More hockey horrors...

You can tell it's been a slow day at Breakaway HQ, can't you? After the post yesterday about comedy looks in the EIHL this season, Matt pointed out that I'd missed Joe Tallari's effort in the Bad Facial Hair Hall of Fame. Perhaps this is because the shifty forward is always moving too quickly for me to catch it, or maybe I was hypnotised vs the Phoenix by the boy-band refugee that is Brian Passmore, but, as Matt says, that truly is epic-observe the way he's left it bare under the nose just so...

I also forgot this gem-it's Andre Payette rocking the kinda-sorta-mohawk. A long way from his time at the Blaze, where his matinee-idol highlighted hair clashed somewhat with the rugged bruiser underneath...

Making a run at Joe Tallari's "interrupted" image is Patrik Wallenberg of the Panthers. Has someone just drawn on his face with a crayon and forgotten to fill in a bit? The style in itself you can get away with-but at least try and make it all the same length...

Finally, we have the Bison's Steve Thornton. Great, great, player. But awful, awful dentistry...

One addition to the Halloween costumes mentioned below, by the way...and it goes across the Irish Sea.

Zombie: Troy Neumeier (Belfast): If you've seen the Giants' veteran d-man skate, you'll know why. He moves with all the pace and shambling gait of one of the newly-undead attempting to catch a screaming maiden. The difference is, this time she'll get away. Much like the vast majority of opposition forwards do, given a bit of space...

Now I really am done-I have to prepare myself for a night with horrific, scary hooded creatures who hunt in packs, attack without mercy and growl in voices no human can understand. That's right-I'm braving a trip to Coventry City Centre for a night out with my rocker friends, and we're already stocked up on garlic...:)

Back tomorrow with Round the Rinks as per usual-until then, keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Halloween Hockey, or Things That Go Bump On The Ice...

Notice that chill in the air? It is, of course, All Hallows Eve today-a day when traditionally all beings scary, nasty and horrifically ugly are allowed to romp and play for the last time before All Saints' Day breaks the day after. Obviously in recent years a few of those beings have slipped through the net after Halloween though, as the continuing presences of Jeff Legue (scarily good) Brad Voth (big and nasty) and Ed Courtenay (well, this one should be obvious) :) on the rinks of the UK will testify...

One of the major fun parts of the 31st October for many, though, is the excuse to dress up. And those players, referees and club staff we go to watch at the rinks of the UK are no different...So here's some ideas for costumes for them. Picked with the greatest of care, naturally.

A Donkey: Andre Payette (Newcastle): Well, it's only fair-after all, that's what everyone outside of Newcastle (and even some inside) seem to think would be the perfect costume. According to many he wouldn't even need to act.

An Executioner: Robert Stancok (Nottingham): Anyone who's ever seen him swinging that stick of his into the bodies of opposition forwards will know that, when it comes to wielding a weapon, the Panthers' Slovak d-man has no equal. Good job the "blades" of these sticks aren't razor-sharp.

The Grim Reaper: Adam Calder (Coventry): Seriously-has anyone ever seen him smile during a game?

An Angel: Todd Kelman (Belfast): No other costume would suit this paragon of virtue, who never does anything wrong and thus is perfectly entitled to protest violently from the bench at every single penalty given to his team. And if he takes a penalty himself? Better get the earplugs ready...

A Devil: Danny Stewart (Coventry): Stewie just loves to cause trouble-one of the few players I can think of who will be pushing and shoving with a grin on his face. And no-one is better at the cheeky little tap with a stick which is just soft enough not to be called a slash...

Chainsaw Kid: Peter Campbell (Belfast) : Just have a gander at his picture on the Belfast website. That serial-killer stare was last seen on Michael Myers in Halloween, I think...Just try not to make him angry.

Town Crier: Dave Simms (Sheffield): Well, town criers like to shout a lot whether people are listening or not, don't they?

Pinocchio: Simon Mangos (Manchester): Ed Courtenay was the obvious choice here, but given that he's still to come further down, instead we pay tribute to the nasally-advantaged Phoenix defenceman.

The Baby: Ed Courtenay (Belfast): Toys and pram are optional extras-especially since you would be spending half the night picking the toys up from where they'd been thrown. And a grown man spitting out a dummy could really do some damage if he managed to hit someone, so you'd probably have Health and Safety on your back as well.

Damian, The Omen child: Jake Riddle (Hull): Look at him. He looks about twelve years old (although slightly big for his age). But as soon as he gets on the ice, all that innocence disappears.

There you are, for now...don't get too scared this evening, and keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Hearing Things...Odds and Ends

Apologies if this post is somewhat disjointed-it's more to clear up several odds and ends from the last week or so in British hockey than anything else, and ranges from dirty hits to music to idiot footballers-turned-pundits. Also included is a very angry French-Canadian...

Last night the DJ saved my life: Well, nothing so drastic, but surprising nevertheless. It appears that my "hockey music" rants have either struck a chord, or maybe someone was just feeling a bit rebellious, but either way I was amazed and pleased on Sunday night to get a nice long burst of "Master of Puppets" (one of my ten songs every rink must have") during a outbreak of pushing and shoving in the Blaze-Hull game. Not only that, but the rink also rang to "Dressed to Kill" and even a very brief burst of Rammstein. Now, if we could just leave that infernal "Chelsea Dagger" to Nottingham, then things could really start looking up for us rockers at the Skydome. They'd still have a way to go to beat Manchester though-Matt informs me further that even their intro gets a nice burst of Saliva behind the intro video...and for the electro fans there's Depeche Mode amongst others.
Keep flying the flag, Phoenix-and hopefully the other rinks will follow suit...:)

In other news, football involves a lot of overpaid young men chasing a pig's bladder around a glorified park: Or, at least it does if you use the same "only use stereotypes" approach as Talksport DJs Adrian Durham and ex-footballer Ian Wright, who described ice-hockey as "nothing more than men dancing and fighting on ice" amongst other things. Ian Wright's pearl of wisdom was "it's cold in there. Although I guess it has to be otherwise the ice would melt". Aside from the obvious fact that neither of them have been seen around the rinks of the UK, I wouldn't mind seeing them saunter up to, say, Chris Pronger (6'6, 210lbs) and challenge him to a game of "dancing on ice" just to see how long they'd last. It's been mentioned that the EIHL should respond to this by offering the two "experts" concerned tickets-I have a feeling they'd suddenly be too busy watching a Ryman League game to accept. But come on, EIHL-at least try to change this image in the media...

NHL's "crackdown on hits from behind and/or to the head" is working. Honest: After all, there's only been three serious injuries caused by head hits since the NHL announced that they would come down harshly on offenders. The latest one is Patrice Bergeron, who was the victim of this hit three days ago. This follows Dean McAmmond on the end of this atrocity from Steve Downie last month, for which Downie got 25 games, and this assault from Rick Rypien on Mathieu Roy two days afterward, for which Rypien got...nothing, as far as I can tell.
But hey-so long as the sports anchors are talking about the sport on US TV, even if they are all saying that it's dangerously violent, then who cares?

"Hold me back! No, seriously...I'm really angry. Look-I'm making scary faces and everything!": Are there many sights more entertaining than hockey players pretending to be angry? We were treated to just such a sight on Sunday at the Skydome as Sylvain Cloutier went utterly gonzo at Paul Cabana late in the third period, requiring two linesmen to prevent him breaking free after the Hull forward said something. Cabana obviously realised he'd bitten off more than he could chew as he disappeared pretty quickly behind Jake Riddle and then put up only token resistance to being held back on the boards as Cloutier fought to get to him through a scrum of players while Riddle fought to get through to Clouts to back up his team mate. While all this mayhem was going on, involving Cloutier and Riddle exchanging cross-checks before being separated by being bodily dragged away, you could almost see Cabana, a short distance away from the mayhem he'd started, talking to the referee...
"That's it, grab my arm-I'm gonna pretend to shove you now, look startled...that's good...now I'm going to go left-block me-no, look like you're trying hard...there you go..."

And finally, in the spirit of Halloween: Is it just me, or are the players this year some of the most entertaining-looking in a while? Ever since Scott Young's flowing blond locks disappeared from the UK rinks, comedy looks have been few and far between. However, this season at the Skydome we've already had Ryan Smith's (Belfast) lanky serial-killer locks, Scott Fankhouser's (Manchester) natty little "fifties movie villain" 'tache, and, top of the heap, Rob Rankin (Hull) with his 70's porn-star goatee, which led to people round me making "He's come to fix the fridge, not play hockey" jokes every single time he came down our end. It seems the facial hair silly season has started early this year, and almost makes up for Mike Garrow (Cardiff) shaving off the goatee which made him a dead-ringer for Chuck Norris in his last spell in Wales-although, frankly, there's still time for him to grow it back.

Perhaps, some time in the future (i.e tomorrow) I'll come up with "top ten Halloween costumes for hockey players", but until then, keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Double Overtime: 29th October

And so we come to another Monday, and thus another Double Overtime. Off we go...in a weekend which saw great comebacks, more injury woes and a few high-scoring games...

Basingstoke: The Bison continue to make friends around the league as they play without a top-line centre and a starting goalie. This weekend they scared third-placed Newcastle at the Silverdome by going two goals up before eventually losing 6-4 in a game which, judging by the penalty count and the types of penalties given, was more than a little "tasty". Then came an epic comeback up in Edinburgh on the Sunday, as they came back from 4-0 down after the first period, scoring eight goals in forty minutes while only conceding one to win 8-5 at Murrayfield. With an import goalie expected to sign this week, and three extra days to rest and recuperate with the Halloween game against the Blaze cancelled, the Bison appear to be out of the woods after their recent financial problems, and they also have possibly the best young forward in the league in Danny Stewart, who is creeping up the scoring charts thanks to his current hot-streak. Mainly due to their comeback in Edinburgh, the battling Bison earn themselves a...
Grade: B

Belfast: One game, two points. That will do as a weekend for the Northern Irish side...although injuries continue to dog them with Mark Dutiaume and Paul Moran the latest two to be crocked this weekend, both with shoulder injuries, joining Trevor Johnson, Scott Cameron and Roman Gavalier in the physio room. Luckily for the Giants, Peter Campbell has been on an absolute tear since coming over from Basingstoke a few weeks ago, and he continued it by gaining man-of-the-match and another two goals in the Giant's 4-1 win. Apart from the injuries, all is rosy in the land of shamrocks and leprechauns, and so they earn themselves a...
Grade: B

Cardiff: That rumbling is the sound of something stirring in the valleys. While it can't really be said just yet, as the Devils' slogan does, that "all hell's gonna break loose", the boilers are definitely being heated up in South Wales as we speak, after standing idle for the first few weekends of the season. Mike Prpich's competent debut and a four-point weekend against two tough opponents means that things continue to look brighter and brighter by the bay, and they earn the top grade this week with...
Grade: A

Coventry: Sunday was much brighter than Saturday for the current champions-a woeful performance in Nottingham means that the defence of the Challenge Cup hangs in the balance despite only losing 1-0-a score which could have been a lot higher if Trevor Koenig hadn't channelled his inner French Army General and decided that his motto was "they shall not pass". Sunday saw a nervy performance against a Hull side who came to shut the Blaze down, and largely succeeded on the back of Ladislav Kudrna's efforts before succumbing 2-1 to goals from Dan Carlson and Adam Calder. Let's just say that this weekend will not live long in the memory, which is why the Blaze can only earn themselves a
Grade: C

Edinburgh: Definitely a case of "sublime to ridiculous" for the Caps this week. One step forward in beating Hull away on the Saturday night was followed by several steps back on the Sunday as they threw away a 4-0 first-period lead to lose 8-5 to the Bison. All is not well in Murrayfield, with the fans angry at the "shocking" performance on Sunday, the entire team reportedly on their two weeks notice, and coach Doug Christiansen pleading with the fans to stick with the team but already subject to rumblings of discontent. Given that the Caps took a giant step backward on the Sunday, they earn themselves a...
Grade: D

Hull: There's only so many press releases that people will take saying that the team are unified or, as this week, the coach is satisfied with the performances, before people begin to look solely at the results. And the simple fact is-the Stingrays aren't gaining enough points. Worse, they're losing to teams they should at least look like beating, as with Edinburgh (nine losses on the bounce before this weekend) on Saturday. To give them their due, the Humbersiders played their spoiling game well on Sunday at the Skydome, but losing valiantly just doesn't cut it in the EIHL-even if "valiantly" means Ladislav Kudrna gaining a 94% save percentage off 49 shots in defeat on the Sunday. And this is why the Stingrays only earn themselves...
Grade: E

Manchester: The Phoenix Express came off the rails slightly this weekend with two losses. Saturday saw the Phoenix run into a Belfast side on something of a roll, while Sunday saw another odd-goal loss against their cross-Pennine rivals from Sheffield as the charge up the table stuttered slightly. There is no cause to panic yet, but the Phoenix earn their lowest grade yet this week despite their battling losses...
Grade: C-

Newcastle: With apologies to Meatloaf, three out of four ain't bad. The Vipers faced two hard-fought games this weekend, coming out on the right side of a ten-goal thriller in Basingstoke on Saturday, and taking the Devils to a penalty shootout in the Blue Tent on the Sunday. Another two points will do the Vipers no harm at all in the EIHL standings, but their home form will be something of a concern if it continues much longer. The Vipers keeping themselves cruising along means that they earn...
Grade: B-

Nottingham: One game, one win. In a game the Panthers needed desperately. In that respect, the Big Cats will be pleased this Monday evening. One Big Cat does not make a safari, however, and, far from resting on their laurels, Mike Ellis' men must continue to win games if they want to silence the mutterings in the Panthers faithful, many of whom will be aware that catching the league champions on an off-night does not mean things are definitely improving at the NIC. However, a win is a win, and the grade, while it can't really be worse than last week's, is a big improvement at...
Grade: B-

Sheffield: The Steelers keep on keepin' on. A 3-1 loss at home against Cardiff wouldn't have been the greatest Saturday night at the Hallam ever, but the 2-1 victory in Manchester (OK, Altrincham) is a hard-won and useful two points which keeps the Steelers in second place, so the demanding Steel City faithful can rest easy for yet another weekend as their team earn themselves a...
Grade: C+

And so there you go. There's only one midweek game this week, as the Vipers face the Stingrays with both sides coming off a loss. This game won't be pretty, but there'll be bruises on both sides when the final buzzer goes, whatever the scoreline.

That's Double Overtime done for another week. More ramblings tomorrow, but until then, as always...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Blog Wars, part one: State of the Game

They're springing up everywhere, these hockey blogs. Was linked to this article from The Hockey Forum, which is basically a dissection of the game in the UK, from one of the moderators of what is probably the most respected forum on UK ice hockey. Trouble is, I disagree with it slightly, and in the spirit of debate (and the fact that my team are away this Saturday evening and I can't afford to travel) here's my reply, The article, as always, is quoted in italics, with my response below.

"Let's start by just skimming the surface of what we currently have. Amusingly regarded by some as the "top tier", the Elite League is a shambles and a perfect example of how to get things totally wrong. A league where decisions are made and changed from week to week. A league where those involved in it's running are so out of touch with the fanbase and reality, it defies belief. A league where decisions are made on a club basis instead of in the interest of the sport as a whole."

So far, so fair. Possibly a slightly exagerrated view, but essentially the points are echoed by many fans of the EIHL when it comes to the country-wide administration of the sport...But then, it begins to go a little creaky...

A league that offers nothing in the way of variety. A league that is considered 'stable' yet has teams struggling for finances year in, year out. A league that thinks it is bigger than it actually is. A league with a thought process and mentality that does neither the sport nor itself any favours at all.

Variety? To me, ten teams, each with their own style, their own unique histories and rivalries, and their own unique quirks is somewhat varied. As for "teams struggling year in year out", the EIHL has lost one team due to finances in four years (London Racers) -as opposed to the EPL, which, while not actually losing teams, is constantly fraught with rumours of teams being on the brink or players being cut due to money (unless you're Guildford or Slough). There are constant rumours of overspending, but the vast majority of that (as in the Bison case) is over-ambition, not the fact that the product itself is essentially non-viable. As for "bigger than it actually is"-don't forget that the sniping from the EIHL and the EPL comes from BOTH sides, with some EPLers claiming theirs is the true "British" league. You can't criticise one mentality without taking a hard look at the other.

I've been known for quite a while as an 'Elite Hater'. Nothing could be further from the truth. I want the UK sport to be played at it's highest ever level - I want the sport to succeed, not die. In it's present form, it isn't going to survive much longer, the money isn't there to sustain 10 Import Hockey and neither are the fans. If the current trend continues, neither will the teams. Import laden Hockey isn't affordable or sustainable in this country, it's a pipe dream that the UK version of Hockey isn't ready for or can afford. Just to clarify my position though, what I do actually hate is the way that this sport is allowed to be driven into the ground by stupidity, ignorance and arrogance. I also hate the divisions in the sport that have been created.

So that would be the "non-sustainable ten-import hockey" which has run for four years, building on the eight-import BNL which ran for another five years before that? And that lack of fans would be shown by the 5000 who turn up in Sheffield and Nottingham each week, or the 2500 in Coventry, or the 2000 in Cardiff and Newcastle, or the 1000 in Hull or Basingstoke? OK, then. Moving on, read the last line carefully. Then, observe how, in the next paragraph, those divisions are played upon by attacking one single aspect of hockey:

But hey, back to the Elite league and it's faults. I've long been of the opinion that Bison, Caps, Devils, Giants, Phoenix, Stingrays and Vipers are there merely to give Blaze, Panthers and Steelers fans something to do on the weekends when they're not playing each other. They're simply making up the numbers.

OK then-let's look at the winners of the EIHL competitions since 2003/04 (dates are season ends):
2004: Panthers, Steelers, Steelers
2005: Blaze x3 (but realistically, how often is a treble year going to happen?)
2006: Devils, Giants, Vipers, Steelers (some "making up the numbers" job that year, hey? The "big three" had to be satisfied with one of them winning a competition which even the smaller teams derided at the beginning of the year. Blaze Four trophies, four different winners-the Blaze and Panthers didn't even make the playoff weekend-the Giants and the Devils did.)
2007: Blaze, Blaze, Panthers, Devils. (Take into account that the Blaze had to come from twelve points back against a "make-up" side in the Giants, who led the league before self-destructing after Christmas. Also bear in mind that the Panthers only won the playoffs on penalty shots after knocking out the Giants, the Steelers didn't even make the season finale and the Devils destroyed an until-then dominant Blaze side in order to reach the final)

Some make-up performance-out of fourteen trophies, the big three won nine. Just over half. Three each over four seasons, or one a season each. And that is taking into account the Blaze going on a spectacular run of five in three years. All the other teams mentioned regularly beat the "big three" (especially Panthers) and so far this season,Vipers are third (above Nottingham) and Manchester and Hull are fifth and sixth, a maximum of three points behind the Panthers with two games in hand. Surely, following the logic of the "numbers" argument, the table should show the big three way out in front?

I'll make a quick prediction here: Blaze, Panthers and Steelers fighting out the titles between themselves and the only real teams that have a realistic chance. Devils, Giants, Phoenix and Vipers being the middling teams and Bison, Caps and Stingrays fighting for bottom spot. To be fair, it's a relatively easy prediction to make, mainly because that's how it always finishes. So predicatable.

Always finishes? Clearly the Giants title win and Devils several cup triumphs were just mistakes, then. I'll predict that Guildford and Bracknell will make the EPL finals along with Slough and maybe MK or Peterborough, cause three of those five seem to always make it. But no-one is complaining there of "predictability".

There is also no development of British players in the Elite league despite them and their apologists trying to state otherwise. Yes, they do pay lip service by playing Brits - but most of those Brits are cherry-picked after having being developed at other clubs in other leagues. There is nothing clever in that.

You mean, by two-way contracts? That's the same way the "farm" system in America works-does that mean that at the NHL teams don't develop players? Then we have the much-vaunted Cardiff farm system, with graduates such as Stevie Lyle, Matt Myers and Johnathan Phillips, the Nottingham system (James Neil, Paul Moran), and the Coventry system (newly set up a few years ago, it's already producing fruit in Joe Henry). Then we have the Tait brothers (Nottingham), Matt Towe and Ben Morgan (Sheffield) and many more prospects in the North East (eg Dean Holland, Ben Campbell). The development is there if you look for it, rather than choosing to see the EIHL as it was back in the ISL days of import-only rosters.
Second question-if these players don't get ice time at Elite level due to age-do they stayin juniors? Nope-they fill EPL rosters,benefiting the very league which claims they do all the developing-except their juniors are forced out-because why play a junior when you can play a player with Elite pedigree who's already tried and either been found wanting or forced out due to another more promising or younger junior taking his "development" spot (eg Bracknell signing Tom Carlon from Coventry).

After making some good points about the spark being gone for some with the new push for casual fans (a topic on which I see his point, and offer one solution here) the author comes up with this...

Ice Hockey isn't a TV sport. Fact

Excuse me? I have a feeling a few million Canadians would disagree. And so would Grandstand, when it was regularly shown on the BBC in the mid nineties. Plus, just how are fans going to be attracted if they don't know about the sport in the first place?

Then we come to "the answers". Most of which I agree with. However, there is the odd bone of contention. He says:

Drop the Import level to 7, like right now. A league awash with Johnny Foreigner gives no opportunity to developing British players, don't let others try and convince you otherwise.

OK. So instead we should follow the EPL model of "four high-paid imports, a few exorbitantly paid Brits who are cherry picked from those no longer able to play the EIHL for either age or work reasons, and a few veterans. Plus one or two juniors". Just how is that better for British development?

It is basic common sense that Imports are taking up the places of British players.

As they are doing in the EPL-which is surely more of a crime for a league which prides itself on its junior development? Plus, the British players are often veterans looking to combine hockey with another career anyway, not juniors. They play in the ENL.

Then the "template for a new league" is discussed. It makes perfect sense until...

A National league where those clubs in the league can afford to be there without reliance on handouts and more bucket collections.

What is seemingly a dig at Basingstoke's financial problems backfires somewhat-so you'd also exclude Romford, Slough, Chelmsford, Wightlink, Bracknell...all teams who have also suffered financial woes in the past few seasons.

And then, in something of a contradiction...

I also believe that the only way forward for the sport now is regional conferences with crossover games and one National league final.

So, on the one hand there's not enough variety on a ten-team league, so we shall solve this by...playing less teams, more often with the odd crossover game to give the pretence that every team plays every other. Hasn't that been tried before? If it worked so well then, why did teams change?

The post finishes strongly, though-essentially with a pleat to treat every team equally and unite the leagues. Which is something the vast majority (yes, even us EIHL fans) want to see happen. Trouble is, at the moment, fans on both sides are wanting it to happen solely on their league's terms. And the one truth everyone can agree on is that are too far apart already for that, whichever side you blame...

Round the Rinks 25th October

Mea culpa, everyone. Due to job-searching taking up the vast majority of my time (and by the way, if you know anyone who needs a hockey journalist, let me know...:)) I've only got up to get back onto writing Round the Rinks now, and completely missed the midweek games, so this post will be the one that makes reference to them There's a lot to cover so we'll get straight on with it...

Basingstoke: Another week in Hampshire, another midweek loss, 5-2 to the Panthers away. But despite this hope springs eternal in the land of the pink buses-after a fans' forum in which Ryan Aldridge apparently stressed the need for everyone to move forward as one now the financial concerns have been at least eased, and the signs are that things could be looking up as the Bison head into weekend action against a wounded Newcastle and a struggling Edinburgh. The Vipers, despite holding third in the EIHL, can be up-and-down in their level of play, and with the home crowd roaring them on at the Silverdome a point at least is a definite possibility, before the long trip north of the border gives possibly the Bison's best chance for a win in some time. If Dan Green can stop the shots like he has been doing, then don't bet against the Herd nicking a few much-needed morale-boosting points...

Belfast: In the words of Corporal Jones..."don't panic!". Have the Giants finally broken out of their slump? This weekend will go a long way to showing it if they have, as they face a tricky Manchester side in Dundalk-a team who have already won in Northern Ireland this season and will not be intimidated by the supposed star-power of the Giant's offense, and has the scorers to take advantage of the gaps in the Giant's d should they appear like they have done all too frequently this season. Certainly with this being the only game of the weekend for those across the Irish sea, anything less then a win will not be considered as an option by the Giants fanbase, organised Phoenix defence or not.

Cardiff: In a reverse of last week's fixtures, the Devils travel up to Sheffield on Saturday before welcoming Newcastle on Sunday. With new signing Mike Prpich looking to make an impact instantly and Sylvain Deschatelets wanting to prove the Devils management's faith in returning his job after his recent form is justified, the rapidly-improving Devils will be a very tough proposition, particularly since last week they narrowly lost to Sheffield at home before taking the points away from Newcastle. Sheffield will not be relishing welcoming the Welshmen, but Newcastle will be relishing the trip south even less, although revenge for last week's defeat, particularly with their need to keep up with the leading pack, will be at the top of their thoughts. Sunday in particular could be a barn-burner at the Big Blue Tent..

Coventry: My team have a make-or-break Challenge Cup game against a smarting Nottingham on the Saturday in the NIC, before welcoming Hull on the Sunday. With injuries throughout the camp in Weaver, Martin, Tasker, and Koenig (and that's just the ones we know about) this weekend will be a true physical test for the champions, particularly with the result of Saturday's game crucial in the race for the Challenge Cup semi finals. The game on the Sunday will not be the most scintillating ever seen, but the Stingray's abrasive forwards will be the last sights the recovering Neal Martin and hurting Jonny Weaver will want to see bearing down on them on the fore-check. It's weekends like these which the Blaze managed to gut out last year in their run to the title, and this one will be yet another one where the results are more important than how you get there.

Edinburgh: What do the Caps have to do to get a win? Another narrow loss to the Vipers in midweek means that the Scots are still anchored to the bottom of the table, and face two teams immediately above them this weekend in Hull and Basingstoke. Neither game will be pretty, but all teams involved will be looking to gain some ground on those around them, and for that reason alone they'll be some of the most hard-fought matches of the season. Can the Caps turn things around, or will they slide further towards an early long, dark winter even before the clocks go back?

Hull: Another week, another raft of "Stingrays ready for the challenge" press releases on Humberside. This week it's Paul Cabana and Dave Phillips stressing their commitment to the team and their readiness. But they'll need to be ready with games against a seriously hurting (in pride at least) Edinburgh on Humberside and the trip no-one wants to make (down the M1 to Coventry) on the Sunday. Stingrays might fancy their chances of at least one win after splitting a tough home-and-away with Manchester last weekend-but the question is whether they can find more scoring than just Paul Cabana, including some from defence. If they can, it could be a win on Saturday and at the very least a tension-filled night for the home Skydome crowd on the Sunday. If they can't, then it will be a long trip home on both the Saturday and the Sunday...

Manchester: It's not just the music that's surprisingly good in Manchester-the team are cruising along nicely at the moment. However, Altrincham Arena will be tense this weekend as the Phoenix take double-act of tight defence and potent forwards on the road to Belfast before returning home on Sunday to face Sheffield-two teams who will provide them with a stern examination of their trophy-aspirant credentials. With injuries yet to rear their ugly head in the North, the team will be at full strength and looking to do some damage against two of the league's traditional powerhouses. And don't bet against them doing so. It's strange-you never see anyone mention the Phoenix in the "best team in the league" discussion, yet every week they keep piling up points and making teams play VERY well indeed to beat them. At the moment, the Phoenix are soaring just under the radar of most fans in the league. And that seems fine with them...

Newcastle: "Vipers in "we're not that bad" shocker!". The Vipers are the hockey team's equivalent of a schizophrenic...one moment they're sublime, all sweetness and light, and then suddenly they lose control and it all goes out of the window. With two away games this weekend in Basingstoke and Cardiff, the Snakes will face a severe test of both their mettle and their tempers against two niggly teams who are very tough to break down. Can they keep their heads? If so, it could be a successful weekend on Tyneside.

Nottingham: Perhaps the best summary of the state in Nottingham is this anecdote. In my Double Overtime review last week, I gave the Panthers an F, and got a comment saying "good column, but you were too generous with the Panthers' grade". There are problems at the NIC, and they don't even have the Conti Cup Curse to blame it on. With just the one game this weekend and (reputedly) jobs on the line, it's time for the talk to stop and the hockey to begin in the Lace City...

Sheffield: Last but (rarely) least, the Steelers face Cardiff and Manchester as they bid to continue their quiet renaissance and pull away from the rest of the pack, while at the same time catch the Blaze at the top of the table.With no injuries the potent Steelers attack is at full strength, but will find it tricky against the solid Devils and Phoenix defences. Another four-point weekend is not out of the question, however...it just may be the most hard-fought four points you'll see for a while.

So, this weekend's games in full...(Elite League unless stated)


Saturday

Hull v Edinburgh (Challenge Cup)

Basingstoke v Newcastle

Belfast v Manchester (in Dundalk Ice Arena)

Sheffield v Cardiff

Nottingham v Coventry (Challenge Cup)

Sunday

Manchester v Sheffield

Coventry v Hull

Cardiff v Newcastle

Edinburgh v Basingstoke

Drop the puck, and let's play hockey...

Music Matters...

This post starts with an apology-due to Internet connection woes you may have noticed that I missed a day or two, and indeed this post is slightly later. But before Round the Rinks I must mention the comments I got from the last post on music, especially the one from Matt, who says that in Altrincham at least the whole hockey/rock marriage is still going along nicely-Metallica and Rammstein and Megadeth and Iron Maiden in sequence? Excellent...and yet another reason for me to make a visit up there to see the Phoenix's new rink (aside from the hockey, obviously) Sadly, I can't claim credit for his comments about the excellent Skydome music in 03/04-that was the year before I did my stint on the decks (September 04 until September 05, when Germany called...)

Another comment mentions that perhaps hip-hop would sound good-and after being a bit sceptical at first I thought...hang on a minute-if it works for American football and basketball, then why not hockey? Just so long as it's "proper" hip-hop and not the R-and-B lite love songs that currently pass for hip-hop...This got me to thinking of ten tracks that every rink in the UK should have on their playlist, and after some consideration, here's my first draft of "the list"

Lamb of God: Redneck
Ooooohhh, yes. This one rumbles along with an unholy scream for vocals and THE most aggressive challenge in the chorus...perfect for a fight-song. Although it may need a slight edit for the "this is a motherf-ing invitation!" line...

Fort Minor: Remember the Name
First hip-hop entry-this one just can't fail to get you up for it...and the chorus is mesmerising. Plus, it's a great song to play if you're leading...If it works for football, it works for hockey..
"This is ten percent luck, twenty percent skill..."

Rammstein: Feuer Frei
The best wake-up call ever...and the title (Fire at Will, in English) is perfect for the powerplay.

Cypress Hill: Superstar
Just because.

Kanye West: Jesus Walks
All together now..."bom, bom, bom, ba-bom bom, bom, bom...". Makes no sense unless you download it...but if you want the odd bit of new school hip-hopiness, then put this on. Plus, if you're so inclined you can clap along with the bass. And the lyrics ain't bad either...

Metallica: Master of Puppets
Let's face it, you could stick pretty much any Metallica track in here and there's part of it that'll fit a hockey game. But this, in the warm-up, is eight-and-a-half-minutes of metal heaven. Just for the intro and guitar solo alone-the Trivium version isn't bad either if you want a more modern cover...

Megadeth: Crush 'Em
Yes, the lyrics may sound like a high school fight song, but come on-play this just as the lights go down and it sets the hostile mood beauifully. And not a swearword in sight...

M.O.P: Cold as Ice
See above. Unfortunately there's probably a bit too much swearing in this for it to be safely played at games. In which case, this is just the wild-card entry...

New Found Glory: Dressed to Kill
Just because it's happy...not all rock has to be screaming and crunching guitars. Although I like that sort of thing, this is the one for girls to bounce around to...

Dragonforce: Valley of the Damned
One I played at the Skydome and which still gets used to this day in the gap between the anthem and face-off, this is a hockey song par-excellence. And then you have the lyrics which could be made for the British hockey season...

"on a cold dark winter night, lit by the stormy light, battle rages for the right to what we'll become..."

LL Cool J: Mama Said Knock You Out
When this starts, you know that a fight ain't far away...

And finally-my personal favourite...
Arch Enemy: We Will Rise
The scariest woman's voice on the planet. Angela Gossow's menacing growl fits the guitars perfectly. And then you have the lyrics themselves-which scream a challenge...

"...tear down the walls, wake up the world, ignorance is not....bliss...fed up with the second best. Our time....is here....NOW!"

Let's keep this running-I of course am aware that there are probably readers thumping the keyboard in frustration that I've missed out an obvious song-so leave a comment and we'll see just how many hockey songs we can get on here. And then hope to hear them thumping out of the speakers at your local rink some time soon...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

The Rinks Are Alive...

...with the sound of music. Be warned-this is something of an opinion post rather than anything else, and there is a good chance you may not have heard of some of the bands I'm about to go on about-but have a listen to 'em either way...

There is a plague appearing in rinks around the country...it's called "bad music". As clubs try and appeal to the casual fan more and more, the hockey culture which has thrived for years (of fan friendliness, spontaneous support, and a soundtrack of good old fashioned proper rock music) is being diluted in favour of choreographed chants, inane between-period competitions and inoffensiveness. Sure, the product on the ice is just as fast and hard as ever, but the passion off the ice isn't being shown or even kindled anywhere near as much as team owners try to make their product as inoffensive and its appeal as wide as possible.

At this point the keyboards are no doubt smoking as you fire up a blistering "teams need fans to survive and this sport can't be picky and choosy" email. But every sport needs a unique selling point, and hockey's is its whole culture, and the drive and power of the game kind of loses its impact when Girls Aloud is thudding through the system, even if everyone under the age of twelve is happy because they think they're at a kids party. However, give the same break in play a burst of Metallica (Seek and Destroy) or Led Zeppelin (Immigrant Song) and you can't help but feel sucked along with the game and well and truly hyped up (if nothing else, there won't be a drowsy eye in the building when the guitars kick in).

Look at the videos on Youtube. Listen to the soundtracks of the games in the US and Canada. Not a cheesy pop song in sight. The guitars are up loud, the drums are thumping and the pace is fast. So why, in the UK, do we feel the need to dilute hockey's unique culture to make it just like any other kid's party/club-night/generic sporting event? Rock music and hockey go together, and when you try and bring anything else into it it either sounds wrong or just plain silly...Watch this clip, even the first four minutes, and then pick any chart song (I always find that bloody annoying "Beautiful Girls" song is funniest) and imagine that over the top instead. See my point?

I'm ashamed to admit that my home-town team are probably the worst offenders at this-at some Skydome games you'd be forgiven for thinking you're at a kid's party rather than a sporting event. This is not to slag off the guy playing the music-I recommended him to replace me because I knew he thought the same as I did as far as music goes-but if the owners of teams are saying on the one hand that they want to get people hooked on the unique culture of hockey and then telling those responsible for matchnight entertainment to dilute it to the point where the crowd (many of whom like rock anyway and aren't shy in saying that the uniqueness of the soundtrack is one of the things that makes hockey stand out for them) are wincing as their ears are assaulted by another burst of Shane Ward or the Spice Girls purely in order to attract some demographic dreamed up in a marketing room, then there's something slightly off.

Hockey is unique among sports in the UK in the wit and spontaneity of the banter between fans, the speed and controlled aggression of the game itself, and the culture surrounding it. Let's use these as selling points, rather than trying to stifle them with "organised" chanting, owners aiming for casual fans' money at the expense of the passion of those who've been watching a while (and indeed are a far more likely way to attract new fans through word of mouth), and corporate cookie-cutter entertainment packages, and get the game back to a state where the hits are hard, the fans roar and, most of all, every break in play is the signal for a full-on rocking night out...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Double Overtime, 22nd October

So, another weekend in the EIHL is in the books, and it's time for the team-by-team weekend review:

Basingstoke: On the face of it, it's only been a weekend of more misery for the Hampshire side. Three games in four days for a team who've just lost their starting goalie and number one centre isn't the ideal weekend slate, not to mention something of a baptism of fire for Dan Green, as the back-up goalie-turned-emergency-starter. I briefly refer to the Thursday night game here, but things didn't get much better results-wise for either the Bison's temporary starter or his team at the weekend. The young Brit more than earned the adulation of his notorious "Appreciation Society" however, facing 84 shots over the two weekend games and only letting in five goals for a stellar 94 percent save percentage. Unfortunately, the Bison's weakened attack could only score three goals in the two games, losing 2-1 and 3-2. Which means the Bison come out of this weekend pointless, but with a huge amount of respect earned from both their fans and the opposition.
Grade: B-

Belfast: The Giants, a team who were somewhat in need of a lift themselves before this weekend, lucked out by facing a Basingstoke side in turmoil for their only two games of the weekend. After Peter Campbell's dream (2 goals, 2 assists) debut on the Thursday night, he and the Giants found the Bison a much tougher proposition in their home rink, but still managed to grind out a hard-fought two-one win thanks to goals from Shaun Sutter and Carlyle Lewis (who seems to be finally finding his feet after being heavily criticised by his own fans earlier on in the season). Another improvement for the Giants this weekend-let's just see how long they can continue...
Grade: B

Cardiff: It was an up-and-down weekend for the Devils, coming out on opposite sides of the same 3-2 scoreline on Saturday and Sunday. Against Sheffield on Saturday, they were on the wrong side, as the Steelers fought hard to keep their climb up the table going. Sylvain Deschatelets continues to provide rich pickings for the irony hunters among us, though, earning another man-of-the-match award in what is surely his last weekend. More fodder was provided on Sunday, as Deschatelets scored another two goals and assisted on the the other as the Devils ground out a three-two result against a high-flying Newcastle. With the Devils still looking for a forward and Gerard Adams able to move back and play on defence, coupled with a growing "Sly must stay" movement among the fans, the big Quebec-native centre is finally proving his worth-but is it too late?
Grade: B

Coventry: Two more games, two more wins in which the Blaze didn't really look like they got out of third gear. A professional performance against Edinburgh on the Saturday was followed by a surprisingly easy 4-0 win against a lacklustre Panthers side on the Sunday. The league leaders didn't do too badly in avoiding the dreaded Continental Cup Curse for the first week back at least. There are several small clouds on the horizon, however, in the injuries suffered by Neal Martin and Michael Tasker on the Saturday night. They were missing for Sunday's game at least, so it remains to be seen whether they'll be out for longer, and whether Martin's loss in paticular will affect the rhythm of the team. However, based purely on the results on the ice, four points and two professional performances gets them a...
Grade: B+

Edinburgh: The Caps fans must be wondering when this losing streak is going to end. Just the one game this weekend saw them lose five-two to the Blaze in a game during which they never really troubled the Midlands side. Doug Christiansen's men started the season with a lot of hope, but so far it hasn't even come close to being realised. Much more of this and there may be changes north of the border...
Grade: D-

Hull: Another rollercoaster weekend on Humberside saw the Stingrays split their home-and-away games with Manchester, although the loss on the Sunday was perhaps more important as it officially confimed the Rays' exit from the Challenge Cup, the home side prevailing 5-2 and gaining revenge for their 5-3 defeat in the league the previous night. Paul Cabana finally got some help in the scoring stakes from Jake Riddle and Rob Rankin, the three combining for five goals at home on the Saturday, but the defeat on Sunday shows there may still be some way to go before the Stingrays can breathe easier-they're not out of the woods yet after their nightmare recent run...
Grade: C+

Manchester: This team is nothing if not resilient. After losing 5-3 in Hull, the Phoenix simply came back out on Sunday in their own rink and quietly went about gaining revenge, which they duly did with a 5-2 scoreline in their favour, moving themselves a step closer to the Challenge Cup Finals in the process. Once again their goal difference came out positive despite the loss-the Angry Budgies forwards scoring eight goals over the weekend while their defence conceded only five. The Northerners are continuing to be a thorn in the side of the top teams, and as long as Joe Tallari continues to score and the defence continue to block shots, they look like being there or thereabouts...
Grade: B

Newcastle: From the sublime....to the slightly less sublime. The Vipers piled on the woe for Nottingham on Saturday with a somewhat surprising 4-1 win at the NIC as brawn prevailed over skill, before being outmuscled by the Devils on Sunday in their own rink, in a performance described variously as "disinterested", "lacklustre", and "very poor". The North Easterners dropped from second to third on this weekends results, and will be looking to bounce back next weekend after the Cardiff loss in order to continue their decent start to the season. Based on this weekend (with slightly extra weighting for tanking Nottingham in their own rink) they get
Grade: B

Nottingham: Oh, dear. The Panthers fans are really not happy. Shaky on defence and toothless in attack this weekend, the Big Cats were more like Little Kittens-with Robert Stancok and Rastislav Rovnianek in particular drawing the fans' ire. New signing Kevin Bergin has shown no sign so far of replicating last seasons' form in Basingstoke, and after only four games the Panthers faithful are already beginning to get on his back. Mike Ellis has said that there will be changes shortly and that players are effectively on their last chance this weekend-it remains to be seen whether this will put the claws back on the feet and sticks of the Panthers, however. Facing Coventry again, but this time in the NIC, is a game that's looking bigger and bigger, particularly with the impact it could have on both sides' Challenge Cup campaigns. However, a nightmare weekend for the Panthers means that this week they earn...
Grade: F

Sheffield: And finally, the Steelers, who will not be complaining at all after gaining a hard-fought four-point weekend, winning both their games by the same 3-2 scoreline. The Hallam Arena tenants will certainly be feeling the effects today after meetings with Cardiff and Basingstoke, both of who will fight like demons for the full sixty minutes and can beat any team on any day, no matter how highly-touted their forward line is. However, you only have to score one more than the opponents in order to win, and the Steelers managed that to perfection this weekend as their defence held firm long enough for the forwards to get the needed breakthrough at the other end. A good weekend for the perennial title hopefuls gains them the best grade of this week with a
Grade: A

Midweek action this week sees the struggling Edinburgh Capitals take on the stuttering Newcastle Vipers in a cross-border Battle of the North. Who will prevail-Doug Christiansen's Bravehearts or Rob Wilson's bruisers? I shall be watching this one closely...

More ramblings to come tomorrow-until then, keep your eye on the puck...

Playing Catch-Up...again.

Believe it or not it's actually been a fairly quiet Friday and first half of Saturday-as noted by the fact that for once I didn't have to make five posts in the space of twenty-four hours just in order to keep up with the speed of information coming out onto the Internet. However, several things of note have happened in both the EIHL and the EPL, so here's a brief summary before I take a few hours off to watch the rugby this evening (come on England!) :)...

Hiking for Hockey is called off: See this post (scroll to the bottom) for the original idea from Rick Strang. He's now called it off, however, saying in a statement on the Hockey Forum that it just wouldn't be right to do now that Basingstoke are safe. Which is his decision...When I find a text of the full statement to link to, I shall place it on here.

Thornton to Sweden?: The rumours around players leaving the Bison just won't die-the latest one going around sees Steve Thornton wanting away from the Bison, with Sweden being quoted as the destination. At the moment, the 34 year-old centre is staying put, but there will no doubt be a queue of EIHL teams looking to go after the skilful ex-Belfast and Cardiff forward should the slightest hint of his becoming available surface.

Changes at Romford: Moving down to the EPL, Norm Pinnington has moved from the Isle of Wight to Romford in one of a raft of player changes this week in Essex. Mark Williams is said to be on his way out due to the well-known personal animosity between the two big bruisers, and there is much discussion as to just exactly where the Raiders will go from here threading through the EPL forums.

Meanwhile, back in Basingstoke...The statement from the Taylors which I analysed in detail here has not gone down well amongst the Bison fans, with more questions than answers (some of which I mention in the analysis) being raised ahead of tonight's game against the Bison. While the immediate survival of the Bison is by all accounts assured, there is a fast-developing rift between the ownership and fans. David Taylor was interviewed last night on BBC Radio Berkshire, available here. It's an interesting listen if you're a Bison fan...

And across the pond...First NHL mention-mainly just to check on how my Pens are doing...especially after their 6-4 come-from-behind win against the Leafs last Saturday, they do Carolina 4-3 again last night...Things are looking good in Steeltown for us long-suffering (well, ever since I've been watching, anyway) Pens fans...:)

And finally, a bit of blatant self-promotion: This site has been up and running properly for a week, after a few months or so of preparation, working out of format, etc. When I set it up I expected maybe 150 hits in the first week. As of today, there've been nearly 600. I'm overjoyed that people are coming to read what, at the moment, is essentially the ramblings of one hockey fan, and I thank every single visitor. If you've got any ideas for features etc that I've missed out or have an idea for something that I can discuss in a blog post which I may not be touching on, then feel free to use the email link at the side of the page...and keep coming back, cause I shall keep trying to improve the coverage of British hockey now that I know there is clearly a fair few people out there who want to read it.

And, as always, keep your eye on the puck...

Press Statements are like buses...

You get none for weeks, and then two come along at once...

This post sees me mention the possible danger to the Bracknell Bees due to the finance issues in Basingstoke-the Taylors have obviously seen this mentioned on several forums and have moved quickly to soothe and reassure Bees fans with this statement. The key part of it for me is here...

The financially stability of the club is secure and rumours that suggest otherwise are unfounded. We wish to make it clear that the Bracknell Bees and Basingstoke Bison (apart from a brief period when the Bison were acquired), are being run entirely separately and again any talk to the contrary is inaccurate.

So there you go.

Problems settling? Not really...

In the midst of all the recent talk of events off the ice, it's perhaps a relief to some that the players who've already left the Bison finally played their first game with their new team this evening, and it appears they've had no great problems adjusting to their new circumstances-Peter Campbell had a dream debut against his former club and instantly endeared himself to the Bison faithful, being involved in four of the Giants' five goals (2 goals, two assists) while Stevie Lyle stopped 26 of 29 shots at the other end to earn the home side a five-three victory. The Bison certainly showed that, on the ice at least, they're determined to continue fighting, with Dan Green stopping 27 shots and Danny Stewart, Brad Cruikshank and player coach Ryan Aldridge replying for the Bison.

Now on to the weekend-with the return leg at the Silverdome this Saturday, the Bison will now be even more determined to get revenge in what is sure to be an emotion-charged event in Hampshire...

Bison Problems: The Taylors Hit Back

Well, it appears that something has finally stirred down south, and the Bison fans' constant calls for answers from the management have borne fruit. The Taylors have released a long statement through the forums which can be found in full here. However, if I were a Bison fan there would be several quotes in that statement which I'd be questioning...The Taylors' statement is quoted in italics from now on...

At this moment we are sitting 1 point off the bottom of the Elite league, if we lose to Belfast tonight we will be bottom, we have put together a high profile team with one of the highest wage bills in the league, we were the only Elite team to reveal our wage bill to the board at the July meeting, hence the comments from some of the teams via their websites and local press.

Fair enough. So far, so standard "put the blame on the players for not performing"

It goes on to what will be the meat of the statement for many Bison fans-the financial questions...

The position with regard to the long term viability of the club is as follows, we believe that professional Ice Hockey is viable from the Basingstoke Arena, we gave our assurances to the board last week and stand by those assurances, Sharon and I have been financially supporting the club to the tune of £6,000 per week together with a pre season investment of £10,000, the reason for the wage cut of £1,500 per week was to firstly secure the long term financial viability of the club and to bring down the costs to a manageable level for us as owners, which at the same time allow us to develop the product,

So on the one hand, "developing the product" meant signing an expensive, highly-skilled team, but on the other hand the wages now need to be cut in order that this "developing the product" didn't cost the owners more than they can afford? Notice also that there's no mention of them putting money into the Bees-are we talking about the Bison as a team here or are we talking about putting money into the company? The obvious question here is, how exactly is making the product poorer by losing two of its top players developing it?

we are currently working with 2 corporate agencies specialising in sports sponsorship with the outcome being realised during this season,

Fair enough. But why, if this is going on, was nothing said about it earlier when fans were questioning the lack of marketing? All you have to do is say "the Bison are working with XYZ plc in order to explore new avenues of sponsorship", and people go "fair enough". I freely admit that you can't release details of actual sponsors until the deal is done, but why not at least say something to this effect earlier, rather than waiting until matters well and truly come to a head and it can easily be read as "telling the people what they want to hear?" I know if it were my team in the same position, I'd be asking a question or two about just why the owners saw the need to pay two consultancy agencies in order to find sponsorship rather than simply having employees of the club go out and do it themselves-or indeed simply by inviting companies along to a game or two and saying "look, here's a market"

the second reason was due to the performance of the team in recent games, it doesn’t take a genius to work out that changes have to be made to the team to return us to winning ways and to do justice to the Basingstoke Bison name, the new wage level is just below the wage cap and will allow Ryan (Aldridge, the Bison coach) to get the team back on track.

Read the bit I've highlighted again. Is this the owners effectively admitting they've broken the wage cap and thus league rules? Not the smartest thing to do in a press release.

The article from Ryan was based upon his request that if he can raise x amount per week from various fund raising concepts can he be allowed to spend that directly on strengthening the squad, my answer was yes he can, hence his comments about the money going to him.

So, effectively they're now making it sound like the fans are being asked to pay even more for a better team and to replace the two imports, by the coach, because the owners are putting in all the money they can. It seems a strange way to run a hockey club (I am aware that the Blaze have done it before by getting a small group of fans to subsidise the wages of certain players, but never thought it would be done in public...

As the owners we have expressed our concerns to and have been met with agreement from Ryan that 3 wins from 11 games is unacceptable, Ryan and I met Monday evening to decide the best way forward, the first instance was to look at our current squad to identify where the problems was, the decision was taken to release Peter Campbell and allow him to accept the offer he received from Belfast last week (whilst under contract to Basingstoke) and look immediately to replace him with a new playing partner to Steve Thornton, the players met on Monday evening again to confirm their commitment to the club, Tuesday morning Ryan woke to Stevie Lyle packing his suitcase (they share a flat together to keep the costs down) Stevie requested his release so he too can accept the offer and contract again put onto the table to him by Belfast last week.

This smacks of something of a smear campaign against both Peter Campbell and Stevie Lyle, particularly the "coach waking to find his starting goalie packing a suitcase" line. If the players wanted to leave then fair enough, but there is no need to make them out to be some sort of villains of the piece. Presumably, also, it is a coincidence that the two players who decided to leave were two of the highest-paid, and that Belfast only made approaches to them AFTER the rumours of financial trouble in the Silverdome came out, even according to the article, which quotes "last week" as when the offers were made.

The statement then makes reference to "vicious and uncalled-for personal attacks" which has made the Taylors decide not to appear at any public event for fear of it being turned into a witch-hunt. This is a fair decision-although their attempt to take the moral high-ground is somewhat harmed by this next section, referring to the Bison fans discussions of the issue on forums...

much of it is complete rubbish mixed in with some extremely un pleasant personal attacks on me by a large number of supposed supporters of the team, because of the vicious nature of this comments we will not be entering into any off ice event which runs the risk of being turned into a witch hunt against Sharon and I.What is required now is for all the persons who clearly seem intent on driving us from the club to shut up, get off our backs and get behind the team, we are in much better position financially now than we were at the start of the season and fully intend to build upon our current league position.

So, you're basically telling the people you need to get on your side to "shut up, stop behaving like idiots and sit down, children"-the language used is guaranteed to inflame the situation rather than calm it. No-one in any of the forums that I've read (THF and the Elite Forum) has openly made threats against the owners-a few have strongly expressed their dis-satisfaction but there is certainly no movement to "drive the Taylors from the club"

Finally...

Ryan was informed once our Accountants were able to confirm our exact income and outgoings we informed Ryan of the trading position, who in turn appraised the players hence the calls from some players to other clubs to possibly line up other options, with hindsight this may not have been the best course to take.I have raised the fact that 3 clubs have made offers to a couple of our players whilst they remain under contract to Basingstoke with the Elite League Board, we do not hold the players responsible for that but we are very disappointed with the clubs for not only negotiating with the players involved but also making offers to them, at the end of the day the players must do what they feel is best for them and their families.

Paraphrased as "we told the players what was going on, they did what they thought best, but our Elite League rivals behaved unfairly". How on the one hand can you not hold the players responsible for telling other clubs they could be available, but then criticise them for making offers? Either you criticise both or neither...

I have a feeling that this debate has some way to run yet, somehow-it will be interesting to see what effect this statement (even if it is somewhat contradictory and can be reads as covering of backs/blame-shifting in parts) will have on the situation. I shall keep monitoring things from up here in Coventry...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Round the Rinks 18th October: Weekend Preview

So, we're back for another weekend of EIHL hockey, which starts early as Bison face Giants at the Odyssey this evening. Let's get straight on with the team-by-team weekend preview...

Basingstoke commence a weekend of three games in four days as they face Belfast at the Odyssey tonight (Thursday), before playing the return leg at the Silverdome on Saturday and Sheffield away on Sunday. The Bison will have been rocked by the loss of their number-one centre and starting goalie, but will no doubt put up a rare old fight, particularly with Ryan Aldridge due to resume playing duties in his usual combative style on the third line.



Belfast, meanwhile, will have new signings Peter Campbell and Stevie Lyle in their line-up against their former team, joined by the returning Shane Johnson. It remains to be seen how Campbell will slot in, although it is likely he will move straight into the number one centre slot with Scott Cameron the latest Giant to be injured, a broken foot ruling him out for four to six weeks. Lyle replaces Phillippe deRouville as mentioned in the "Locker-Room Chatter" threads, although the carousel hasn't stopped moving at the Odyssey with Ryan Smith leaving in order to play in Germany this week, which means the Giants effectively have lost no import slots despite signing two this week (Shane Johnson being the other). With Roman Gavalier and Trevor Johnson also on the sidelines, the Giants look light on d despite S. Johnson's reinforcing of the blue-line corps, but strong on firepower with their seven import forwards (Campbell, Dutiaume, Awada, Courtenay, Cameron, Lewis, Sutter). However, with only one ITC card available from now until the end of the season, the Odyssey crowd will have to pray that this is their injury crisis for the year...



Cardiff face a tough pair of games, facing Sheffield away on the Saturday and Newcastle at home on the Sunday. The Devils will be looking to continue their recent good form against two of the high-flying teams in the league, and will see this weekend as a way to send a message to the rest of the EIHL that they intend to be back challenging for honours very shortly. Beating the second- and third-placed teams in the table consecutively over the weekend will go a long way to showing that...



Coventry come back from Continental Cup action this weekend with two tough games, away against Edinburgh, who are always tricky at Murrayfield, followed by Nottingham at home on the Sunday. With Trevor Koenig having rested after apparently carrying a slight groin injury all season, and Blaze on a high after their exploits against Salzburg, they will be hoping to continue their EIHL winning streak which has seen them only lose a couple of games so far this season. But will the dreaded Conti Cup Curse strike again? Having been victims of it twice in the past three seasons, Nottingham will certainly be hoping so...



Edinburgh, on the other hand, have the opposite problem. After losing the last eight games on the bounce, the Capitals are anchored to the bottom of the league, despite high hopes for the team this season. They only have one game this weekend, against the Blaze, before facing the Vipers away from home on Wednesday. Having run the Blaze close last season and again at the Skydome in this one, they'll certainly be a threat on their own ice this Saturday.



Hull, like Basingstoke and Cardiff, only face the one opponent this weekend in a double-header, but it's tough one in the Manchester Phoenix, with the two teams meeting in Humberside on Saturday and in Altrincham on the Sunday. After their nightmare weekend last weekend, and with new Austrian signing Gerhard Gottfried in the line-up and looking to impress on a four-week contract, the Stingrays will be hoping to rebound from their nightmare last weekend, but the Phoenix, particularly in their current state of full-strength and flying high, will not make it easy. One further question mark on the horizon is the fitness of talismanic goalie Ladislav Kudrna, injured against Belfast last week-every single hockey fan on Humberside will be hoping he's back and ready to go for this tough weekend.



Manchester, meanwhile, have no such injury worries as they prepare for the visit of the Stingrays. With Brian Passmore and evergreen Phoenix player-coach Tony Hand laying chances on a plate almost at will, and Sean Starke and Joe Tallari on the other end putting them away for fun, these are fun times if you're a fan of the Angry Budgies. Their defence will be looking to perform in their usual stingy fashion (restricting Sheffield's high-powered attack to 17 shots in 60 minutes, as they did last weekend, is no mean feat), and will relish the physical battle with Hull's abrasive forwards, Jake Riddle and Brad Patterson chief among them.

Newcastle, as mentioned above, face the Devils at the MRA on the Sunday, but will not be looking forward to it after what will be a testing game away at Nottingham on the Saturday. This will truly be a meeting of two opposing styles as the Vipers' physical and gritty approach meets the free-flowing and speedy game preferred by the Panthers-with the Geordies hoping that their style will throw the Panthers fast-skating and skilful forwards off their game long enough to perfect a smash-and-grab raid on the NIC. Sunday will be more of a clash of equals, as both Cardiff and Newcastle will look to win the physical battles and wear the other side down. It'll certainly be interesting for the Vipers fans to watch on both nights as Newcastle look to consolidate second place...

Nottingham are something of an enigma. Firepower to burn hasn't really been matched by defensive efforts this season, as once again the Panthers have underachieved up until now. This weekend will really test their mettle as they face the first and second-placed teams in the league in the same weekend, with a hard physical battle (as mentioned above) in prospect against the Vipers on the Saturday followed by the EIHL's game of the weekend on the Sunday, as they meet Coventry at the Skydome in a game I've been looking forward to for weeks. There is no question that there will be goals in this game with the offensive talent on show, and the "purists" among us will be salivating at the prospect of a fast-moving, open hockey game dominated by skill and fast passing. The question is, which offence will come out on top in the battle of the Elite League sharpshooters?

Sheffield: Last but not least, the Steelers, who face Cardiff in South Wales on Saturday before playing Basingstoke at home on Sunday. The Steelers will no doubt be hoping to take advantage of a tiring Bison side for two points on Sunday, but will be a little nervous at the prospect of an improving Devils side in their own rink on the Saturday, in a game which could bring their winning run to a screeching halt. With confidence high in the Sheffield camp and the team at full strength for only the second weekend since the beginning of the season, coupled with confidence from the hard-fought derby win at Nottingham last weekend, however, it would take a Herculean effort from the Devils to stop the winning run continuing...

So, the fixtures, then (Elite League fixtures unless stated)

Thursday
Belfast v Basingstoke

Saturday

Nottingham v Newcastle

Hull v Manchester

Edinburgh v Coventry

Basingstoke v Belfast

Cardiff v Sheffield

Sunday

Manchester v Hull (Challenge Cup)

Newcastle v Cardiff

Sheffield v Basingstoke

Coventry v Nottingham

Let's play hockey...:D

And remember, don't forget to read about more Bison news below, and keep your eye on the puck....

More Bison news, player rumours and a great idea.

Well, things are moving fast in Basingstoke-and not just for the Bison-I've received several messages from email and on the forums telling me that there could be more than one club affected by this-details below...

The Bison cat is now right out of the bag, with coach Ryan Aldridge officially appealing to the Bison fans to help fundraise via the official website, on this page. This has given rise to almost an atmosphere of relief around the forums, with Bison fans beginning to band together and fans from around the league offering to help out through bucket collections etc, starting at the Odyssey tonight when the Bison play Belfast Giants.

Worryingly for British hockey as a whole, the company that runs the Bison is inextricably tied to the EPL's Bracknell Bees also, as the company nominally running both clubs (Berkshire Sports Management) is that set up by the Taylors in order to run the two teams as separate entities but under the same company umbrella and owners, if that makes sense-thus leading to the one simple point, known to any economics student, that should the company over-commit itself financially in one area, it will inevitably affect the other. In simple terms, if the unthinkable happens and the Bison go down because of the company being insolvent, then the Bees could go with them through no fault of their own. I should stress that there are no rumours of the Bees being in any trouble whatsoever around at the moment, and that this is, at the moment, nothing more than theoretical. However, anyone who is thinking "Bison aren't in my league-I support an EPL team, so this doesn't affect me directly" is wrong. Obviously, as shown by the numerous offers of support by fans of teams in all leagues across the country which have come flooding in on the forums, this is not a widely-held view-however, it's worth considering.

Meanwhile, in player movement, it appears, hearing from locals through email, that the Bison are looking to sign an import nettie in order to replace Stevie Lyle (possibly even Phillipe deRouville), with a British forward stepping up to fill Peter Campbell's spot, possibly from the Bees. Favourites for this role locally are Tom Carlon (EIHL experience with Coventry), Shaun Thompson (ex-Bison) and Ryan Watt (who I believe was a Basingstoke junior, and is travelling with the team to Belfast). As you can imagine, this will likely not make the Bees fans happy, particularly if they are used as nothing more than a farm team for the Taylors' EIHL franchise.

Now onto the good news: things are already happening in order to help the Bison out, as well as promote ice hockey in this country. Earlier today, Rick Strang, who was instrumental in the London Racers organisation before they folded and is well known around the forums and rinks of the UK, posted this on The Hockey Forum:

I think we all need a bit of a lift so, inspired by Simmsy (Dave Simms, Sheffield's PR manager), how's this for an idea ...I'll walk in full hockey kit from centre ice at the House of Steel after
the Sheffield Edinburgh game (24/11) all the way to Basingstoke's centre ice for the game against Sheffield (9/12).I make that about 200 miles in two weeks.Along the way I'll tell every single person I bump into to go to their local rink and go to a hockey game. I'll advertise the sport at every step. I'll do a blog and contact media outlets en route.If 100 people post on this thread pledging their support and sponsorship for this walk then I'll do it.I should stand out in full hockey gear and hopefully with all of our media connections on here we'll get some attention.If anyone can think of a good strap line (walking for hockey?) that'd be cool.Just an idea but I bet I could raise the profile of the sport and
raise a few bob for the Bison on the way. Anyone willing to help would be welcome. I may need some floors to sleep on en route to keep the hotel bills
down!Of course - 100 of you need to show your support first so I may yet get myself off the hook.Hockey community? Hmmm ... let's see.

A truly insane thing to do-but it just might work...as well as being an EXCELLENT way to get some much-needed media coverage...At the moment this looks like happening, but just to make sure-if you haven't already done so get on either the Hockey Forum or your local teams' forum in order to rally support for this-and show how big the hockey community in the UK really is...

Bison Problems Begin to Surface: Campbell and Lyle leave

Remember this post yesterday, and this one last week? It appears that all the rumblings about the Bison problems are true-BelfasatGiants have officially announced today that sniper Peter Campbell and starting goalie Stevie Lyle have left the Basingstoke Bison and signed for them, and all hell has broken loose on the forums around the EIHL.



Personally I feel a bit confused by this-both the destination of the two players and the fact that there are indeed problems at the Bison in the first place. Firstly, the pressing issue-the problems at the Bison: As I mentioned last week, Bison are traditionally a well-run club, and although not having the biggest crowds in the league are one of the best-supported-you can always guarantee that their rink will be pretty full when you travel down there, especially for the Saturday night games. As recently as two weeks ago, owner David Taylor released a statement via the official website in response to the original story in the South Wales Echo, in which he was quoted as saying:



"Nothing has changed full-stop, financially or team-wise. Our team remains the same, we are still 100 per cent behind our Coach Ryan Aldridge in bringing success to Basingstoke in the Elite League. It's a shame these sort of rumours are allowed to be bounded around."



This was then followed up by the Elite League meeting this month being told that Bison would be around until at least the end of the season in their current form, again, allegedly by Mr Taylor himself.



Do they sound like the words of an owner whose team is losing (allegedly) two thousand pounds a week? Not to me they don't...and many Bison fans were reassured by this. However, two weeks down the line this argument is blown out of the water by his team releasing two of its highest-paid players, who immediately sign for another EIHL team, which says to me that either the club owners have been aware of this and monitoring the situation closely, or that the players are unsettled and have actively been looking for new jobs, in which case there is nothing to say that we won't see more players leave the Bison in the near future. Either way, it doesn't look good for either Bison or, by extension, the other teams in the league-not so much because of the money problems themselves (those, we can at least hope, are isolated in Hampshire and easily solvable) but because the clubs actively sought to keep this quiet and keep taking money from a very loyal and long-standing fanbase who, as has been shown by their reaction, will do anything to help save the hockey team they love.



The problem with this situation is that it's followed the classic path taken by Ayr, Manchester and the London Racers when they folded-unfounded rumours which were then denied by the club and indeed the league right up to the point where players were suddenly leaving and an entire fan-base were going "oh, s...., we've got problems here". Why do owners seemingly not learn from other mistakes?



This couldn't have come at a worse time, with the Elite League making inroads into mainstream media with the Sky coverage, awareness of British hockey being helped no end by the NHL games which took place in late September in London, and a league which has reached its most competitive since being founded four years ago.

Like me, every British hockey fan is looking at the events in Basingstoke thinking "there but for the grace of God goes my team", and it's not a pleasant feeling for any of us...

Needless to say, the Breakaway's best wishes go out to the Bison, along with an offer to help publicise any fund-raising efforts...

Tomorrow comes Round the Rinks, where we'll assess what impact these changes will have on both the Bison and the Giants as far as the matches this weekend go, so check back then-especially as the Giants play Cardiff with both Lyle and Campbell slated to make their debuts tomorrow night...

Bison fans especially, I hope you'll keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Locker Room Chatter Update: They've had Tait-could Lyle be next?

Those Basingstoke money rumours just won't go away. Now it seems that Stevie Lyle is on his way, if you believe the chat on forums. People just can't seem to agree on where he's ending up though-in this post I mention the rumour that he's Emerald-Isle bound to play for the Giants, but now Nottingham have thrown their hat into the ring, according to this thread on the Cage Forum, with the two sides being involved in a bidding war for his services. Meanwhile, the latest to come from the Bison rumour mill is that the club needs to chop two thousand pounds or two players from the weekly wage-bill in order to ensure their future, with Lyle being one to go and Peter Campbell the other.

This is a strange one for me-only a few weeks ago, the Panthers re-signed Rastislav Rovnianek as their starter, and have given no indication that they're particularly unhappy with his performances. Now, anyone who's seen "Rasto" play will admit that at times he can be a little, shall we say, unconventional, but unlike Phillipe deRouville in Belfast, he hasn't been letting in goals left right and centre, and thus is somewhat less likely to be cut based on his performance. About the only reason I can see for this one is that it'll free up an import spot for the Big Cats to either add more firepower (although this seems a bit greedy given that they've got three of the top forwards in the league in McAslan, Molin and Drouin, and that's just the top line-Bergin and Wallenberg on the second are no slouches either), or, more likely, bring in a steadying hand at the back, where their d does look somewhat light compared to, say, Newcastle's.

As far as other rumours go, there's nothing happening-rumbles continue to float around about changes at Belfast, but so far only Shane Johnson has resolved things, joining the Giants in time to be in the line-up tomorrow when they face the Bison. It will be interesting to see if Lyle and Campbell play, and if they do, whether they give any clues as to what's going on. Certainly the Bison fans want answers...

Meanwhile-I shall be trying to make this site more user-friendly in terms of being able to see when it's been updated, so you may notice the odd layout change or a few tweaks in the sidebars...

Still-Keep your eye on the puck...

Incoming! Devils sign new centre.

Well, Steve Thornton is still a Bison for now. The Devils say they're still hunting for a forward, despite signing one this morning who, according to the South Wales Echo, will be making his debut on the weekend of the 27th-28th October. Mike Prpich is 25, and has played one professional season so far with the New Mexico Scorpions of the Central Hockey League (before you think that that's a bit lowly, remember that Adam Calder came from that league, Blaze fans). The 6', 180lb winger didn't do too badly, either, scoring 23 goals and 22 assists for an average of nearly a point a game, before scoring 14 goals in 16 games in the Scorpion's playoff run. However, it appears that the Devils are not yet finished, with the article ending...
The Devils continue to actively pursue other suitable options to help improve their offensive firepower. However, rushing in to sign just any player is not an option, says Adams. “If it takes an extra week or two to find the right guy then that’s what it takes.”
Sounds like Prpich may not be the last new face in the "big blue tent"...

Help! Calling all EPL fans...

A quick non-hockey post here-I've just been looking at where visitors come from to this site, and noticed there's a fair few from areas near EIHL teams, but also a sizeable number who, going by location alone, could equally be EPL and SNL fans. Now, given that this is supposed to be a British hockey blog rather than just an EIHL one, I'm very conscious that I need more than just Elite League news on here-but I'm not hugely au fait with the goings on in those leagues-and thus I reckon I may need help. If you'd be willing to volunteer to write maybe one or two posts a week giving a round-up of the EPL news, views and and other league action, or you've got any suggestions in general for the blog and features to include in it (or you just fancy a rant) then The Breakaway now has its own dedicated email address at:



breakawayblog@hotmail.co.uk



The name in the replies will be "The Breakaway Staff" but at the moment, that's just me, so you can guarantee it'll be me replying, for now at least. If it takes off, I might even do a weekly "Chirping" feature where I pick some of the emails and reply to them-that way this thing becomes more interactive, and hopefully, combined with the EPL reports, this blog can appeal to more than just a section of the British hockey fan-base...



In the meantime, I will try to get more EPL mentions in here...



Keep your eye on the puck...

Locker Room Chatter Extra: Bison release two?

Just goes to show how much I know. Trawling the forums today in search of news, I find out the following:

Shane Johnson signs for Belfast: Not really the most surprising move in the world, given that he wasn't in Cardiff long term (although, as I say below, that was looking more and more likely), but still seems like the equivalent of a sticking plaster on the hull of the Titanic for the problems it'll solve.
No doubt Todd Kelman will use his usual PR skills to spin this signing, which, if we extent the Titanic metaphor, will be the equivalent of the captain saying to his crew: "yes, the ship's damaged, yes, we're going down because we can't fix it, and yes, you'll all die a horrible freezing death. But look-at least you won't have to refill the ice-machines!"
Not to say that this puts the Tessier rumour to bed just yet, but it's looking a sight less likely...

Basingstoke in trouble: Depressing rumours from Hampshire say that they've released goalie Stevie Lyle and top goalscorer Peter Campbell, according to the Elite Forum. At the moment this is still very much "friend of a friend" stuff, which unlike the Johnson signing isn't confirmed by the club, but coming hard on the heels of more and more questions from Bison fans, this could be an uncertain time at the Silverdome. Campbell and Lyle are reportedly both on their way to Belfast, who have been linked with more new men than Lindsay Lohan recently. It makes slightly more sense now given that Shane Johnson could fill in on their blue-line, but still is confusing given that it would still leave Troy Neumeier as a big part of the defence, despite most fans in the league seeing him as an absolute cart-horse of a player. Although carthorses are probably quicker.

Cardiff to sign new centre shortly: Surely, surely it can't be Steve Thornton? If it is then that will be confirmation that there is indeed something seriously wrong down south, but bearing in mind that ECHL and European teams release players almost every day, the chances of it actually being Thornton are just as good as any other...the South Wales Echo says
"The Devils know the player they want on their first line and (Gerard) Adams is ready to step up negotiations.It has been a tough start to the new season for Cardiff, but those hard-earned back-to-back wins against Basingstoke Bison last weekend have lifted the team."

With Shane Johnson moving to Belfast and Sylvain Deschatelets now gone, there's room for two new faces at the Bay-interesting times ahead.

And one I missed from the post below:

Rod Hinks to return to Newcastle: Interesting one, this-once again it's nothing more than "friend of a friend" stuff-although the source quoted on the forums is the player himself, who said to a Vipers fan in conversation that he would be returning "sooner than you think" after leaving the Vipers to play in Switzerland. The Vipers fans are well pleased about this, with Sergei Rublivskiy reportedly the man on the hot seat should the speedy playmaker, who carried the Vipers offence on his back at times last season, comeback to the North East.

I shall be keeping an eye on how things develop, and of course, will post it straight on here when anything does...

Keep your eye on the puck...

Locker Room Chatter

It's time for the weekly dose of rumours, as I've trawled Britain's hockey forums so you don't have to, in order to find the mix of the plausible, the possible and the just plain wacky which make up your average week of rumours in the EIHL...we start with the big one...

Dan Tessier to Belfast: You can't deny that everyone who watches their hockey at the Odyssey will be licking their lips at this one-the speedy centre has already proved himself as one of the most prolific scorers of the Elite League era in his stints at Nottingham and Sheffield, and with his ex-Steeler linemate Shaun Sutter already in teal, white and red, the fans screaming for changes, and a less-than-stellar start in Duisburg for the DEL Foxes after his move there this season, "Tess" would certainly be a HUGE boost to the Giants. However. with EIHL teams only allowed to use 15 ITC cards (cards which must be filled in whenever a player moves club internationally) through the season, of which eleven are already used including that of Todd Kelman, and the fact that Giants are at their full quota of imports already (only ten are allowed to ice at any one time), it would mean one of the current imports has to go...and if you listen to the Giants fans, there are many candidates. Trouble is, this would leave the Giants with eight import forwards-at the moment Mark Dutiaume is playing as an offensive defenceman (and doing well, by all accounts), but would Ed Courtenay really gamble on playing him there for a whole season? This is definitely one to keep an eye on...

Speaking of rumours I will keep an eye on-this one for a slightly different reason:

Stevie Lyle to Belfast: I hope this doesn't happen. Not so much because I bear Belfast any particular ill-will, but because it would give substance to the rumours I dealt with last week about financial problems down in Basingstoke. On the surface this is plausible in itself-Phillippe deRouville hasn't made the greatest start to the season after his heroics in the playoffs last time out, and Lyle is the best British goalie out there by some distance now that Joe Watkins is languishing in the EPL and taking Guildford's shilling-not to mention that it would free up the import space needed for the Giants to sign Dan Tessier without Ed Courtenay having to cut one of the current Belfast forwards. However, with everything coming out of Basingstoke pointing to the fact that the Bison will not lose any players and will continue the way they're going, I can't genuinely see this one happening.

Steve Thornton to Cardiff: Another case of an ex-player being linked to the club where he had most success due to the Bison cash rumours, this seems to me more wishful thinking based on hearsay than anything concrete, particularly with the Bison adamant that there is nothing for their fans to worry about. This is not the only rumour involving an ex-Devil, however...

Sylvain Deschatelets to Belfast: Possibly the most plausible of the lot so far. The Quebec native hasn't set the league on fire, and the Devils have decided that they're not prepared to wait and given him his two-week notice, which ended on Sunday, making the big centre a free agent. However, Deschatelets has impressed recently for the Devils with both his attitude and his work-ethic, and has been seen in conversation with Belfast coach Courtenay when the two have met on opposing sides. Much will depend on how true the Dan Tessier rumour is as to whether this goes ahead, but it's not the most far-fetched rumour by any means...

Shane Johnson to Cardiff: Shane Johnson can't make his mind up. After leaving Belfast for Sheffield last season, retiring from the EIHL to return to Belfast as player-coach their newly-formed Irish League side, and then deciding that he missed the EIHL too much and acting as a rent-a-player for Sheffield while Jeff Legue was injured, the utility player is now filling in on the blue-line for the Devils. Originally signed as a temporary measure, Johnson has impressed in his time in South Wales, and with the Devils missing out on David Vychodil (signed here in Coventry, and fast becoming a fan favourite) and ex-Bison Kevin Bergin (signed in Nottingham), there are rumblings they may be asking the #74 to stay on for the rest of the season to bolster their blue-line. But given that Johnson has moved house more often than your average hermit crab, this is by no means a done deal just yet.

And so there we have the locker-room chatter for this week. Interestingly, it involves the two clubs who've been the most disappointing this season so far, and both of them picking the bones of one in supposed financial trouble. Personally, I'm not sure that any of them will come off (with the possible exception of Deschatelets or, at a long shot, Tessier) but hey, it's always nice to speculate...

Keep your eye on the puck until next time...