Our Interview With BU's Own Garrett Noonan

We want to thank Garrett for agreeing to do the interview and answering our questions.  If people like this interview, we hope to interview other players in the future.

How was playing at MSG this past weekend in Red Hot Hockey?

GN - Obviously a good experience, it was sold out and stuff. I don’t even think the Beanpot (when they played BC) had quite as big of a crowd. Definitely a good experience. Obviously winning is even better. Just fun to see that crowd and play in such a famous arena like that.

How was the locker room?

GN - “It was good but I guess one of the basketball teams from the NIT trashed the Rangers locker room. We got where Philly was right before our game.”

Was there anything you said to the freshman before the game?

GN - I think there was only one freshman in lineup. But no, I didn’t say much. I’m not that guy. I just say have fun. He got here for a reason. Just let him have fun with it and take it all in. That is what the older guys said to me when I was a freshman”

It seems like you really feed off the crowd during games, especially the end of the Denver game.  Has that always been the case?

GN - Yeah I love the crowd. They definitely get me going. I like big crowds, I think I play better in bigger games with big crowds. I feed off the crowd ands stuff like that. I like going on the road a lot and playing in hostile environments.”

Well that segues right into another we question we had – what’s your favorite road trip to make?

GN - I love UNH, Maine, and then obviously BC because I hate them. Yeah UNH and Maine are crazy environments. I love that. Maine’s awesome. I’m sure it will be nice to play in Matthews with a full house since the students were on break last year when we were there. I can’t wait to play in Matthews when it is packed.”

You mentioned you hate BC – I don’t know if you were joking or not, but have you always been a BU guy?

GN - I was always definitely a BU kid. Yeah I really don’t like BC.  I don’t know what it is. I know a lot of CM kids have always gone to BU to play hockey and I followed in their footsteps. My coach in high school always liked BU. Growing up I went to BU games and I always loved BU. That’s how I ended up here.

Do you remember your first goal at BU?

GN - Yeah it was against BC, good to get the first one out of the way against them.  But yeah I think either Chiasson or Connolly passed it to me and I just kind of banged it home, pretty greasy goal.  Had a nice celebration in front of the Eagles bench and rubbed it in a little.

Speaking of CM kids going to BU, I think 3 of your coaches went to CM - Parker, Bavis and Powers.  You guys ever talk about your CM days?

GN - Yeah actually on Thanksgiving morning practice, I said to Coach Parker that he should let me out early so I could get to the CM football game but he wasn’t having any of it. He shut me down pretty quick (laughs). We talk about it sometimes and mess around about it but not too much.”

Ever trash talk to Gaudet (who went to Austin Prep) or any of the guys, especially when the Super 8 comes around?

GN - Oh yeah definitely. I guess Coyle can trash talk me because Weymouth beat us his freshman year, my sophomore year. Somehow they beat us. Still pisses me off. But yeah I don’t think we ever lost to Gaudet so whenever my CM coach comes over, I trash talk a little bit and give it to Gaudet. Yeah it’s fun definitely.

Do you have a favorite chant that the Student Section does at Agganis?

GN – Uhh..

Or do you want to start one?

GN - You guys can make that happen? (laughs) Yeah I like when they chant about BC there. I don’t know what they say exactly but I love that one. I like all of them really. When you chant the people’s name after they score, that is always awesome. It’s awesome I love the environment.

Word on the street is that you’re pretty good at NHL 12 – is this true?

GN - Yeah it’s true. I was good when I first got it. I started off like 20-1 online.  And then I got really good and got like 100 wins and 15 or 10 losses. Then my account shutoff. It has been suspended for weeks now so I’m thinking of starting one on Nieto’s account because I can’t figure out why it’s frozen. I might start on his and just start fresh. Nieto only plays COD anyway.  But yeah I was ranked real high for a while then I was depressed when it froze. You know you get over it.

Any particular team you play with?

GN - Last year I loved Vancouver. This year I like Tampa Bay. Philly sometimes cause they have a good goalie now. Montreal is fast so I like them.

GW - I can’t play with Montreal.

GN- Well I’m a Maple Leafs fan so that’s no big deal for me. I can understand why you guys can’t. I don’t blame you guys.

Obviously you’ve won the Super 8, played in the Beanpot, at Madison Square Garden, etc. What’s your favorite game or memory to this point?

GN - Like before the game, probably my favorite game was BC-BU at the Beanpot but obviously we lost so it wasn’t great really. My favorite game…Madison Square Garden is up there but that might just be because it is recent, close in my mind. When I played junior hockey in Vernon, we played in the BCHL championship game 7 and we won. We went on and won all of Canada when I was up there. Game 7 of the BCHL championship was probably the best of my career. So fun to play in.

Speaking of the BCHL, can you compare playing in Canadian Juniors to playing D-1 as far as crowds and atmosphere go?

GN – It’s more of a different crowd. It is more of a town thing up there, the whole town goes to the games. Here it is the students and the student sections are crazy. Not many crazy fans out there. They don’t chant as much. I like the crowds in college more because it is a little more crazy and hostile. But it was awesome up there too because everyone was so loyal and loved the team.

You were obviously drafted by Nashville this past summer - can you talk about that experience? How did you find out you had been drafted?

GN - Yeah I was sitting in the rink and I was watching the draft because Nieto and Clendening were there (at the draft).

Parker was there too, right?

GN - Yeah Coach Parker was there too. I was watching it and I had interviewed with some teams and stuff like that but I didn’t know what was gonna go on. Got a call and they said they drafted me and stuff like that. And so they said I had to be down there the next day. I got down there and stayed for like 8 days.  Went to the rookie camp and stuff like that. It was an awesome experience. Really tough camp conditioning wise but great experience to meet the staff and stuff like that.

Did you consider any other D1 teams besides BU?

GN - There were other schools that I was talking to. I remember it was down to BU and Providence. I grew up going to Providence games and my family loves both schools but when you think of wanting to be a pro hockey player I think BU does a good job at developing good pros. And I know (Kevin) Shattenkirk and Colin (Wilson) were here, and just looking at the d-men that I have played here it’s just a good tradition and whenever you get a chance to go to BU you can’t pass that up.  Plus the coaching staff and how famous they are, it was just too good to pass up. And sitting here now I know I’ve definitely made the right choice.

Who grew the greasiest Movember stache?

GN - Santana’s got a pretty greasy muzzy there.  I know I couldn’t grow one so I didn’t even try.  If Gill grew one it would have be funny, wish he kept it a little longer. We’ll have to get on him next year.

In your time at BU, who’s had the best flow?

GN - Me and Nieto had it last year going on for a while, I don’t know if this year we decided not to or something but I think I’m going to grow it out again and just be greasy.  Nicastro had some nice flow last year, Rosen too.  I like to throw myself in that race. But Nieto had good flow.  And Gill too.

We’ve got a few twitter ones for you now. You’re stuck on a deserted island. You get three wishes – go.

GN - You mean like 3 people I’d bring?

Sure, we’ll go with that.

GN - I’d probably bring Lady GaGa, she’s one of my favorites.  And then just a couple of my friends - Gill, Clendening, Nieto.  Any of those guys, any of my teammates you could bring with me and I’d be good.  We’d have GaGa singing to keep us entertained, we’d be good.

Another twitter question – which guy on the team thinks he has swag but actually doesn’t?

GN - I’m gonna go with Kieran Millan (laughs).  I know he has a girlfriend and stuff but he thinks he’s something else in the locker room sometimes.  But he has no swag, no style.  Just ugly (laughs).  So that’s who I’m gonna give it to.

Which guy on the team would you not want to room with on the road, and vice-versa?

GN - I room with Nieto and I wouldn’t change that.  But in the summer I live with Nieto and Gill and that’s awesome too.  Those two are great.  Who I wouldn’t want to live with on the road…would probably be (Alexx) Privitera, maybe?  He’d probably be talking or laughing the whole night, keeping me up. So probably him.

Last one – do you have any favorite quotes from Coach Parker, either during practice or games?

GN - Probably just when he blows the whistle after me or Clendening do something wrong.  He just stops and makes us do an end to end lap in front of the whole team.  He just stops and says “Give me a double” which just means start skating until he tells you to stop (laughs).  And when he says that I kind of start laughing on the inside.