Over the course of the season, Mac has managed to get the players of the Seattle Riot to give me an inside look at the workings of their organization, their throughts, their feelings, this will be their story. Their legacy. The year that Seattle finds its place in the league.

This first interview was immediatly after their ousting in the Season 16 Playoffs.

Alright guys, I know this isn't a great time but for the fans I have to ask, how do you feel?
Klose: Obviously I'm disappointed. I expected a better result heading into this season, which is why I made the trade to bring in Chris McZherl and Claude Perron. They both played tremendously, but we had some snake-bitten players this year and we had a few rough patches collectively that set us back. If you look at our record, we lost a ton of games in overtime and shootouts, and the Western Conference is just too competitive to give up that many points.

Rose: I didn't play as well as I could have, but it was a good learning experience. I see what I need to work on going forward and what I need to do to lead this team to victory in the future. I've spent the past few weeks really working on maximizing how big I can be in the net, and I think that will pay dividends very soon. Barring injury, I'm going to push my training to a new level this offseason and I fully anticipate being a top goaltender in this league next season.

Mac: You want a statement? Am I pissed off? Yeah, you're fucking right I'm pissed off. My season has ended, ended in disappointment while I watch the league playoffs from the skybox not the crease.

This is not acceptable. Not for our team which is more than capable of performing with the best of them and certainly not acceptable for me as a player.
Missing the playoffs is a sign of failure without a doubt, a journey cut short if you will and something every team dreads. So why should I be any different? Well I am not, I've been here too long to miss the playoffs. I only have a few shots left before I think I will have to call it a career.

Does that mean I am leaving? Ha. Fat chance. There isn't a locker room in the world that can compare with ours. When I walk through those doors to leave it won't be to walk into another it will be to walk off into the sunset, Cup ring or not.
I've got a few seasons left in me, a great and growing group of young players and veterans alike around me and a drive to hoist that Cup unlike any you have seen before.

Season 17 will be a Riot. You can count on that.

Patches: I realy hoped Manning could have get some playoff experience right on his first season but im still very happy with his performance during the season. He had some high and low but for a rookie player with only one junior season in the bag, i think he accomplished what he had to do. He started very hard but you know what happen when rookies are showing to much, they get in the radar very fast. He had to learn that the big league is not for amateurs. Not only that he made the big team, he also had the opportunity to play with and against the bests for several games on the first line. Im very confident about next season. Snowden is an intelligent player with a lots of physical gifts so i know he will grow into a superstar eventually.

Snowden Manning: I worked hard all season long but that wasnt easy. I know a have a lot to learn, technically and mentally. Im a more responsible player that i was at the start of the season, i play bigger and the confidence just keep growing so you should see me take more space on the ice next season. I had a long chat with former North Stars defencemen Patrick Pelletier and he made me understand that i need to take the advantage i already have and pushed them to the limit. That way i will become an elite player. I will not take vacancy this off season. I will be in the gym pushing my limits. Me and my personnal trainer made a deal. I need to stay at the same weight but with more muscle.
You will see us in the playoff next season...

...and it will be a RIOT!

Duddy: Alright, my final Off season statement. It won't be different from the once I gave in the last few season. It sucks that we missed the playoffs once again, I really wanted to get a taste of the post season for my final hurrah. But as you all know we missed.
There are no if, ands or maybes, we sucked. We didn't play up to our potential, a lot of us regressed instead of progressed. It was just another really dissapointing season.
It sucks to leave Seattle without making the playoffs at all.

All in all I got to say, I failed as a leader, I failed as the captain of this franchise, I never lead them to anywhere. I tried but you don't get by on pure heart in this league. I had the pleasure to play with a lot of great guys in this league, was part of a freaking awesome lockerroom. I thought asing for a trade a few times, but it wasn't worth it for neither me nor the franchise. This is my home, has been since I've been in this league. There are so many guys I could name that influenced and molded me into the person I am today, but I won't name em. I'd probably miss some and get hate tweets or hate mails or hate stones thrown at me.

Oh well time to move onto other things, hockey will always be part of my life. Time to spend some weeks at home, with the family. Watching the SHL playoffs, rooting for all teams to lose. The olympics are coming up, a lot more hours to waste away in front of the TV.

Will I miss being an active hockey player? Sure, but my body is telling me to shut it down and just continue on with a normal life.

I hope you guys enjoyed my horrible botched interviews over the years.

Thanks and good bye.

Chris McZehrl: FUCK YOU! I HAD A SOLID SEASON BUT WE SUCKED! SO FUCK YOU AND ME!!!!!!

Joester: I'm more pissed at myself then anyone else, I let everyone down because I don't work as hard as I should. Next year we're makibg the playoffs. I'm gonna worj harder for these guys because they are my family. I'm not letting them down again

Jason Due - Yes, it's been disappointing the last couple year in missing the plays, both as a player, and now as a member of the Front Office. You try to make the right moves to expedite the process, but sometimes it just doesn't work out that way. I am excited for the future. We have some great talent here that really came on here at the end. We played well at home at the end, went something like 7-2-1 in our last 10. We got to do better on the road. If we can shore that up, we'll be right in the mix. I'm really looking forward to seeing our new guys take that next step in their learning. Dustin Rose is going to be a beast for us. We got Parker coming up from the minors, he'll bring some much needed help on the blue line. McZ will be back and be our focal point on offense with Daniel Merica. Buchesner is so solid back on defense, but doesn't have much help other than Langdon. Can't wait to see Manning get another year under his belt. Like I said, I'm excited and happy with the progress we are making. We've been so close the last 2 seasons, I think this next one, we get over that hump.

Peter Parker - I paid as much attention as I could to the season Seattle had. I feel bad that they didn't make it, I hope to show them enough in training camp next season to earn a spot on the roster. I want to be a piece of the puzzle that helps this franchise not only make it back to the SHL Playoffs, but to contend for a Challenge Cup. I can't wait to play with the likes of Chris, Dustin, Merica, Manning, Langdon, Kladno, Passy, Buchey, Perrron, and Mac. I just want to win.

I managed to get a one on one interview with Mac in between team meetings.

"Well Mac, you've been from Vancouver to Las Vegas and on to Seattle. You've watched great players come and go and all this time you have remained here. Your effort level seemed to dwindle over time but for some reason you seem to be pretty driven this season. Is their a reason behind that?"

Mac:  Yes, A few as a matter of fact. First and foremost I feel despite what everyone else thinks that we actually have a good team. This group of guys is among the best we've ever had, if ever the time to come somewhere for rain, coffee and hockey it'd be now in Seattle.

All jokes aside, this is also one of the hardest working groups we have ever seen. I thing Klose has managed to put together a well balanced team and I have not felt like we have as much of a chance as we do now. Sure you may hear that a lot but our lockerroom is more lively than I have ever seen it. We have a strong sense of comraderie and are looking out for each other. Pushing and nagging each other to train as much as we can and improve until we are the ones to beat.

It won't be too much longer. We have a plan and we are sticking to it. For now I must get back. Thanks for the interview.


I managed also to find Patches, McZehrl and Merica relaxing in the lockerroom after a preseason practice and tossed them a few questions each.

Patches
1 - What have you done to wind down after missing the playoffs?
I just concentrated on my physical program. spend all the offseason in the gym. Im very confident we will make the playoff this season. i think we need to focus on all the positive stuff that came out of our last season.

2 - Give some opinions about the draft
There was a lot of potential in this draft class. I think our management did a great job and drafted important pieces for our futur succes.

3 - What do you want to work on most this season?
Of course i want to had more on the offense, i think this season is very important for me. So yeah i want to produce but my biggest goal is to bring energy to our team. Create spaces for my teamates, shake the adversary and be a clutch in the end of games. Patches agency got me a very good trainer and i want to be in a better shape week after week.

1 - What have you done to wind down after missing the playoffs?

Chris McZehrl:
I was back in Germany with my Daughter! We had a great vacation in my Home-Land and we had so many fun in Leipzig! After Leipzig we traveled to my bog brother to Cologne. We had 2 great weeks and then i came back to USA. Now I wait for the Season 17.

2 - Give some opinions about the draft

Chris McZehrl:
I had a Scout-Job and did all what i can for my team. We have now a great future Star-Defender and an really good Offense Prospect. Vladimir Bodnar is our new Defender and Chara Brojled the new Forward. We have high hopeness for both players and need both really bad for the future of the Franchise.

3 - What do you want to work on most this season?

Chris McZehrl:
Some Members of the League told me, that I need not more work. But i know i need more work in my Defense-Play. I had some season with a really good Defense but last season that was terrible. so and plus that, I want 60+ Points this Season and want to be a candidate for more Awards.

Merica
1 - What have you done to wind down after missing the playoffs?
- The firs thing I did? Got hammered, took a full week off from hockey, distanced myself from Seattle, That's how I wind down after a season, no matter the results. After that one week, I've been training harder than ever before, I've never been more focused than I am right now and am really excited to begin the season. I haven't been to a bar since my week off, to kind of let you understand just how focused I am. We have such a talented team here and I am tired of not playing up to our potential. I'm taking on a stronger leadership role this year and it's important for me to be leading my example, not just with words.

2 - Give some opinions about the draft?
- I was pleased with how it turned out for us, I think the pieces we got we really help us next year when they get done with juniors. Bodnar has franchise potential and I really like the look of Brojled. Klose did another fantastic job this year.
3 - What do you want to work on most this season?

- Scoring goals. If you didn't notice my points line last season, it was dreadful. This team and the city expects me to score in bunches, to come through when we need it most and I have let them down two consecituve years. I take a huge blame for us missing the playoffs, there is no excuse for my performance. So I am just trying to work on scoring and being the point producer I'm expected to be.


Well that wraps up Episode 1 of the Riot Report, tune in next time for more of the inside look at the SHL's most nomadic team. This is Jack Reginald. Signing off.

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