HockeyTalk - Interview with Sheffield Steelers' Brien Diffley - video Dailymotion

Yorkshire Post

Sheffield Steelers’ defenceman Brien Diffley on his decision to sign for a third season in South Yorkshire, honouring his late mother and the drive to secure more silverware for the team ...

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00:00YorkshirePost.co.uk

00:10That's kind of the big thing for me as I kind of move to the back end of my career,

00:18just about a place that I'm comfortable and I have a feeling that Sheffield will always

00:27take care of business, both in the table and off the ice as well, which is a huge, huge

00:35thing, just being comfortable in your life and on the ice. I always know that Sheffield

00:41is going to do a great job with that, so it's really an easy decision to come back.

00:48Is that reassurance that's key for players, isn't it?

00:53It is, yeah, just the consistency and knowing year in and year out you're going to be competing

00:58for championships and playing in those big games with the big crowds and the rivalry

01:05games, that's why you play. Sheffield definitely has that year in and year out.

01:14One other thing that's going to be slightly different for you this year, probably a bit

01:17busier off ice for you, you're coming back and you're doing an MBA at Sheffield Hallam

01:22University. It's something that's obviously very important to you.

01:25But yeah, very, very important for me and my family. Obviously, I lost my mother a month

01:32ago. My mom was the first one to complete a Masters in her family and our family, I guess,

01:39and it was an important thing. She was definitely impressed that Sheffield, as well as other teams

01:48around the league, but that Sheffield can provide that for players. It's a big step in the direction

01:56of my life and to be able to do that and also honor my mom is special for me.

02:04She was also able to come for the trouble she saw us. She was there for the Challenge Cup

02:12final. I was fortunate enough to win MVP of that, which is the only game in my two years

02:21that I guess I didn't do an Eddie because we were celebrating the trophy, but it's my

02:24only Eddie and it was just, you know, kind of crazy that my family, my mom was there for

02:31that. And it also plays into the decision, you know, to come back. My mom had been over

02:37there and seen Sheffield and enjoyed being there. So there's comfort knowing that she knows I'm

02:43safe there too, you know, in a happy place. Just super, super fortunate that that happened

02:49and one of my best memories of, you know, not only my past couple of years, but my whole

02:54life.

02:54Coming back for a third year, obviously there are many reasons for you doing that, but is

03:00there a sense of, amongst those of you who were here two years ago for the treble, of perhaps

03:06proving that it wasn't a one-off and that you want to back that up with some more silverware

03:11this time around?

03:13Definitely, amongst the guys coming back and even the guys that are new players signed,

03:18there is a feeling that, you know, it's time again for another piece of silverware, like

03:25you said, and definitely among the guys who won the treble to prove that, you know, yeah,

03:33like you said, it wasn't a fluke and it wasn't a one-off and that it's attainable again with

03:38our group. So definitely look forward to that.

03:42And just lastly, are you impressed with the roster that Aaron Fox has been able to put together

03:48so far this summer?

03:49I am, yeah. I think the roster looks great. You know, I'm not surprised that we've been

03:58able to sign such good players just because of all the things I've said. You know, all

04:04the guys that are new, they know right away that they're competing for championships and

04:09everything is taken care of on and off the ice. So it's, you know, also the allure of playing

04:15in front of nine and a half thousand fans pretty much every night and having an atmosphere

04:19like that. So I'm not surprised, but yeah, the roster looks great.

04:26YorkshirePost.co.uk

04:28YorkshirePost.co.uk

HockeyTalk - Interview with Sheffield Steelers' Brien Diffley

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