Playoff Double Overtime and more Frankenstein-ness...

In some sports, .500 is considered truly great-it's still better than Hull's record...Two out of four in my playoff predictions isn't too bad, even if one of them is a "safe" pick in putting Coventry through. What did stand out this weekend, looking at the scores, is just how close 1st to 8th in the league were, with three quarter-finals being settled by a single aggregate goal (Newcastle v Belfast only by a penalty shootout) and Coventry going through against Edinburgh by virtue of two single-goal wins, including one in an absolutely storming game at the Skydome last night which was well worthy of the occasion.
Notable facts from the weekend...

This will be only the second playoff finals at the NIC at which the Panthers will not appear, thanks to their loss to the Cardiff Devils.
Cardiff are now the only team to have made every single EIHL playoff weekend.
Edinburgh, Hull and Basingstoke are still the only three teams never to have made an EIHL final weekend, although Hull are the only team never to have made even the quarter finals.
Jason Stone, Neil Francis, Gerard Adams and Dion Darling are the only four players to have made every EIHL playoff weekend-Stone and Francis with the Devils and Adams and Darling with the Devils and Steelers.

Moment of the weekend from the games that I saw was a full-on war of a fight between Adam Calder and Martin Cingel, with the Capital landing the first punch but Calder throwing a few absolute bombs to win the scrap.

So, the playoff semis are set...Coventry face Newcastle and Sheffield face Cardiff-a full preview of the weekend will of course follow later in the week, but at the moment, and based on their respective records this season, could you pick a winner from that bunch?

Frankenhockey II: Nettie's Revenge: After my playing Frankenstein with the EIHL on Friday, Adam in Manchester (he of the epic statistical analysis of my points system and a regular correspondent) asked me two questions-the first one being why I hadn't picked Brett Clouthier as the frame to put everything in rather than Brad Cruikshank. This was one of those moments where you read it and go "oh, (insert rude word here), how did I miss him?"-I'm thus taking a mulligan on the body and transplanting all the abilities from Cruikshank to Clouthier-just because it's my blog and I can. However, since I'm a big fan of the Basingstoke captain's gritty style of play, I'm still trying to work out a way to get him in there somewhere-if there was a "second Frankenhockey team", then a part of him would be on it as backup to the monster we've already created...
The second question Adam asks is "where's the Frankengoalie?" which is such a great idea I've just got to do it now...the criteria will be slightly different and perhaps much more subjective, but so be it...meet the most terrifying thing that ever graced a goalie crease (with the possible exception of Jody Lehman's Fanta-orange pads of a season ago)...

Mask: And so we begin with the most subjective (and purely visual) part-the helmet. This year has been a bit of a poor one for paint-related hi-jinks, with several goalies going with the boring "plain-white". However, there's still been a few gaudy masks out there-in the end it comes down to a straight choice between the big-cat themes of Phil Osaer and Curtis Cruickshank and the sentimental family-ness of Tom Askey. Given that the Devils goalie has somehow managed to combine a leaping panther, a US road sign and palm-trees on his mask and not have it turn into a complete disaster, he should win...although I have a personal preference for Askey's just because I'm amazed that someone would consider painting a picture of your family on something which regularly has objects fired at it at great speed a demonstration of your love for them. But fair play to him nevertheless for doing something a little different...

Head: This is a curious one, as all goalies in the EIHL have at times this season appeared to have been rattled by players either scoring on them or having the odd dig. If Trevor Koenig didn't react like a hysterical mourner at an Arab funeral every time someone made the slightest contact with him, then perhaps he'd lead this one simply through consistency. However, we take Askey's head to fit inside his own mask simply for the way his calmness at the back after the histrionics of Rastislav Rovnianek earlier in the season has had such an effect on the Panthers defence.

Glove: If Jody Lehman could stop anything fired above his waist on the glove-side, then maybe he'd take this one. Since he appears to have a problem doing that, though...this one goes to Phil Osaer, although Askey, Koenig and Ryan MacDonald all run him close...

Pads: Tricky one, this, as every EIHL goalie can give up some horrific rebounds-Scott Fankhouser in particular stood out early in the season as every pad save he made at the Skydome seemed to go straight back out in front and miss a Blaze forward's stick by inches-although he's improved as the season's gone on and it's become less noticeable. Trevor Koenig seems to be pretty adept at getting a pad on a shot without it ricocheting straight back out in front, as does Tom Askey, but the Vipers take this one-if he's on his game Ryan Macdonald seems to almost will his pads onto the puck, and can drop ridiculously quickly to shut his five-hole when needed. The main problem for the Vipers is that, too often, his head seems to wander.

Blocker: It's the usual suspects again-Askey, Koenig, MacDonald, Osaer, Cruickshank. If I had to pick this one it would probably be Koenig, but the EIHL is all much of a muchness on the stick-side, so any one of those five could get in there...

Stick: Puck-moving wise, it's either Koenig or Lehman...I would probably take Jody over Trevor simply because he's scored in the EIHL

Disclaimer: I freely admit that, when it comes to goalies, I'm not the greatest in assessing ability, although I do have the theory that Ryan MacDonald could be a superb goalie in this league now he's had a season...

That's your review for Monday...tomorrow we'll round up the rumours already flying around the league and perhaps have some more Frankenfun...keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Playoff Round the Rinks and More...

Today we preview the remaining three playoff matchups (Sheffield v Manchester was previewed yesterday) and unleash our inner Mary Shelley as we build the ultimate EIHL player...

Playoff Preview: And so here we go, beginning with the England v Scotland battle that nearly didn't happen...for a preview of the Sheffield/Manchester quarter-final starting tonight, see yesterdays post...

Edinburgh v Coventry
Key players: Colin Hemingway (Edinburgh), JF Perras (Edinburgh) and Dan Carlson (Coventry): If the Capitals are to pull off a shock, every player needs to be on top of their game, but none more so than their talismanic top scorer and their starting goalie. Perras will face a lot of rubber over the two days, Hemingway will not get many chances, and both need to take their chances to shine when they come, whether it be that vital save that could change the tie or that one half-chance which could win it. Meanwhile, Dan Carlson needs to supply the ammunition for the Blaze scorers against a team who will be only too aware of his creative ability and will send out players like Adam Stefishen attempting to check him into next week every time he gets the puck...

Key to the game: Winning the 50/50 pucks. This is a game that pits two fast-skating teams against each other in a fast-paced, intense battle where no player will want to give any quarter and neither team (particularly the Caps) has anything to lose by attempting to go out and win the game rather than sitting back-with the battle for every loose puck a dogfight in itself, the team that holds possession for longer will be able to control the game and dictate the pace and flow-a crucial advantage in hockey

Verdict: Over two legs, I think the Blaze will just about prevail, but don't rule Edinburgh out-the Scots deserve to be in the playoffs and, with all the pressure on their opponents, can go out and play without fear both in front of their partisan Murrayfield crowd and on the trip down south the following day.

Cardiff v Nottingham
Key players: Brad Voth (Cardiff) and Sean McAslan (Nottingham): These two will see a lot of other this weekend as the teams they captain do battle, as the Panthers' top scorer and the Devils' chief physical threat each attempt to impose their style of play on the other. When he's in the mood Voth is possibly the most effective power-forward in British hockey, and can force players out of the game with his physical presence. McAslan, meanwhile, can win games by himself thanks to his lethal goalscoring ability, and is the player who sets the tone for the Panthers' attack.

Key to the game: The goalies. Both Tom Askey and Phil Osaer are game-winners in their own right when on form, and with both teams being about equal in ability when all players are present, they'll both be facing high-powered attacks with several of the top forwards in the league-the one that blinks first will lose.

Verdict: Panthers to nick this one and go through to defend their title on home ice...

Belfast v Newcastle
Key players: Peter Campbell (Belfast) and Derek Campbell (Newcastle); Two players with the same surname, but different styles of play. Peter is the Giants' top goalscorer and sniper who is at home firing lightning one-timers past goalies, Derek is more likely to throw a hit and force a d-man to cough up the puck for someone else to put away or bang home a rebound from six inches at the third attempt, while being cross-checked in the back by a defenceman. However, they're both vitally important to their respective teams style of play, and in a matchup which will be 120 minutes of all-out physical war they'll need to use their strengths to the full to give their sides a chance of prevailing...

Key to the game: Winning the physical battle. Both teams have players who don't exactly shy away from the rough stuff, and with playoff hockey racking up the ante even further, hits, sticks and elbows are sure to be flying every time the puck goes into a corner or someone sets up in front of the net. Whichever team shies away from this will give their opponents a crucial advantage both psychologically and in terms of scoring chances...

Verdict: I reckon the Vipers will prevail in this one, as long as they keep their heads and don't give Belfast any free powerplays, which will give the Northern Irish side a chance to unleash their attacking talent.

Both the Edinburgh/Coventry and Belfast/Newcastle games are being webcast from Murrayfield and the Odyssey respectively on Saturday night-details are available on the Giants and Capitals websites...

Now we depart from the playoffs briefly....

Frankenhockey!: Perhaps this is a topic more suited for Halloween, but I saw a version of it on another site (although done for the NHL) and thought it was simply too good to waste. What we do is imagine you can split each player in the EIHL into parts, and then we put them together, Frankenstein style, to create the ultimate EIHL player. Be warned-he could be an ugly beast...


Legs: Neal Martin (Coventry): The sweetest skater in the league, bar none. It's been said many times that he goes faster backwards than many EIHL players go forwards, with good reason. "Effortless" isn't adequate enough to describe just how easy he makes travelling where he needs to go look-it's more like he simply teleports himself from one end of the rink to the other...


Hands: Dan Tessier (Sheffield): Love him or hate him, the little Steeler can pass through the eye of a needle when the mood takes him. And hit a team-mate's tape in full stride every time. You may hear Blaze fans say Dan Carlson is a better passer, but it's not for nothing that the Blaze were one of many teams that went after him in January, with only wage demands getting in the way of a move to the Midlands...


Wrists: Curtis Huppe (Coventry): Snap, crackle, goal. There are many players with great wristshots in the league, but Huppe has made a livelihood out of his ever since he came to Britain. Barrie Moore runs him very close, as does Ashley Tait, but there's a reason I used to panic whenever I saw the puck heading for a lurking Huppe in front of the Blaze's goal...Now, you see the Skydome rise in anticipation when he receives a pass in front of the net...


Eyes: Dan Carlson (Coventry)/Tony Hand (Manchester) (tie): Tessier may make the flashy passes, but these two see the killer pass even before their intended receiver does, and are still calm enough to put it right on the tape, every single time...


Mouth: Ryan Finnerty (Sheffield): Yap, yap, yap. When the Canadian centre in the teal and orange is on his game, there are no better wind-up merchants in the league, except perhaps Danny Stewart (Coventry version). Playing the game with equal parts nastiness and signalling victory in the psychological war with a wolfish grin or two, he's one of those players who's an absolute nightmare to play against, but a dream to play with...


Arms and shoulders: Tyson Teplitsky (Cardiff): For every wrist-shot, you need a slapshot, and the Devil wearing #18 has an absolute beauty stored in his shoulders. Generally viewed as one of the best offensive d-men in the league (were it not for Neal Martin, he'd probably be the best alongside Corey Neilson)-if he catches a shot just right, then just pray it doesn't hit you, cause you ain't getting out of the way in time...


Head: Luke Stauffacher (Manchester)/Danny Stewart (Coventry) (tie): If you could put pure intensity into human form, than it would probably play like these two the moment it stepped onto a ice-rink. They're both among the smallest in the league (Stewart is 5'9 and 175lbs, Stauffacher even smaller at 5'8 and 168lbs) but if there's dirty work to be done, these two will be the first steaming into harms way as fast as they can go. Both of them have a pretty mean scoring touch when called upon, as well...


Heart: Brad Voth (Cardiff)/Sylvain Cloutier (Coventry) (tie): Both of these players are poster boys for just how a captain should be-they lead by example, back-up their team-mates and play every game at a hundred miles an hour. You want commitment? How about playing three months with a ruptured stomach muscle, as Cloutier did, or being the first player to throw a hit or drop the gloves when needed, as Voth does so often in his role as heart and soul of the Devils?


Temper: Derek Campbell (Newcastle): The Canadian plays every game right on the edge of sanity, throwing hits left right and centre but (rarely) crossing the line into illegality. But if called upon to drop the gloves, he's always willing, and simply gets on with the job when the dust settles, win or lose the fight...


Body: Brad Cruikshank (Basingstoke): You need a frame to put all these parts in, and you could do far worse than the Bison captain-at 5'10 and 207lbs of British Columbian muscle, it's just about the perfect combination of width and height-as anyone who has seen Cruikshank use his body as a ballistic object to rattle the teeth of an opposition defenceman will testify...

That's your Round the Rinks for today...good luck to your team in the playoff quarters, enjoy the weekend and as always, keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Thursday Thoughts and IceTunes...

And so here we go again, into a post where I give just another way to tell I'm not a Panthers fan, preview the first playoff tie (I refuse to call it a "series" when it's just two flipping games) and rock your ears with some IceTunes...

In fairness, it's easy to confuse him with any other slow d-man, of which the Panthers have had a few: In my team-by-team scouting mission on Tuesday, I mention one of the main weaknesses of the Panthers being Robert Stancok's pace. Of course, being a muppet I forgot that he has, in fact, been de-registered (pointed out by a reader on Tuesday) and Eric Nelson and Jon Coleman (both upgrades on the Lumberjack Slovak) have shorn up the Big Cats' blue-line in recent weeks. This vexes me a) because it's the kind of error I thought I'd stopped making and b) because I'm still trying to work out how I could have overlooked someone who chooses to wear a small animal on his bottom lip as a fashion statement...Somehow I don't think the puck bunnies will be hanging round Mr Nelson at the playoffs...

Playoff fever...catch it!: In the style of an American movie announcer, let's introduce the Sheffield/Manchester playoff series...
Two counties with a history of war. All season, their hockey teams have fought hard with one weekend in Nottingham in mind. Now, they meet over one weekend, and only one will survive. Starring Dave Matsos, Tony Hand, Joe Tallari, Dan Tessier and an all-star supporting cast in hockey's War of the Roses, this is...Sheffield Steelers vs Manchester Phoenix II: The Playoffs. Opens March 28th...
Phew, that hurt the old throat...Now let's compare them both...

Key players: Jeff MacMillan (Phoenix) and Dan Tessier (Steelers)
On the surface, these two couldn't be more different-one is a big stay-at-home d-man and one a feisty little magician of a forward. When you bear in mind, however, that Dan Tessier will be looking to feed Joey Talbot on one side and Jeff Legue on the other whenever he gets the chance, however, and that MacMillan will be the man tasked with shutting him down, you see just how key the ex-Dallas Star is to Phoenix's success in this quarter-final...and also just how dangerous that Steelers top line is. This is before you factor in the second line of Finnerty, Phillips and Tait.

Key to the game: Defence, defence, and defence. With both teams having players who can step up and score when needed, this is a matchup where the blueliners will need to be alert for every second of the (at least) 120 minutes of play in this series. If the Phoenix can stop the Steelers' snipers, then it takes some of the pressure to keep scoring off Joe Tallari, Luke Stauffacher et al, which is a good thing because they'll have more than enough on their hands finding a way even once or twice through a Steelers defence which has a player who should have been a first-team All-Star in Steve Munn and several other under-rated d-men in itself. Meanwhile, if the Steelers shut down Tallari and company, it gives free creative rein to Tessier and friends at the other end.

Verdict: I can see a shock here...it will require some stellar play from the underdogs but, the longer they keep the Steelers out, the more chance the Phoenix will have...I take them to win (just) over the two legs, but only if they win at the Hallam tomorrow...

Rock the Rink-it's IceTunes!: After a week away, IceTunes is back with some more recommendations and some (possibly) exciting news...I'm currently looking at producing a Breakaway weekly podcast with a mix of some of the tunes recommended here, other music and, in between, hockey-related chat from me, just to keep you going over the summer weekends...it's only in the very early stages so it may not get up and running until June, but if anyone has any ideas for stuff I could include on it or is already sitting there thinking that they might fancy joining in, then let me know on the email address at right, and we'll see if anything comes out of it...Of course, if any team people out there are reading this and would also fancy appearing or setting up a player appearance on such a show, feel free to let me know also...
Anyway...on to the songs this week (now with youtube links if I can find them)...:)

Bullet for My Valentine: Hearts Burst Into Fire: The new single from the Welsh boys-and probably their most general-audience friendly. Stick this on and you'll set a rocking tone...

boysetsfire: After the Eulogy: I couldn't actually find a decent one of this on Youtube, and it does have a fair bit of swearing in (so don't play it if you don't want your kids to hear it) but this song ree-yocks...:)

Turisas: Rasputin: Put it this way...if anyone hears the intro and expects it to be anything like the Boney M original, they're in for a shock. If you like a smile, and you like a bit of rock, thump this up...loudly..:)

Evanescence: Tourniquet: Another one you'll have to search out because it was just an album track on Fallen. It's worth the effort, though.

Nightwish: Amaranth: I might have already recommended this one somewhere, but it's still worth having...

A Day To Remember: Since You Been Gone: Yes, it may originally have been a Kelly Clarkson song...but this is the version you want...

And finally, in the "let's make more money out of fans with another shirt auction" section...
The playoff shirt designs have finally been released and are available here, thanks to the Panthers website. Personally I can't really see how they look much different to the regular season shirts apart from some piping and maybe a different sleeve colour or two, but hey, if people want to pay inflated prices for a shirt that will be worn a maximum of twice, then so be it...I understand the battle for game-worn season shirts, but not for the whole playoff-shirt thing...after all, it doesn't happen in the NHL...

And there you go...Thursday Thoughts is over for another week. Tomorrow we go Round the Rinks, only in far more detail than usual as we preview the three remaining playoff quarter-finals, and there's a few extra little tidbits in there as well...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Midweek Musings, or Points of Contention...

Be warned...long post coming up as we round up the news floating around British hockey, but first of all (and this is the bulk of the post...:))

It appears my "points" system suggested yesterday needs something of a rethink in order to work properly, to put it mildly...it's one of those things that seemed fine to me but independent eyes have noticed several (well, actually far more) flaws with it, and haven't exactly been shy in telling me so. :) Rather than send out a similar email twice, I'll post what these people have said here and attempt to answer the problems-trouble is that some of them I will likely find tricky without a major overhaul of the system...the quoted bits are in italics...

Firstly, Craig writes from here in Coventry...
What if say for example Barrie Moore had been scoring at a consistent rate of 30+ a season (which isnt impossible) he'd have started on 7 points (NHLer) and could now be on 11 for next season which if the cumulative for a roster was 100 thats over 10% so not likely that he will be offered a contract, even if he wanted to return.
It's a format that could force players out of clubs and even the country against their will and we'd never see another Steve Chartrand like story.. Is it a moral format? In terms of the small teams having a chance yes, in terms of guys being able to live and work for the employers they want to I dont think so...

All very good points-and they could be easily remedied (on the surface at least) by simply scrapping the "add a point based on performance" section of the system...so unlike my original idea players aren't actually getting penalised for playing well, which will hopefully make it a more moral system and allow for players to stay in the country.

However...when you combine this with the flaws found by Adam up in Manchester, you get a really, really flawed system...He's worked out that at the moment, the top ten points scorers in the league (based on number of points per ranking point) work out thus... (name, points scored, point value under my system, points per ranking point)

Adam Calder 121 5 24.2
Dan Carlson 107 5 21.4
Greg Chambers 95 5 19
Sean McAslan 93 6 15.5
Joe Tallari 92 5 18.4
Ed Courtenay 88 5 17.6
Tony Hand 85 4 21.25
Sylvain Deschatelets 83 5 16.6
Peter Campbell 81 5 16.2
Colin Hemingway 80 6 13.33

Interestingly (but perhaps inevitably given the trend of where players come into the league from) all come into the "5 point" category as ex-ECHLers, with the exception of Colin Hemingway and Sean McAslan (6) and Tony Hand (4). He argues (and I can see his point) that the money spent could actually increase due to players like Tony Hand being able to demand far more money thanks to being a relatively low point consumer whatever their production on the ice, while the current top players and arguably those who've forced the standard of the league up (like McAslan and Hemingway this season) won't be signed because they're simply not worth taking a risk on The system works in the sense that Brits do suddenly become a more valuable part of the roster-however, if they're being paid more then we'll still see the best Brits going to the biggest teams-a point which I was trying to change with the ranking system and I've managed to fail to do so spectacularly...:)

But wait...there's more...

Also, signing someone good from abroad suddenly seems like a very stupid idea. Who would want to sign a 7-rated player (25+ NHL games) unless they were guaranteed about 150 points? (still a worse ranking than the top 2 there - 21.4)

When you look at it like that, you realise that players like Hemingway and Hand, while possibly comparable in ability, would be light-years apart in terms of worth under this system, and Brit wages would be artificially driven upwards, whereas they're likely being paid similar money (proportionate to their respective club's budget) under the system we have now...I suppose you could remedy it by making the categories much broader...make Brits exempt (although that would still lead to money issues) or set the points system simply for imports, divided thus...

College/UHL/CHL: One point
ECHL/Europe: Two points
AHL/NHL: Three points

Then, you set a limit of, say, 20 points for the ten imports, which means that you can either go with a few AHL/NHLers mixed in with ECHL, or ten ECHL/European players, or a load of AHLers mixed with a few lower-level imports. This way, there's not as much of an issue over where players come from compared to productivity (although I accept it's still there) but since you could reasonably expect a player who has played mostly at AHL level to be of a higher standard than an ECHLer, I think it's a little fairer on the ratings side. No doubt there are still flaws, so that system should probably still be put on the back burner...:)

Whilst everyone in the league hates the wage cap situation, I think it is a necessary evil to keep the standard of hockey good enough to keep it going at all. If the big teams are neutered by stopping them spending so much, the smaller teams won't get those big crowds when those teams come to town, and that may force them out of business.

Hold on...someone supporting the wage cap?! But in all seriousness, that argument holds up pretty well-but only assuming that all the wage-cap loopholes are closed by the league-one of the major reasons, in my view, that there is such a disparity in a league where everyone should be spending similar amounts is because the bigger teams simply hand over more money to their stars but don't declare most of it under the cap-e.g
Player A wage: £250 a week (counts towards cap)
Player A's wife receives a position at a sponsor, all worked out through the club and guaranteed for the season: £300 a week (doesn't count under cap, but the income for player A and his family is now £550 a week guaranteed)
Player A uni course paid for by the club: £3000 a year (more incentives in there)
Then you have bonuses etc...which many teams simply can't afford. In my eyes the only way to sort things out is, as people have been screaming for for years, to have an independently audited wage-cap. Trouble is, the owners (who after all run the league) are never going to vote for that because half of them would then be exposed as breaking the agreement they came up with in the first place...

However-he does finish with a point I disagree with...:)

Artificially creating a situation where Brit's are necessary lowers the standard of the league and jeopardises it's future. That's the problem with it how it is isn't it?

Yes...however, I would argue that the example of the Superleague shows just what can happen, in Britain at least, when you allow teams a free market, wage-cap or no wage-cap...the league standard may rise but teams drop like flies as the bigger-budget sides simply throw money at imports. At least imposing a limit on this means that young British players (who will cost far less than an equivalent third-line import) are involved and the wages are just about workable. The main reason I think there are such problems in British hockey at the moment isn't so much because of the import limit as the fact that the one thing intended to ensure a level playing-field has so many holes in it it's untrue-and the teams with the bigger reserves of cash are still simply throwing it at the best players. Given that there is no way you can artificially restrict the wages spent on any one single player without falling foul of employment laws (this was an option I considered for a nanosecond as an answer to Brits being able to demand more money under the import limits).

Although...having just slated the ISL...If the wagecap were enforced properly (yes, I know it's a dream, but bear with me), a return to the no-import-limit days could work-simply because at the moment one of the major reasons for costs rising is British players being able to demand money out of all proportion to their ability. In a "free" market, given the ability to sign an import for £100 a week less of comparable ability to, say, Ashley Tait, wouldn't most teams take it?

One thing I have learned from this exercise is that (shock) a wage-cap, properly enforced, is a far more likely way of ensuring parity in the league than my idea of attempting to regulate the spread of ability throughout the teams-and also a far easier way to encourage a rise in the popularity of hockey thanks to higher standards than artificially regulating it by making more Brits play...and thanks to the hugely impressive efforts of readers like Adam and Craig, you even have the irrefutable proof...:)

Phew...I have a feeling that this discussion may not be over yet, but for now let's finish with the other major news item so far this week...

Bye bye Marty: The EIHL is losing possibly its best defenceman (and British hockey possibly one of its best players ever) as Neal Martin has signed for Aalborg in the Danish league for next season, marking the end of four years in Coventry in which the Canadian has won everything. There's not much more to say than this...

"Neal, you've been a class act both on (and by all accounts off) the ice, it's been a pleasure watching you, and good luck to you and your family"

If British hockey as a whole could speak, then that would be the message...

That epic post (nearly 1,700 words-almost worthy of a uni essay) has just about exhausted me talking about hockey for today...tomorrow we see some Thursday Thoughts, as well as a in-depth preview of the first playoff match-up to get underway in Sheffield v Manchester...

Many thanks to those who've provided the impetus for today's post with their comments, and as always, keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Tuesday Thoughts: Strengths, Weaknesses and Speedway

I know what you're thinking. Speedway? We'll come to that later on. First, however...



Know your enemy(ies): With the playoffs beginning this weekend, it's about time for an assessment of each team, I reckon...unleash your inner scout as we size up each contender for the playoff trophy as individuals, and assess just why, at this time of year, every team has a chance...



Coventry: The strengths are obvious...goalscoring, a goalie who stops anything when he's in the mood and a tight defensive unit. The weaknesses, however, are not so, but contrary to what Paul Thompson and friends would like to have you believe, they are there. Give the Blaze the space to play and they'll murder you with speed and slick passing. Sit back and play the trap and they'll find a way around. But go out and hit, check, and bump relentlessly while turning Trevor Koenig's crease into a crowd scene worthy of Piccadilly Circus at rush-hour, and suddenly the gears of the Blaze machine slip just a little-frustrate them and they slip even more. This is why Newcastle have a hundred percent record at the Skydome, and why Edinburgh have a chance with players like Adam Stefishen and Doug Christiansen licking their lips at the thought of a battle which will be won in the dirty war of the low slot and the corners rather than the open spaces of the rink.



Sheffield: Another team with offensive talent to burn, but unlike the Blaze this isn't a team that can be beaten with the sledgehammer approach, thanks to players like Steve Munn and Mark Thomas regularly making the area in front of Jody Lehman's net their own. If anything, the Steeler's main failing is that, if you sit back a little and wait for them to make a mistake, they often will misplace their fifteenth successive pass. However, like the Blaze there are some suspect tempraments-If you can wind up Ryan Finnerty or Steve Munn, then powerplay opportunities will follow-and that's where the goals can come, especially if someone is prepared to take the punishment in front of the Steelers' goal...



Nottingham: The Panthers can score. Often. They come forward relentlessly and zing the puck around looking for that smallest chink in the armour. However, going the other way there are more than a few gaps for the opposition to exploit, particularly if Steve Pelletier has gone on a charge up ice or you can blow past the funereally slow Robert Stancok-and good as Tom Askey is, he can't stop everything...



Belfast: The Giants are a team who should, on paper, be everyone's nightmare opponent. They've got size, smarts, grit and goalscorers to waste. However, reality isn't like that. While the Giants are still a fearsome offensive team when firing, they can often be exploited at the back, particularly if you can get into Stevie Lyle's head with an early goal or shooting high (watch him "duck" at every glove-save if you don't believe me).



Newcastle: The Vipers will hit anything that moves, hard and repeatedly. Their high-pressure game doesn't really have any stand-out offensive or defensive stars (with the possible exception of Ryan Macdonald in goal), but relies on more of a team effort from several very good players-the likes of Todd Jackson, Colin Shields and David Longstaff. Then you have Derek Campbell, who is just as likely to drop the gloves as roof a laser shot from the circles or supply a beautiful pass to a linemate, and the human sandpaper that is Andre Payette. Trouble is, with all of this combustibility, they're easy to frustrate, and if you manage to light the fuses and don't back down, suddenly the powerplay goals start coming...



Cardiff: The Devils are my dark-horse tip for playoff glory. They have equal parts creative skill (Sylvain Deschatelets and Matt Towe), size (Max Birbraer and Phil Hill), scoring (Jason Silverthorn and Matus Petricko) and pure animal intensity (Brad Voth and Neil Francis) on attack. Combine that with the unflappable Jason Stone and the rapier passer that is Tyson Teplitsky providing goals from the blue, and suddenly the Devils look like a seriously tricky opponent. However, this season has very much been a case of "what might have been" for the Devils, with half the team still returning from injury. Rough the Welsh side up a little and, even with Brad Voth ready to dish out some instant justice, they may blanch just a little. Phil Osaer is a goalie who relies very much on confidence, so scoring early may be another way to rattle the Cardiff cage, particularly if you can get a couple and get into his head...

Manchester: The Phoenix are still, for my money, not given the respect they deserve by other fans. Joe Tallari may be grabbing all the headlines but players like Brian Passmore and Luke Stauffacher on offence, Simon Mangos driving forward from the back, and on defence the superb pair of Jeff MacMillan and Scott Basiuk are what make this team tick. Sparkplug Sean Starke may be missing after the recent tragic death of his father from illness (for which the Breakaway sends its condolences), but this will only give his team-mates another reason to go deep into the post-season. However, like Cardiff, they can be rattled when scored on early-peppering Scott Fankhouser and driving the net can cause the odd wobble in the otherwise tight Phoenix defence, particularly if Omar Ennaffati and Simon Mangos have given in to their more attacking impulses...

Edinburgh: And so we come to the Capitals as the last playoff team. Their desire is not in question-you only have to look at the way they fought their way into contention and overhauled Basingstoke to know that. With the power of Adam Stefishen and the goalscoring ability of Colin Hemingway they can play any style, but prefer to play fast and hard, which means that no opposition side will get a chance to rest for a second. Ryan Crane can shoot a mean puck, as can Patrik Luza, while both are good defensively. However, match them hit for hit or shot for shot and they need to rely on JF Perras to keep them in games long enough for Hemingway and co to work their magic at the other end...something which he hasn't always done this season.

So there you go...scouting reports on each of the eight playoff sides. Pick your team's opponent and read up on them...:)

It may not be as easy to get around as a wage cap, but it'll sure as hell make things more interesting...:
Much has been made recently of the new EIHL wage-cap rules, which are expected to be announced shortly. However, the same old complaints keep coming up:

1. It's easy to get around if you know how.
2. The bigger budget teams can still pay for the better players, they'll just have to be more creative to do it under the cap.
3. The owners are never going to enforce it anyway.

So, how do you ensure a competitive league when the owners seem to be sabotaging their own attempts to regulate it based on how much teams are allowed to pay?

I've been following a debate on THF about this, and someone mentioned a "points" system, which set me thinking as it just happens to be used (and used successfully for several years now) in one of my other passions...speedway. (see the link to the title now? :)) Basically, I worked out a way it could be applied to make hockey more competitive and also offset the "budget" advantage which appears to be so prevalent for some teams at the moment, giving the smaller teams more chance to compete. It would work thus...

The EIHL sets a framework of points valuescould rate every player to be signed into say, three to five broad categories of quality, with a points value assigned to each category. My suggestion for the system works like this...

It's actually a very simple system if the league are willing to work out a framework (perhaps based on where the player has spent the majority of their time playing before coming to the UK). Once in the UK you can use performance in that league as a marker.

Every potential signing is given a points value by the league based on the following framework...

• Young player with lower-league/junior experience in Britain: 1 point
• Majority of time in CHL/UHL/college: 2 points
• Experienced Brit (majority of time in lower-league) or young (under 25) Brit with EIHL experience: 3 points
• Experienced Brit (+25) with EIHL experience: 4 points
• Majority of time in ECHL/lower to mid European league (or lower divisions in top European countries): 5 points
• AHL/Top European league: 6 points
• NHL Experience (+25 games): 7 points

In order to make the system fluid and take account of performance, should a player gets +30 goals, +60 points or +91% save percentage in a season, a point gets added to their original rating, and this rating stays with them-if they do it again, another point goes on. If nothing ele it means that EPL players will become more sought after/in with a chance of stepping up in order to make up the rosters, which means more Brits in with a chance of playing at the top level.

Then all you do is set a league-sanctioned limit of, say, 100 cumulative points for a roster (ballpark figure-may be slightly lower), and off you go. It puts more emphasis on recruiting as coaches only have a set amount to play with and thus can't just go out and pay top whack (getting around the cap in whatever way possible) and load up on top talent thanks to a higher budget.

Certainly it would make for a far more interesting and transparent off-season, as all the league has to do is make the point categories publicly available each season, along with players whose rating has changed, and the fans can see exactly where players fit and how close teams are to the maximum...cheating is pretty damn hard to get around when all the information is in the public domain. If it works for speedway, why not hockey?

That's your Tuesday Thoughts dealt with...check back tomorrow for some Midweek Musings and keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Double Overtime, 24th March

And so we bid goodbye to the 2007/08 league season, not with a bang but, in the vast majority of cases, a whimper. There were, however, a few notable results in amongst the end-of-season easing-off that habitually occurs when a team has nothing left to play for...so we'll look at them individually rather than running through the teams...

Sheffield 1, Edinburgh 2: The Capitals made sure that they didn't go down to the last game with this fine win at the Hallam Arena to seal their playoff place a day early, and make a few people in Coventry a little less sure of their chances of making the final weekend while they were at it. Colin Hemingway (who else) was the hero for the Caps, scoring both goals to finish the season on 38, and make Sunday's game against Basingstoke irrelevant. However, irrelevant or not...

Edinburgh 11, Basingstoke 7: Eighteen goals in a game is still notable, especially when two of them are scored by a starting netminder. Curtis Cruickshank ventured forward and played as an outskater in this game, much like Jason Cugnet for the Devils in the playoff third-place game a few seasons ago...by all accounts the game was played in good spirit as the Bison had some fun to finish their season...

Nottingham 2, Manchester 4: In amongst all the end-of-season easing-off, it's refreshing to see a team who genuinely wanted to state their playoff intentions early, and the Phoenix certainly did that with this win at the NIC...

Hull 6, Manchester 2: ...trouble is, it appears that Hull also wanted to prove a point in their last game of the season-it's amazing what you can get out of players when they realise they might be playing for a contract.

Slough 3, Milton Keynes 2: What? An EPL score on what is traditionally an EIHL-centred blog? Yup-but this game was notable not so much for the score but for events that occurred even before the game began. According to reports from those who were at the game, MK's Kurt Irvine went for Slough's Paddy Ward with a stick in the warm-up...and all hell then broke loose, with the police being called and questioning Irvine, Ward and Slough's Nicky Chinn (who had jumped in to defend his team-mate). The incident is currently being investigated, so that's about all the info there is out there at the moment...

Coventry 2, Newcastle 4: Not so much notable for the game itself, which was a typical end-of-season affair, but simply for the fact that this win gives the Vipers a 100% record at the Skydome this season (three league, one exhibition) when playing at full strength, which is a pretty impressive achievement...

That's pretty much all the interest from this weekend, at least as far as the EIHL goes. The EPL playoffs are in full swing, though, and the road to Coventry looks like a tricky one for most teams-there will of course be a preview of the finals weekend in two week's time. First, however, the EIHL playoffs begin, with the quarter-finals all now set thus...

Coventry v Edinburgh
Sheffield v Manchester
Nottingham v Cardiff
Belfast v Newcastle

There will be a preview of each playoff matchup (you can't really call it a "series" when there's only two games) later on in the week. Tomorrow, however, we consider the reaction to the Irvine incident detailed above, assess each EIHL teams' strengths and weaknesses going into the playoffs, and look at the rumours floating around already as the whispers begin to fly around the league...

Until then, keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Round the Rinks, March 21st...

And so, the last Round the Rinks of the season begins. And, since all the issues in the EIHL league season are decided apart from the playoff battle, we'll be concentrating heavily on that this time round, not least to avoid me repeating myself eight times when it comes to the team-by-team preview. I know that this concentration on two teams may mildly miff those who don't support either the Bison or the Capitals, but I reckon reading the same thing eight times might annoy them a little more...So, this Round the Rinks is a "playoff battle special"...Two games left. Level on points. Facing each other on Sunday in a game which could well be winner takes all. Which team will prevail?

Before getting down to the nitty-gritty of the Sunday game, let's not forget that both teams have a game on the Saturday-and they're both absolute stinkers at face value, with the Bison facing Coventry at home (and the same opponents for the third time in six days) and Edinburgh travelling to Sheffield. With both the Steelers and Blaze having nothing more to play for than pride, both teams will fancy their chances of getting something out of the games, although as Bison have the advantage of their rabid crowd behind them, facing a team who they've proved they can beat twice before recently, you have to give them the slight edge when it comes to the two teams' chances of gaining an advantage coming into the epic game at Murrayfield the following day...

So, down to the Big One. Scotland vs England, Lothian v Hampshire, Christiansen vs Aldridge...look at it any way you want but the facts don't change. These are the scenarios going into the game depending on the results on Saturday...

Edinburgh win, Basingstoke lose: It comes down to this-Basingstoke have to win in regulation in Murrayfield, with the games between the two teams then being 4-2 in the Bison's favour. Otherwise, the Caps qualify.

Basingstoke win, Edinburgh lose: Capitals need to win in regulation.

Both teams lose/win: Simple. Winner of the game on the Sunday night takes all, no matter whether the win comes in regulation or overtime.

So, who will take the honours?

Why Basingstoke will win: Passion, passion, passion. The players want this, the fans want it, the ownership wants it, and the destiny of their season is in their own hands. Plus. they have some superb players in Danny Stewart, Brad Cruikshank, Greg Chambers and Mikko Purontakanen, who can change a game by themselves if need be. The Bison Ten just keep coming through, so even after their loss in Belfast last night, who's to say they won't again?

Trouble is...

Why Edinburgh will win: The Caps are so, so close. Two months ago a playoff spot was a distant dream-now all they need to do is win on Sunday. Colin Hemingway, Doug Christiansen and Martin Cingel are the major goal threats, with Mike Stutzel and Ryan Crane able to consistently provide the ammunition, and a whole host of young Scots, protected by Adam Stefishen, able to bring the energy which'll ensure the Bison Ten don't get a second to rest.

This battle really could go either way...but I'm going to err on the side of Edinburgh as victors...

Meanwhile, the other teams in the league pan out thus...

Belfast's league season is over, so they have a weekend off.

Cardiff face Newcastle in their only league game of the weekend.

Coventry face Basingstoke and also Newcastle.

Hull play just once, against Manchester.

Nottingham also face the Phoenix in their only game of the weekend.

Sheffield face Edinburgh in their final league game of the season.

On Sunday, Cardiff play Sheffield in a Best of British (read "friendly" game at the WNIR...

The only games really worth keeping your eye on this weekend are the ones involving the playoff battle, with all the other games sure to have something of a "last day at school" feel about them before competition resumes in earnest for the playoffs next weekend...

That's your weekend preview...keep keeping your eye on the puck...



Nottingham face

Value For Money...

Believe it or not, this post has absolutely nothing to do with ticket prices...I've been there and done that to death over the past two days...

Today we return back to events on the ice. With the last weekend of the (league) season this weekend, and no real storylines left apart from the Basingstoke-Edinburgh playoff battle (which looks like a final-day thriller), I've been scratching around somewhat for things to put in that weren't anything to do with ticket prices, how bad Hull are or whatever. And, honestly? I was struggling slightly. Then, like a gift from the blogging gods, came an email from a friend pointing me to this article...and from that came the question...if the Elite League had a Hart Trophy (perhaps we could call it something stupid and made-up-by-a-marketing-panel like Man of Ice MVP award, or something equally sponsored and cringeworthy)-one which fans could actually nominate for as opposed to "let's pick the top-scorers/personal favourites", then what would be the Elite League's equivalent of Alex Ovechkin v Evgeni Malkin, and who would you pick? Indeed, who would you pick in Ovie v Malks?

I have to declare bias here...at least in the NHL battle. I've loved watching Malkin play ever since I was lucky enough to see him play live for Russia just before the Olympics-and when he ended up being drafted by my NHL team...well, that was my favourite NHLer sorted for the next fifteen years or so. However, ask a lot of casual fans and they will find it hard to look past the otherworldly scoring ability of Ovechkin when naming the best NHL player currently out there, with Malkin playing second-fiddle to the phenomenon that is Sidney Crosby, even on his own team. However, I still think the article makes a pretty good MVP case for the Penguin over the Capital...

In the UK, meanwhile, the nominees for the MVP award are...

Adam Calder (Coventry)
Colin Hemingway (Edinburgh)
Joe Tallari (Manchester)

Leaving aside the fact that I think the MVP award should have more than three candidates (maybe five) and that I really can't work out how on earth Sylvain Deschatelets and/or Joey Talbot didn't get nominated, never mind Steve Munn or Sean McAslan...surely there's no way the panel just looked at the top scorer's list in the league and ended up picking the three they like best, is there?...

Candidate by candidate...

Adam Calder: 100+points, title-winning team...top scorer, etc, etc. But MVP of the league? He isn't even MVP of his team. Maybe being fed by one of the top five centres in the league helps a little when it comes to scoring, as does playing on a team loaded with offensive talent, being on the ice whatever the situation on all the top lines, and being in the team solely as a goalscorer...In fact, Calds is the Ovechkin of the Elite League...everything on the team is geared towards utilising his (admittedly huge) goalscoring talent as often as humanly possible. And for those reasons, the MVP award, while easy to justify, probably wouldn't be fair in this situation...

Joe Tallari: Now I love watching this guy. If he were on the Blaze roster you could probably add another ten goals to his already huge total...he's absolutely superb and has been the standout player in Manchester this season by a fair distance.
Trouble is, you can use the same arguments against an MVP award for the Phoenix player as you can for his Blaze rival (except for the "team loaded with offensive talent" one). Even allowing for the fact that in Britain players can't be one-dimensional (and neither Tallari or Calder are-both are damn good hockey players), the fact that they're both the focal point of their team's offence means that, although Tallari finishes just ahead of Calder in the voting thanks to the Phoenix suffering more if he were out of the line-up than the Blaze missing Calder, they both lose out by the width of a gnat's wing to the player who should be your league MVP based on the available choices...

Colin Hemingway: Without Hemingway in their side, the Caps finish bottom. No question. 36+36 on a team who've been last-but-one in the league all season (15 more goals than the next-nearest Cap) is an awesome performance. Plus, he's great to watch, standing out with moments like this in the Capital's chase for the playoffs. The Caps will face a real fight to keep him at season's end...

So, there you go...tomorrow we have the last Round the Rinks of the 07/08 league season...check back and keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Midweek Musings...

Rather than the long introduction, we'll just go straight in today...

The first section of the post today has been changed slightly in response to the comment on the post-as it read that I was belittling the efforts of the Blaze players on the night rather than referring to the financial situation that made it possible to sign players of their ability in the first place...



In real life, the underdog never wins...Unfortunately for excitement in British hockey, as well as the rabid Basingstoke faithful, there was no Cinderella story last night as Coventry finally won themselves the KO Cup by simply overwhelming the Bison on Skydome ice. It's the first time a title victory has actually left me faintly depressed...sure, the Blaze fan side of me is pleased, but the UK hockey fan side of me saw more evidence of a sport in which money, more than anything, is becoming the dominating factor in winning trophies. Now, people will no doubt turn round to me and say "no it isn't, Sheffield haven't won anything, and they're one of the biggest budgets in the league". But the whole point is that they're always in the race. And the reason that so many (non-Coventry) fans wanted Bison to win was that, just once, it would prove that heart, desire and hard work is more important to success in British hockey than how many people you get through the door (and thus dictates just how good a roster you can sign), just like we're always told. Unfortunately for the sport in the UK, last night's result can be seen as just more proof that it isn't.



And now for a short musical interlude to introduce the next item:



"I didn't wanna know the things I knew...

It wasn't till I looked into the mirror...

Denial"

Sugababes: Denial



With the Sky TV coverage this season, once again the hope is flying around that hockey can become a mainstream sport in the UK-there's widespread optimism everywhere, hard work being done behind the scenes and some people are even claiming that hockey could one day become as mainstream as rugby or football, surpassing its media heyday in the mid-and-late 90's...



Sorry, but, with the sport the way it is in this country and following the trends it currently is, it won't. In fact, unless there's changes in the way things are done, it could go back the other way...just like the "new dawn" that was the Superleague.



I want to believe things are improving. I look at the Sky TV coverage and think "yes...", I look at the strides made at clubs like Basingstoke, Manchester, and Edinburgh in the EIHL and Slough in the EPL and think "yes...". And then I look at some of the actions of the league, and dig a little deeper, and think "no"....



Let me explain. Firstly we have the KO Cup-a competition originally brought in to fill time left open thanks to the unexpected demise of London Racers in the 05/06 season. A competition which two teams don't even enter thanks to ice-time issues. And yet this is pushed by the EIHL as important as the other three competitions. It's a waste of time-and I say that as someone whose team won it. Yes, this season there was some interest brought into it thanks to the Bison's run and some fine performances, but as a competition? Scrap it-or it'll just be a blight on the hockey landscape when trying to explain just why one of the "elite" trophies on offer is a KO competition which two teams have to stay out of in order to actually make it work...If you want a KO Cup competition, forget the Challenge Cup group stage and turn it into a straight knockout starting at Christmas, with the last two teams in the league by a set deadline being eliminated and the other eight going into a series of 1st v 8th, 2nd v 7th etc. The key, however, is that this deadline is at, say, the end of November. That means you don't have the pointless situation of playing the same team twice in a weekend but the points counting for different competitions, and also means that the KO rounds aren't decided based on who happens to win the first six games of the season, but who is more consistent over two months. And no-one is guaranteed participation. Certainly it would make those early-season games a LOT more interesting than just "finding their stride" as teams have to perform right off the bat.

But wait...that chops three home games from the schedule...which means less money coming into the big clubs. That's that idea vetoed then...

Secondly, we have the issue of two different governing bodies, and two competing leagues (not to mention the confusion of the "lower" leagues) all with different rules and regulations, and their own competitions. You could drop a plate from a third-floor window and it would end up less fragmented than the organisation of British hockey.

Thirdly-how do you sell a sport to the media when there are two leagues claiming to be the "real" top division in British hockey, or where rules are made up by the owners of the teams themselves in order to suit a particular situation? Or where some clubs say one thing and do another? Where there are some owners actively holding the sport back, or seemingly lying to their customers (ref: the Taylors at Basingstoke).

I know I'm beginning to sound just like every other disaffected columnist out there, and it's probably boring to those of you who've read this all before.

But to me, the facts are simple. Unless those running British hockey stop treating their leagues like their own personal playthings and actually see the people who come through the rink doors as fans rather than walking wallets, and find a way to stop the ever-escalating abuse of the wage-cap (EIHL) and seeming incompetence and double-standards when it comes to the rules (both leagues) people will start to think their hard-earned money may be better spent elsewhere, particularly, in the current economic climate, if ticket prices rise much over the £15 level (a level already reached by Manchester and now Coventry) without a noticeable improvement in league standards from where we are now, both on and off the ice...

And on that sobering thought, we end.

Keep keeping your eye in the puck..

Tuesday Thoughts. Or KA-CHING!

Apologies this has appeared slightly later than usual...have been out earning myself some extra money in order to put by for next season's first game ticket. Although a decision on the mortgage it looks like I'll need in the near future for them will take a while...

I warned that this post was going to be quite long...and be warned now-if you don't like opinions which may be slightly controversial to some, or are involved in running a UK hockey club and have a sensitive disposition, you may not like what you're about to read. I've been mulling this issue over for a while, but this post was finally sparked into life by two things-one, a email asking why I had "stopped being controversial" (I never thought I had, as anyone who's seen Omar Ennaffati play (apart from me) may testify, but hey ho...:)) and two....

Disclaimer: I apologise for making this post very-Blaze centric, but if you remove the "Blaze" name, it could easily be your club this off-season. Furthermore, this is not a personal attack at any person, nor are the statements anything other than my own opinion. All figures (with the exception of this and next season's Blaze ticket prices, are approximate.

"2 minutes for a vicious slash to fan's wallets": So, the Blaze are the first club to announce next season's ticket prices, apart from Newcastle who are already offering theirs on sale. For comparison, the (adult) price for my first game of hockey, in the BNL, versus the late-lamented (BNL version) of the Paisley Pirates, was £8.50 in 2000, and a season ticket was seemingly unreachable luxury for me at £200 or so.

In 2004/05 that same ticket was £12.50 or £280. After the treble year, the expected price hike never really materialised-50p or so on a matchnight, £25 quid (ish) on a season ticket. Not bad, considering inflation and all-especially as a huge thing had been made of how the team were sustaining themselves perfectly well and thus the price stayed stable...in fact, it even stayed the same the year after thanks to a mediocre season (by Blaze standard)-and almost offset the grumbling about the chopping of NUS discount due to "operational reasons and abuse". Almost. This season, it went up to £13 and £300. Not bad...

Now, comes the hammer blow that has been inevitable since the team became successful. To watch a Blaze game next season, you'll shell out £15 a game, or £335 for a season ticket.

Erm...what?!

That means, if the Blaze PR of "needing to stay competitive" as a reason for the raises is to be believed, that expenses have risen, in one season, by two pounds per 1500 paying customers (3000) plus 35x500 season ticket holders (1675)=4675 pounds per week. Or nearly 20 percent.

And I'm sorry, but that is, and I apologise for the one instance of swearing you'll ever see in this blog, bullshit.

On the surface 35 quid for a eason ticket (or 50 quid if you pay after May) doesn't seem like much more, particularly when you bear in mind the improvement that this ticket will actually cover all the league home games. Hwever, miss two league games (30 quid) due to other commitments, and that saving all but goes down the toilet.

OK, so student tickets return. But that essentially means that some will be paying the same price as they did this year. So bye bye saving.

Then consider where these expenses will rise.

Wages? Nope. Wage cap tightening means that the cap goes up by 300 quid a week. Or, 50 quid per player. So, 500 season tickets, and that's wiped out.

Rent? Maybe. But given that the Blaze are not likely to be paying anywhere near as much to rent the Skydome as the arena teams (who will no doubt have similar prices) do, you can offset that.

Merchandise? Come on. What do you think profit margins are for? If you really believe that that horn (tube with a Blaze sticker) cost that much to make, then I've got a bridge to sell you might be interested in.

Staff wages? Given that the majority of matchnight staff are unpaid and most hockey teams double up when it comes to off-ice personnel roles the numbers ain't high in terms of people to pay. But they're getting a 15% rise in pay this season, with the recession looming? You believe that? Cause I don't. If they are, then we're all in the wrong jobs...

Interestingly, through a friend I was able to see a (very basic) summary of the Blaze's accounts for the year 2005 and also the year 2006-the company made a fairly hefty loss. If you look at the tickets for Blaze games, the name of the company presenting the team is different to two seasons ago (Coventry Blaze Ltd as opposed to Ice Cold Promotions). That tells me one company has been wound up and another created to run the team...and you don't close a successful company.

Draw your own conclusions.

I apologise for making this post very-Blaze centric, but if you remove the "Blaze" name, it could easily be your club hiking the prices-and you have to wonder just how far they'll go, particularly with a recession looming, before even the diehard hockey fans start spending their money elsewhere, particularly if the results on the ice aren't as good as expected. Has hockey pricing in this country eached its peak for a while now-and just how would you react if your team bring in a similar price price hike this season?

I guess the simple question is What's your love of hockey worth to you?

I shall be following on from this tomorrow as well as reviewing the BKO final-apologies for the lack of One Minute Preview, but this issue has dominated my hockey-related thoughts, and I simply thought it needed treating in depth...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Double Overtime, 17th March...

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all the Belfast fans who read this blog, and indeed anyone else of Irish descent. Slainte!...as they say in the Emerald Isle...

Anyway, on to the review of a weekend which in some ways summed up why it's best not to have a team dominate the league and have everything over early...as mentioned in Round the Rinks on Friday, there were a fair few games where only pride was on the line and not really much effort put in beyond fixture fulfilment (example: Sheffield-Belfast on Saturday night, a game which is normally pretty feisty, went thirty minutes before a penalty of any kind. Meanwhile, Omar Ennaffati must have been galvanised by his selection in my All-Under-rated team last Tuesday (which surprised just about everybody) as he answered his (many) critics (or at least began to, perhaps) by scoring twice and earning himself MoM honours on Sunday night in Manchester's win against the Capitals...

Anyway, on with the other interesting events of the weekend (of which there are a few). Sunday night in Coventry saw a game where, by all accounts, the playoff race may have hinged on, as Basingstoke's nine men pulled out an amazing 4-1 win thanks to another rearguard action worthy of Rourke's Drift, with Curtis Cruickshank stopping fifty shots, including twenty in the final period. With Edinburgh losing their game away to Manchester, the only real interest in the league for the final weekend is the epic battle for the final playoff place, with Bison and Edinburgh facing each other in what could be a winner-takes-all clash next Sunday.

In other games, Hull won! The Stingrays beat Cardiff by five goals to three in order to gain a little respect and prove they weren't just "going through the motions" although there's a chance Devils might have been. Belfast are winding their league season down with a whimper, losing twice, while the Devils, Newcastle, Coventry, Manchester and Nottingham all won one, lost one. In fact, only Sheffield came out of the weekend with four points, beating the Giants and the Panthers in the penultimate two games of their home league campaign.

Does anyone else get the feeling that, with the exception of Basingstoke and Edinburgh, no-one (at least from the clubs themselves) really gives a puck about these last few league games? With the playoff matches not for another week or so and yet already decided in most cases (the only question left involves whether Coventry face the Bison or the Capitals), do the players have the right to just go "sod it, we'll go through the motions because, after all, people will still come and watch us" as certain Coventry players appeared to be doing at times last night? Is it any wonder that attendances drop before the playoffs when not even the players seem to want to be there?

This week, however, sees the interest go back up (a little) thanks to the second leg of the KO Cup final tomorrow night-a game which I have a sneaking suspicion (and no doubt many a neutral fan a hope) that Basingstoke will be rewarded for their struggles this season with a trophy-that is if they can defencd their two-goal league from the first leg. Check back tomorrow for a One Minute Preview of that game, as well as a rambling answer to the question that many hockey fans bring up whenever anything media-related is mentioned:

"Can hockey in this country ever grow beyond the level it's at now?"

And of course, keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Round the Rinks...with a difference...

Welcome, one and all, to the last-but-one "normal" Round the Rinks of the season (the playoff quarters will see previews of each match-up rather than team-by-team) and it's a tricky one for me to write, because for several teams, the season is effectively dead until playoff time, at least as far as league play is concerned. At the top, Coventry are champions and Sheffield are, if not nailed-on, at least well in the driving seat for second. In the middle, Cardiff, Manchester and Newcastle are all in the playoffs, with the only question remaining being who their opponents will be (and even those are fairly cut and dried in the case of all but Cardiff and Newcastle, who could face either Nottingham or Belfast depending on results) and at the bottom Hull's season is over, and quite frankly I'm following a fair few Hull fans in simply not being willing to waste my time with them for much longer this season-there's only so many times you can write "Hull are only playing for pride...oh, wait, they've lost twice/they've won and restored a little pride (which we'll no doubt hear about ad nauseam in press releases leading up until next week)" before getting heartily sick of it.

What all this is leading up to is the fact that things change this week-the way I see it there's no point in doing a "team-by-team" breakdown, as the vast majority would read some variety of "team x play team y and team z. With the league position all but decided, team x will be looking to keep a good run going and build up some momentum before the playoffs"

And quite frankly, that's boring, and I'd feel a bit of a cheat were I to simply bang one of those columns out on autopilot...so I decided to focus on the issues that are still undecided and give them their own Round the Rinks in "newspaper article" style...

So what interest is left in the league season beyond the final shakedown of positions (which is all but settled apart from the cases detailed from now on anyway). Well, there's the fast-becoming-epic battle between Basingstoke and Edinburgh for the last playoff place, which took another twist on Wednesday as the Capitals lost 3-0 in Cardiff to keep the Bison in the race. The battle for third is another intriguing one-Nottingham and Belfast keep switching places in the battle for the bronze medal...Manchester also have an outside chance of sixth should they beat Cardiff and win all their remaining games, with the Devils losing theirs. However, with apologies to the Phoenix and Devils fans, due to the unlikeliness of this happening (Phoenix could win all their remaining games but I can't see the Devils losing all theirs), we're leaving that battle on one side...

Let's deal with the playoff race first. The Bison Nine only have one league game this weekend (Saturday night is reserved for a challenge game against Bracknell which seems to be nothing more than an excuse for both teams to relax and take a night off their respective league action). It's away at the same Coventry team who they beat in the BKO Cup final on Wednesday, and with the Blaze aiming to avenge the defeat they suffered and definitely not fancying being beaten on home ice (which would give the Bison a massive psychological boost going into Tuesday's second leg of the final). Meanwhile, the Capitals face a tough weekend trip to Manchester in their only game of the weekend as 7th and 8th (at the moment) face each other. With the Phoenix uncatchable in 7th and three games left, a win is vital, and will all but put the nail in the coffin of the Bison's playoff hopes should the Caps win and the Bison lose in Coventry.

Meanwhile...

In the battle for third place (subtitled-the battle for Mike Ellis's future if Neil Black is stupid enough to let his control-freakery rob him of the best coach the Panthers have had in a long while...) Nottingham face Hull and Sheffield, while Belfast also face the Steelers as well as Newcastle, both away. At first glance, Nottingham have the better weekend. However, now that Hull have seemingly finally decided to play a little and actually try and win games, the Giants would like nothing better than the "not-so-deadly" Stingrays to actually find themselves some offence in the same way they did against Manchester last week, and Steelers would fancy nothing better than putting the boot into their rivals one last time at the Hallam Arena...With the Vipers having nothing more to play for than personal pride and their paychecks (the second of which they receive win or lose, whether they try and avoid injury or not), the Giants have two games in which they can go a long way to give Ed Courtenay a decent leaving present in his last league campaign in Britain...

So there you have it-the games to keep an eye on are...

Saturday:
Sheffield v Belfast
Nottingham v Hull

Sunday:
Manchester v Edinburgh
Coventry v Basingstoke
Belfast v Newcastle

All of the others are, if I'm honest, little more than dead rubbers of no interest unless you happen to be a fan of the team involved (and, in the case of Newcastle/Coventry, even that's pushing it a little).

So there you are...a Round the Rinks with a difference. As always, keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Thursday Thoughts and IceTunes...

And so on we go this Thursday evening with another skate around the British hockey world...and in the spirit of IceTunes we begin...with a song (or two).

"Just for tonight...just maybe we've made it..."
One Night Only: "Just For Tonight"
or...
"I...I can be king. And you...you can be queen. We can be heroes...just for one day"
David Bowie: "Heroes"

Both songs are, of course, dedicated to the Basingstoke Bison, who did what no-one (perhaps even their own fans) expected them to do last night and outplayed the recently-crowned league champions (sorry-had to get that in there. :)) Coventry Blaze to take a two-goal lead into the second leg of the BKO Cup final. When you bear in mind that their starting goalie (Curtis Cruickshank) and several of the nine outskaters who did ice were carrying injuries, that achievement becomes even more impressive. The final score was 4-2 to Basingstoke, but that doesn't give the full story of a game which the Blaze apparently dominated, but were held out by a rear-guard action worthy of Spartan legend. More serious from the Blaze perspective than the score (two goals is a difficult, but still just-about-surmountable deficit if luck goes their way at the Skydome) is the news that top defenceman (and possibly best-in-the-league) Neal Martin is finished for the season after injuring his shoulder taking a massive (but by all accounts perfectly legal) hit from Derek Campbell...could make the Blaze a slightly more attractive proposition in the playoff campaign for the teams fighting it out for eighth...

Order of humble pie, table two: Adding to the gloss of the victory for Bison fans was the presence of Dave Simms in his capacity as Sky commentator, only a few days after his comments in Powerplay magazine about the Bison "cheating" other teams by only turning up with half a roster. To his credit, Simmsy has said he is willing to discuss his opinion with any Bison (or indeed any other) fan who wishes to-but you can't deny that allowing the Bison Nine to see his comments before the game would have been one hell of a way to produce the epic performance that resulted-particularly if told the man himself was in the building...

Another EPL team...in Oxford?!: Rumours floating around the Internet say that there could be a new team playing out of Oxford (joining the ENL Stars, the women and university teams, and several armed-services and other recreational teams) in the EPL shortly-the rumour has all sourced from a post on the Stars ENL forum. Trouble is, this would make for an odd number of teams in the league, and we all know what havoc that plays with fixtures. However, with many students (some who aren't exactly strapped for cash) in the city and an established tradition of ice-hockey, it could work if someone is willing to lose a fair bit of money in start-up costs...and would certainly be good for the sport...

Crank up the carousel...: It's the time of the year when re-signings start to happen, and two big ones have been announced today with Dave Matsos returning as Sheffield coach for two more years and Brad Cruikshank committing to play in Basingstoke for the same period. Both are good signings-Matsos is improving all the time as a coach in Sheffield, and appears to have found his feet and settled into the role, while down in Hampshire, Cruikshank is the embodiment of everything which has seen the Bison through this season, as well as being a huge part of their success himself as captain-he's a hard-working, hard-hitting, hard-as-nails player who fits the Bison style of play perfectly and has led by example since being given the "C"...Expect to see more of these in the near future as the transfer merry-go-round shakes off the dust and prepares to turn as wildly as ever in the off-season...

And ending as we began...it's IceTunes! The weekly list of recommendations of songs to turn up loud whenrocking your ears on the way to hockey returns...with a few more gems...

The Slip: Even Rats: This is an modern American prog-rock stomper, so good it was judged good enough to be a hidden song on Guitar Hero. At six minutes long it's perhaps a little lengthy..but will do for a pre-game song just to set the tone for the rest of the evening (or as a warning of heavier stuff to come...

Silbermond: Verschwende deine Zeit (Throw Your Time Away): Don't let the fact it's in German put you off-this is a fast-paced pump-up song par excellence...

Plain White T's: Hate: It's a penalty song for the...shall we say...more colourful opposition players when they come to the Skydome. And there are few that fit better when the crowd are jeering and there's a frank exchange of views flying back and forth between the benches and the crowd...

Arch Enemy: Revolution Begins: Possibly too heavy for most tastes, but if you're in a bad mood, stick this on. It works..:)

Pantera: Cowboys From Hell: Just because.

Strata: Cocaine (We're All Going to Hell): It rollicks along nicely in a kind of emo-metal-electronic crossover-this tale of a drug-fuelled hook-up which ends badly (read-very badly) is dark and angry. Perfect for hockey, really...

She Wants Revenge: Tear You Apart: Not quite as bloodthirsty as it sounds, but still as dark in its own way as the one above...

Girls Aloud: Teenage Dirtbag: With all the heaviness going on above, you need a bit of lighter stuff just to cheer people up-and the five popstrel's cover of the Wheatus classic will do nicely. It sounds so wrong...until you actually hear it...

And there you go-there's your Thursday Thoughts. Check back tomorrow for the last-but-two Round the Rinks of the season, and, as always, keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Midweek Musings...

On we go, wasting little time, into another burst of Midweek Musings..

At least now we know what that annoying buzzing in the North East is:...it's the long-awaited return of one of the greatest names in British hockey, the Big Blue Machine that was the Durham Wasps. Despite being out of existence for over ten years after being "stolen" from Durham and moved to form the Newcastle club which, despite several name changes, is the one that competes today, there is still a hardcore of supporters in the North East who consider Durham the "true" hockey town of the North-East (although Whitley Bay and possibly Sunderland would no doubt argue), and have campaigned ceaselessly for a new rink in Durham after the "historic" (read: old) rink was torn down. Finally, their efforts have born some fruit, as for one night only the Wasps will return, facing Whitley Bay in a game to publicise the campaign and strength of feeling. The game is planned for Sunday May 4th, with more details to follow...

More fuel for the Flames: Following on from yesterday, I notice, looking at attendances, that Guildford regularly get far more fans than several EIHL sides-and yet they still claim they don't want to compete at the top level? As someone who fondly remembers trips to the Spectrum back in the days where Blaze-Flames was a huge rivalry, and the way the place tended to rock (although the incessant scream of "Guild-ford!", which was the only chant the crowd seemed to know, tended to get right up your nose) I'd love 'em back. If nothing else it would add a bit more variety to the EIHL, which might bring a few who are drifting away from the game back...

One man's "under-rated" is another's "bloody useless": Amusingly, the Phoenix readers of this blog appear to disagree with my categorising Omar Ennaffati as under-rated-this has forced me to reconsider somewhat as I'm only basing my views on the times I've seen them play-which is obviously a lot less than those who see him week out. Although it does raise the issue of perception-personally I think that players such as Troy Neumeier are far, far over-rated by many, but the human supertanker seems to be quite popular among Blaze fans. Although there's a little mea culpa in here-I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit that I really wasn't sure about the KC Timmons signing earlier in the season, but watching him every week has really opened my eyes to his ability...so, sorry, K.C...And as for Mr Ennaffati...please prove me right...:)

Tanking it? Surely not...: Sometimes, I just get the feeling the hockey gods enjoy making me look silly. And last night was another such case: the Bison lost 7-0 to Nottingham in a game in which they were also missing Curtis Cruickshank. This is somewhat uncharacteristic for the Bison to lose so heavily...but with one eye on the final tonight, perhaps understandable...If Cruickshank plays tonight, then the Bison have a chance. If he doesn't, it gets a little harder, but, as I said last night, nothing brings the best out of a beleagured team like everyone writing them off, and most people have already done that with the Hampshire side...

And finally...
He's getting married in the morning...: Well, not quite-more the summer, but George Awada and his other half Andrea are up for the "Bride of the Year" award in Ireland (the whole of Ireland) and are now into the "public vote" section. It could make for some decent hockey exposure if they win (plus, you get proof that, aside from his hockey abilities, the big Belfast forward also has good taste in womenfolk...You can vote for them here, should you be so inclined...

And that's your Midweek Musings...tomorrow will definitely see IceTunes as well as a ramble or two...until then, keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Tuesday Thoughts, or Credit Where It's Due

On we go with some Tuesday thoughts in which we recognise the champions of the "other" top league in Britain and pass out some awards to the All-Under-Rated All-Stars...

Now, you can do the decent thing and join the EIHL: Guildford clinched the EPL title this weekend, making it yet another time that the title in the "second" league in British hockey has been won by either Guildford, Bracknell or MK Lightning in the past few years, although it's the first title the Flames have won since the demise of the British National League. There is something of a gap between the group of Guildford, Bracknell, Slough and the other teams in the EPL, thanks to money-it appears that the Flames, Jets and (to a lesser extent) Bees prefer to be big fish in a slightly smaller pond rather than give their fans the standard of hockey they deserve (and could probably afford, judging by the calibre of players they attract)-Jan Krajicek (Slough), Lukas Smital (Guildford) and Joe Watkins (also Guildford) are examples of players who can't be on peanuts and could command an equal or better wage in the EIHL (at least for playing hockey)...Surely the "it's not financially viable" excuse we've been hearing from these teams is no longer a valid one-come on, Flames...come back to the top league. You know you want to...

"This is blasphemy! This is madness! Madness...? THIS... IS... BASINGSTOKE!": With apologies to "300", tonight and tomorrow will see more epic tales of a small band of warriors taking on an evil empire and fighting for their (hockey) lives at tremendous odds. Bison take on Nottingham tonight and Coventry tomorrow in two games which could decide their season-lose to the Panthers tonight and the playoff chase suddenly gets a whole lot harder, lose to the Blaze heavily tomorrow and the chance of silverware is all but dead and gone. There have even been suggestions from a few Basingstoke fans that the Bison should take tonight off in the hope of being fully ready for the Blaze tomorrow, as the KO Cup is worth winning at the expense of a playoff place. However, I very much doubt they'll do so and, while the Panthers will win tonight, the game will be a lot closer than the score would perhaps suggest. As for tomorrow night-home crowd, silverware on the line, Blaze possibly suffering a title-celebration hangover...anything could happen.

The Alternative All-Stars: With it now getting towards the time All-Star teams are made and debated, it's fairly certain that the usual mix of top-scoring forwards and d-men will be put together and the same old names, such as Neal Martin, Adam Calder and (this season) Joe Tallari will receive the honours. However, there are many players in the league who are way, way under-rated by the average hockey fan. This may be due to the fact that their contributions can't be seen on the scoreboard, or they're overshadowed by the "stars" on their team, or perhaps they're simply just not "flashy" enough in the way they rack up points. Anyway...I've been considering this for a while, so here, at least, is where the All-Under-rated-Stars finally get their moment in the sun...

First Team:
Goalie: Dan Green (Basingstoke): Possibly the easiest choice on the board for his heroics earlier in the season-Green proved he could carry the load as a starter in this league, earning rave reviews everywhere he played.

Defence: Jason Stone (Cardiff) and Jeff MacMillan (Manchester): Two players who you never really notice unless you're looking for them, these two are steady, unhurried d-men who do the simple things well and are willing to sacrifice their bodies for the team while not caring two much about their individual points. They don't take that many penalties either, so play with their heads as well as their hearts...

Forwards: Sylvain Deschatelets (Cardiff), KC Timmons (Coventry), Greg Chambers (Basingstoke): Perhaps the ideal mix of grit (Timmons), creativity (Deschatelets-21 goals and fifty-five assists on a sixth-place team) and a pure sniper (Chambers)-these three would make a good second line at the vast majority of EIHL teams...in keeping with the theme, they are all perhaps not the first players you notice on their teams but are all vital to a successful campaign in their different ways...

Second Team
Goalie: J-F Perras (Edinburgh)

Defence: Omar Ennaffati (Manchester) and Eric Braff (Basingstoke)

Forwards: Brian Passmore (Manchester), Greg Owen (Basingstoke) and Warren Tait (Sheffield)

There you go-that's your Tuesday Thoughts...tomorrow will see the usual Midweek Musings and maybe even an IceTune or two...keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Double Overtime, 10th March

(picture courtesy of Mark Tredgold, www.tredders.com)

Game over. Coventry are now Elite League Champions after a four-point weekend ensured that, even if Sheffield match them on points, there's no way they can go above them, thanks to the Elite League's system for separating teams on equal points. The picture above is the one that sums up the on-ice action-Curtis Huppe celebrating the game- (and league-)winning goal, which incidentally he scored against his former club, who he left somewhat acrimoniously over the summer...I reckon you could say he's enjoying the moment...:)

Anyway...despite what the odd success-drunk Blaze fan would have you believe, there are nine other clubs in the league, and there are still issues remaining to be settled at the bottom end of the playoff race, so on we go for the other teams...

Basingstoke: A loss to Cardiff isn't the greatest preparation for the KO Cup final this week, not least because it puts Edinburgh in the driving seat for the last playoff spot despite the two teams being on level on points. With the squad still decimated by injuries, the playoffs will take something special now-although Dave Simms' comments in Powerplay this week about the team short-changing the rest of the league by turning up and playing despite being down to the bare bones will no doubt provide some serious motivation...

Belfast: Another team who are simply marking time until the playoffs, the Giants started the weekend on the wrong foot with a 6-3 loss to Nottingham, before being spectators at the Blaze's party on Sunday. With two more weekends to go, the onus is now on Ed Courtenay to gee up his squad with the fight for third place still on between them and Nottingham...

Cardiff: The Devils have now won four on the bounce as they show something of what might have been but for the crippling injuries suffered earlier in the season. Manchester are still chasing them for sixth place, so the Welsh side can't let up just yet-especially with a playoff meeting with either Belfast or Nottingham on the horizon...

Coventry: The Blaze clinched the league title this weekend...there's not much more successful a weekend than that...

Edinburgh: Meanwhile, down at the other end of the table, the Capitals drive for the playoffs hit a bump on Saturday with a surprising loss to the Hull Stingrays on Humberside...however, they got back on form on returning to Murrayfield, beating Manchester in a tight game to go two points ahead of Basingstoke. It seems the Caps are now beginning to believe that they can extend their season for at least another two games...

Hull: ...meanwhile, despite their fine win on Saturday, the Stingrays' season is all over bar the shouting, with only three games left of their nightmare season. With crowds falling and a general feeling of apathy towards the team, judging by the forums at least, that 180 minutes of hockey can't pass quickly enough. Don't expect to see many of the current Hull team back on Humberside next season...

Manchester: The Phoenix lose twice in a damp squib of a weekend. However, with playoff qualification all but sealed, the remaining Phoenix games are all about deciding who the Altrincham side will play in the playoffs, as they still have an outside chance of catching Cardiff for sixth place...

Newcastle: Losing to Sheffield and beating Hull is an average weekend for the Vipers-with 5th place all but secured, the Vipers may just be marking time as they prepare for a meeting with either Belfast or Nottingham in the playoffs...

Nottingham: The Panthers, meanwhile, can still take third place from Belfast before the season's out, which will mean they face Cardiff as opposed to Newcastle. However, compared to the playoff race it's a fairly minor issue, although one place higher in the league may go some way to pacify Neil Black when it comes to retaining his coach...

Sheffield: The Steelers did their part, winning twice over the weekend in order to leave themselves in with a chance if the Blaze slipped up. Unfortunately for the Yorkshire side, they didn't. Still, second place is no disgrace...and there's always the playoffs...

That's your weekend review over and done with-check back tomorrow for a preview of Nottingham-Basingstoke, as well as your usual bunch of thoughts, ramblings and observations...

Round the Rinks, 9th March

Before we begin...

Sheffield call in the movers...Not just yet, admittedly, but it's been announced today that the Steelers are moving just up the road to Rotherham, into their own purpose-built 5000 seat arena in time for the 2011/2012 season. What makes this particularly special is that the club themselves will control the arena, and thus be the first club in Britain to do so-and this includes receiving the revenue...not a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination. It will most likely make the Steelers the richest club in Britain once all is said and done...

Anyway, now that's out of the way...on to the Round the Rinks...

Basingstoke: Just the one game for the Bison this weekend, and it's Cardiff at the Silverdome. Having now lost their game in hand and with Edinburgh playing Hull that night, it's vital the Hampshire side keep winning to even have a chance at the playoff places. With the Devils now marking time until the end of the season, the Bison Nine must come out hard if they're to have any hope of sneaking back into eighth place...

Belfast: The Giants have two tough opponents in Nottingham tonight (covered, as usual, by the Giants webcast team) and Coventry on Sunday. The game at the Skydome is perhaps the more important, with the Giants having the chance to keep the championship race open for at least another week if they take a victory (and spoil their rivals' party to boot). However, the points are important as everyone settles into their final positions-the Giants still have an outside chance at second place if the Steelers falter, and so have their own goals to play for...

Cardiff: The Devils, too, can have an influence on events at both ends of the table as they face Basingstoke and Sheffield. With the team slowly returning to full fitness, a win on at least one of those nights is not out of the question, with several teams keeping an eye on the South Wales sides' progress and (in the case of Coventry and Edinburgh) cheering them on lustily on Sunday and Saturday respectively...

Coventry: The title can be won this weekend if the Blaze take maximum points from both Manchester and Belfast-a situation set up by the fine win in Sheffield on Wednesday. However, even if one of the games are lost, the title's destiny is still in the Midlanders' hands-it seems only a matter of time now before the EIHL title returns to the Sky Blue City...

Edinburgh: Mission Impossible gets slightly easier on Saturday as the Capitals face Hull on Humberside-however, the home tie against a Manchester side who can still improve their place in the table will be a test of the Scots' mettle-with Basingstoke only playing the one game this weekend they have the chance to go four points ahead of their rivals for the last playoff place, and you wouldn't bet against them doing it if they can stop the Phoenix's top scorer and his friends...

Hull: Edinburgh and Newcastle are the next two opponents for the Stingrays in their quest for pride-after doing the Capitals a favour on Wednesday night by beating Basingstoke, the Bison will be hoping that the Stingrays extend the same courtesy to them by beating the Capitals. Sunday night is a dead-rubber game, however, with the Vipers simply looking to consolidate their position and the Stingrays, again, playing for little more than ninth place..

Manchester: Coventry and Edinburgh are the opponents as the Phoenix, like the Devils, enjoy their moment as a potential influence on both season-end battles. Beat the Blaze and the title race is still (just about) open, beat the Capitals and the same can be said of the playoff race. There will be more than just the eyes of Greater Manchester on the Phoenix this weekend...

Newcastle: Consolidation is the order of the day for the Vipers, with the game against Hull nothing more than fixture fulfilment. However, Saturday's game against Sheffield is another one which could influence the title race, so the Vipers had best prepare themselves for a real battle...

Nottingham: Belfast are the sole opponents this weekend-with the Panthers needing a win in the chase for third place-the right result will bring them within a point of the Giants. It's probably little more than window-dressing, but while the East Midlanders can still influence who they will face as playoff opponents themselves, every point counts...

Sheffield: The Steelers have to win, and keep winning. It's as simple as that. Lose to either Newcastle or Cardiff and the title dream is gone. With their last away game coming in South Wales, the Yorkshiremen need maximum points to give them the best possible chance of catching the Blaze and maximising the advantage of their last three games being at the Hallam Arena. Then, it's all in the hands of Coventry and their opponents...

That's your weekend preview...keep keeping your eye on the puck...