IceGators defenseman Greg Brown Retires Ian Auzenne LAFAYETTE, La.--One of the Louisiana IceGators’ enforcers is hanging up his skates for good. Defenseman Greg Brown, who rejoined the Louisiana IceGators only two weeks ago, has retired from professional hockey. IceGators head coach Drew Omicioli made the announcement Monday. “Greg called me up Saturday and told me that he wanted to retire and that it was time for him to start a new career. On behalf of the organization, I want to thank him for his service to the team.” According to Omicioli, Brown’s decision came after some soul-searching and finding that his heart was no longer in the game. “I asked him if he was 100-percent sure if this is what he wanted to do, and he said that he thought about it for 36 hours and that he was sure,” Omicioli said. “I think it is an extremely noble thing that he did. A lot of guys I’ve played with in the past have kind of milked it, collected a paycheck, and became a nuisance to the team. “When it goes it goes. There’s no fighting it. It’s one of those things where you can teach a forecheck, a defensive zone, or an offensive zone system, but you can’t teach heart and passion. He should be commended on stepping up and letting us know that he just doesn’t have it anymore. That doesn’t mean he lacks heart outside of the game because he is a passionate guy. If we were at a bar tomorrow and hanging out and any of the guys got picked on, he’d be right there mixing it up with them. He’s just a great person. I wish him nothing but the best of luck.” To fill the void, the IceGators re-signed Mike MacIntyre, who was waived last week to put the team under the SPHL’s roster limit. MacIntyre will be on the ice Tuesday morning when the IceGators play the Mississippi RiverKings in Southaven. Game time is set for 10:35 a.m. Brown remained in town through the weekend to speak with his teammates and to explain his decision to them, which his coach and teammates appreciated. “ The players have accepted his decision, just like I have,” Omicioli said. “Greg did what a man does. A lot of other guys would just run and hide, but I think it’s only fair that everybody knows that he didn’t do that. “
Posted on: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 23:17:56 +0000
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