears would dominate, the next, the titans. Games 3 and four were the same, and then, the bears had a breakthrough in game 5. 

 

"That's when we…. When we really felt the momentum shift."

 

“Overtime 1. Game 5. Scott Greene wins the faceoff. Ola Vikingstad takes the shot! Greene is by the net! And a tip in by Greene! He scores!”

 

The Bears had done it. For the fourth time in six seasons, the Seattle Bears were the Continental Cup champions. A shot from Scott Greene’s teammate Ola Vikingstad had been tipped in by Greene to win it all for the Bears. No team had ever accomplished this feat before, and Scott Greene was the one who brought it home.

 

But, Greene knew he was being traded. 

 

To Calgary.

 

“Ya know, I think, for me, this one feels the sweetest. It always feels great to win, but knowing that this is the last time I can celebrate winning with my friends and teammates, I really wanted to make this one count. I really wanted one more time with the guys.”

 

Which brings me back here to the diner. 

 

“Are you nervous about going to Calgary?”

 

“I’m apprehensive,” Greene says. “I’m excited too, but don’t tell Campbell that! Hahahaha!”

 

At the time I record this, Greene will leave for Calgary tomorrow. But tonight, he’s taking his teammates to dinner. “I feel like I owe it to them. I’m the captain. I’ve got to treat them.”

 

“They’re so much more than teammates. The bears, I dunno man, they’re like family.”

 

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It’s the next day. My friend, my favorite player, and the man I’ve spent the last seven years talking about, is moving on to another team. He wrote this on an Instagram post of his this morning:

 

“Hey guys, it’s 9:45 AM. I was up all night with the boys, and I’m headed to Calgary now. Probably where my career ends. And I’ve got nothing but a duffel bag of clothes with me. To all the Bears fans that follow me, and even to those that don’t, thank you for an incredible ride. To all the Calgary fans, I hope you welcome me with open arms. Let’s win a cup!”

 

Greene has left his mark on Seattle. He currently holds the playoff points record for the team, and sits fourth all time for points in Seattle. He hopes he can bring some magic to Calgary. I hope he can win an individual award, because I certainly feel like he’s good enough to do it. It's something I KNOW he's been chasing for his entire career. But, to hear him say it:

 

“It’s all about the team. I’m just trying to help out anyway I can. It's going to be a good place to call home."

 

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1537 words

 

Claiming week of 9/20, 9/27, 10/4

[Banackock 8,163]

BEAR LEGEND

 

SEE YOU IN THE RAFTERS

 

 

[Spaz 297]

I love the play calling in it honestly

[DoktorFunk 810]

Week 2

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Week 3