Renata Fast is coming back to finish what she and the Sceptres started

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Sometimes, and it’s rare these days, it’s not always just about the money.

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Renata Fast is returning to the Toronto Sceptres knowing full well there was more to be made elsewhere.

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But Fast is a Day 1 member of Toronto’s PWHL franchise and its leadership group. That means something to her. Tack on the unfinished business of a program that has always viewed itself as a serious Walter Cup contender, but has yet to reach those heights, and leaving was just never in the cards for the long-time national team member and still reigning PWHL defender of the year.

“Honestly, it was kind of a fun experience,’ Fast said on Wednesday, a couple of hours after her signing was announced. “I knew where my heart was the entire time going through the process. I feel that I have invested so much into Toronto and feel so strongly about the organization being here from Day 1. I knew it was at the top of my list.”

Fast signed a three-year deal with an average value of $114,000 to remain in Toronto and get at least three more cracks at completing that unfinished business.

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“I didn’t really take calls with many other teams despite the rumours spiralling online,” Fast said laughing at the impact that social media, as opposed to actual established media, can have on such a process. “Obviously with there being interest, I thought about it, but I couldn’t imagine being anywhere but Toronto.”

The one market that did give her a little pause, both because of its proximity to home for the Burlington native and because of the people already hired there, was Hamilton, one of the expansion cities the league is welcoming this year.

“Obviously being so close to where I grew up and where I live now, there was some thought there,” Fast admitted. “And then obviously I have a connection with Meghan Duggan (the GM of the expansion Hamilton franchise and a former assistant coach of Fast’s when she was at Clarkson University) and know the type of person she is. I think she’ll do great in Hamilton so obviously you look at the market and keep an open mind. Also keeping in mind, you don’t know what is happening with Toronto, so you have to be looking at other options as well.

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“Also keeping in mind, you don’t know what is happening with Toronto so you have to be looking at other options as well.

“But I’d say at the end of the day, I always knew Toronto was where I wanted to be, but Hamilton did have some pieces that were shaping up nicely and obviously I’m happy for the city that they are going to have the opportunity to have a team.”

Cold have made more with Hamilton

Had she signed with one of the expansion clubs, Fast would have been eligible for a fourth year on her contract and a signing bonus and, at least potentially, a bigger dollar value. But none of that trumped returning to a place she had already put years of her career into building.

However things shake out over the next few days, Fast knows the Sceptres team she will return to will not be the one she finished last year with. Expansion alone was going to take care of that, but there’s also the loss of head coach Troy Ryan, the only PWHL head coach Fast has ever played for and a national team coach for nearly 10 years for the Sceptres defender.

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“I have learned so much from him and really enjoyed playing for him over the years,” Fast said of Ryan who moves on to tackle the dual role of GM/head coach with the expansion club in San Jose.

‘Couldn’t imagine leaving Toronto’

“The initial news was shocking to be honest but obviously really happy for this new opportunity for him,” she said. “But at the end of the day, with Troy here or not, I think when I signed three years ago I believed we would win a Walter Cup and I couldn’t imagine leaving Toronto not having accomplished that. So, I’m still so driven by finishing out what we set out to do three years ago.”

Fast and the rest of the returning Sceptres will get the opportunity to put a tough 2025-26 behind them and she’s very much looking forward to that. For the first time in three years the Sceptres failed to make the playoffs and while that still stings for Fast, she knows it can work for the team if they use it the right way.

“We have had a core group together for a while that I hope we retain because we have all invested a lot into the culture and the way the organization runs,” she said. “I just would love nothing more than the opportunity to win a Walter Cup and celebrate with this incredible fanbase we have created, but also just knowing how much work has gone into creating this organization since Day 1.”

mganter@postmedia.com

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