David Goodwin baulks when the question is posed to him — what led to him reversing his decision to retire at the end of last season?
“Where did I announce my retirement?” he grins.
It’s a fair point. At no time did the Belfast Giants’ former treble-winning captain announce he was stepping away from the sport, rather he just simply did not re-sign at the SSE Arena at the start of this season.
So, don’t call this a comeback. His second mid-season signing with the Giants in as many years isn’t him reversing his retirement, it’s simply him continuing his career after a short sabbatical.
“The truth is I was considering other things in life but, after pursuing other passions of mine, I wanted to be back in Belfast and I was very grateful they wanted me back,” he continues.
“I love Belfast, I really do view this as a home. From talking to Keefer (head coach Adam Keefe), they were interested in me coming back and believing in me adding value on the ice and in the locker room, and it was the right time for me for where I was in my life, so it turned into a no-brainer decision. I’m delighted to be back.”
It was in mid-December that the opportunity for the Giants to link up with one of their favourite sons began to formulate again. Never one to be out of touch with friends in Belfast for long, when Keefe began seriously floating the idea of a reunion, plans began to materialise for Goodwin.
Almost exactly a year prior, he’d rejoined the Giants after spending the first half of the season in Spain, so the 32-year-old was well aware of the logistics of dropping into a team in the middle of a title push. It was whether he felt the fit was right again to ink a contract until the end of April.
“The team has had a great season, they’re doing really well. I want to be respectful of that and understand that things are going well and I’m here to contribute on the ice and in the locker room,” adds Goodwin, who is back for his fifth season in teal.
“It feels different (to last season) because the team is different. When I joined last season, the team was struggling.
“They were in fifth place and Sheffield was running away with it, so the dynamic was different. This year, the team is in a position to win.
“Last year, they brought me in to really help steer the ship in a better direction because of where the team was at the time. This time it’s to add support on and off the ice.”
Not only have the Giants added a significant offensive weapon to their already offensively-stacked roster — Goodwin has 74 goals and 234 points in 203 career games for Belfast — but they are also reintroducing a player who has an innate ability to win in a teal jersey.
While last year didn’t yield any silverware, the St Louis native was most famously the captain in the Grand Slam year in 2022/23, while the season before, he also led them to a League and Cup double.
The hope is that his medal haul won’t end at five.
“It would be fantastic to win a trophy again,” admits Goodwin.
“When you set your goals, the benchmark within the organisation is to win everything. I think we have the roster to do that. In my experience, it was always the task at hand, and that’s what we’re focused on — the next game.”
And, naturally, with Scott Conway and J.J. Piccinich both back on the roster this season as well, will we see a reunion of that deadly line from the 2021/22 campaign that combined for 112 goals in one season?
“That’s an Adam Keefe question. It’s never been up to me,” deflects Goodwin.
“What I can say is obviously in the past, me, Scott and J.J. have had great chemistry, but Scott and J.J. are having great chemistry with (Jordan) Kawaguchi.
“I’m confident wherever Keefer puts me in the line-up I can add value and we’ll have to wait and see how that shakes out.”