Back in the S30s, it was common for players to only spend 2 to 3 seasons in the SMJHL, long before the 5 season (later shortened to four) limit was established. One of those players who would ultimately spend 3 seasons in the J was Louie Garrett. In this deep dive, I'm looking back at the career of Garrett, who was an incredibly influential figure in my early SHL career with Joseph Lombardi. Unfortunately it's hard to find the SMJHL indexes from the time we played together in St. Louis, but I'm going to do my best to give Garrett the retrospective I feel he deserves.
Louie Garrett was selected 5th overall by the Saint Louis Scarecrows in the S34 SMJHL Draft. He'd begin his SMJHL career with 32 points, which in the era of a 50 game season on Simon T was a very good season, especially for a rookie; he played a big role in the league-leading Scarecrows' run to the Four Star Cup Finals that year, where they lost to the Detroit Falcons. I first became Louie's teammate in S35. The Scarecrows had taken a flyer on me at 40th overall in the S35 SMJHL Draft; I'd literally begged @JKortesi81 to take me because I was a Blues fan (who would've guessed?) who wanted to play in St. Louis. Garrett, who the Seattle Riot had just picked 5th overall in the SHL Draft that season, was one of the veterans of the team despite being in his second season. He was a great leader, someone who seemed quiet but was just a nice guy. Him and Joe basically led our locker room through some rough times, and even though he scored 27 points that year (a 5 point decrease from the year prior), the support he gave me, a guy who would score a grand total of 1 point throughout the season, was something I'll never forget. We were the best team in the league that year, but lost in the playoffs. When Garrett, who was our captain for the second straight season, was traded to the cup-chasing Prince George Firebirds in S36, it came as a major shock. We understood the reasons; the Scarecrows were nowhere near cup contention, and Louie deserved to get a shot at the cup. He'd score 32 points again that season (4 in 8 regular season games for the Firebirds), and graduated to the SHL with the Riot.
Garrett would play for six SHL franchises, but his career will be defined by his time spent with the Riot. Seattle never made a real playoff run during his time there, but he was always one of, if not their best, players. His rookie year saw the Riot have the best record in the regular season. Garrett himself scored 32 points and was nominated for the Jesster Award, losing out to future Hall of Famer (and league legend) Robert Phelps. He broke out in S39, scoring 49 points and winning the Aidan Richan Award, before playing a major role in the Calgary Dragons winning the Challenge Cup in S40, scoring 48 points and adding another 10 in the playoffs. Louie returned to Seattle as a free agent for S41, and had his first All-Star season. He was named to the Second All-Star Team after scoring 56 points. S42 was another great year for Louie, who was named to the Third All-Star Team after scoring 53 points. I was also reunited with him again. I'd been traded to the Riot by Minnesota, and it was so great to play with Garrett again; he was a great leader and friend. The next season was Garrett's best with the Riot. He scored 62 points, good enough for second in the league behind Jason Visser. Louie was named to the First All-Star Team and was a nominee for the Ron Mexico Award, losing out to Visser. We finished second in the division, and it looked like we were primed for a huge playoff run. We promptly lost in the first round. The next season, Garrett was traded to Texas in a massive deal, the ramifications of which were explained by Luke here.
Garrett was one of the main reasons why I enjoyed Seattle so much. Playing for the Riot with guys like him, Liam O'Callaghan, DeMaricus Smyth, and Clint Eastwood held the fondest memories for me when I look back at Lombardi's career. Louie being traded ended the Riot as we knew it. We missed the playoffs, and they're known today as the Tampa Bay Barracuda. But I'll never forget the Riot. Louie was a major part of that.
His career in Texas took him to new heights. He was traded there in S44, a rare down year for him with 50 points and no awards nominations. He would rebound in S45 to have his greatest season ever. Texas finished second in the West, but Garrett led the league in points with 65. He was on the First All-Star Team, and won the Sarmad Khan and Sergei Karpovtsev trophies. But he didn't win the Ron Mexico. While nominated, he would lose out to Tommy Tuck, whose stellar season (38-5-1, .931 sv %, 2.00 GAA) backstopped the Edmonton Blizzard to the Presidents' Trophy and a Challenge Cup. Garrett would never reach those heights again, but he would come close, scoring 55 and 51 points in the next two seasons before a trade to Buffalo. The Stampede were chasing the cup, and adding a veteran of Garrett's caliber pushed them over the edge. His 47 points that season saw him named to the Third All-Star Team, and he was even better in the postseason. He formed a three-headed monster with Viktor Marius (32 points) and Hippo Passamus (30) points); while his 22 points were the least of that line, they were also the third most in the playoffs that year. Naturally, they carried the Stampede to the cup that year. The rest of his career was less notable, as he'd score 34 points in S49 before moving to Winnipeg and scoring 36. But he arguably saved his best for last, signing for Hamilton in S51. In his last season, Garrett returned to form, scoring 48 points, before scoring 15 in the playoffs (only Aaron Wilson scored more for the Steelhawks) as Hamilton won the Challenge Cup. Garrett would go out on top, retiring that offseason.
He ended his SHL career with 716 points in 749 games. While Garrett never won the Ron Mexico, he was unfortunate to be nominated in the seasons he was, as Visser and Tuck were clear-cut winners those years. Yet he ended his career with a deserved Hall of Fame nod. Louie Garrett's name isn't mentioned enough these days. Maybe it's due to the fact that we don't really talk much about the STHS days, but Garrett was one of its best players. Before the FHM scoring boom, Garrett was top 100 in points and top 50 in goals in the career stats leaderboards. Some could argue that he isn't deserving of the HoF label, but those who knew and played with him, myself included, will tell you that it's 100% warranted. I miss you, dizzy. Please come back soon.
bluesfan55
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