|
|
NEWSDate: Jul 19, 2010 Swider Swaps Helmet and Pads for Suit and Tie
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — When you think about the Knoxville Ice Bears, or the SPHL for that matter, the first name that comes to mind is Kevin Swider. He lead the league in scoring six times, collected three SPHL championships with the Ice Bears, amassed 676 points (264 G, 412 A) in 374 regular season games and logged 71 points (20 G, 51 A) in 51 playoff games. Quietly and without fanfare, Swider retired from hockey at the end of last season. The task of replacing the league’s most prolific scorer will now fall upon the Ice Bears' new Director of Hockey Operations - Kevin Swider. The 32-year-old Livonia, Mich. native decided to make his retirement official after a tough year on the ice, with the team squeaking by the Fayetteville FireAntz in the first round of the playoffs only to fall to eventual President Cup Champion Huntsville Havoc. Swider's choice to retire wasn't easy, nor was it made quickly. “I’ve been thinking about it for a few years. I just wanted to get out of the whole playing world, the schedule and the travel, weekends in the winter, the holidays,” Swider said. “I thought it was the right time after last year. It was a long draining year; it just kind of fit. If we didn’t have the success we had before, then it would have been harder [to retire].” Just how draining had the season been? One day after Knoxville had been sent out of the playoffs, Swider came down with walking pneumonia. He spent more than a week in bed, leaving a question as to whether his season would have continued if the Ice Bears had forced a game three with the Havoc or had advanced to the finals. "I was drained [at the end of the season]. The day we lost out to Huntsville, the next day I got walking pneumonia so I was bed-ridden for ten days. If we had moved on, I would have been done anyway," Swider said. "There was no way. I couldn't move. It was just a weird feeling. I've never had anything like that. I think I was just worn out from all of the travel and all of the playing. We only had two lines. It was just tough." Swider knew he wanted to stay involved with the team in some capacity. When the opportunity to move into the front office opened up, Swider jumped at the chance to continue his hockey career with the Ice Bears. |
