Careful What You Wish For...

Typical EIHL. I slag them off for not providing anything to talk about and suddenly there's an absolute raft of new news for us to consider. Let's look at the happenings hot (well, slightly warm) off the presses first, before a bit of a plug for a kindred spirit...

Giants sign even more: Yes, they're all returnees and possibly not quite as exciting as new signings, but the three players announced today by Belfast are all vital pieces of the jigsaw in Northern Ireland. Stevie Lyle returns in goal, which isn't a bad move because a) he's the GB number 1 and b) it means that there'll be ten imports in front of him, and one of them won't be Ed Courtenay, which is an advantage all round for the Giants defence. Shane Johnson returns for yet another season at the Odyssey after making his Giants debut round about the time dinosaurs still roamed outside the rink, while, towards the other end of the age spectrum, Graeme Walton joins him on d for another season. Walton is the best of these three signings in my opinion-a big, steady, British d-man who doesn't score many points and is thus far under-rated by many, but is key to his unit, as he can easily step into a number 4 d-man role and allow the Giants to go with two imports on d should they so wish, thanks to the signing of Dave Phillips to join the Brit contingent...this is of course assuming that Steve Thornton believes Phillips is ready to become a top-tier d-man at the age of 21-his form for Hull would suggest so...

Steelers re-sign Finnerty: Damn. It appears the Steelers (or more specifically Dave Matsos) has broken the habit of many Elite League coaches and put players who are key to his team over simply signing the top ones back first-Ryan Finnerty is one of Sheffield's unsung heroes. Tessier, Talbot and Tait get all the press for the goals they score-however, there are few players in the league loved more by their home crowd (except when he takes the odd stupid penalty) and hated by the opposition than the feisty Albertan centre, who is the glue that holds the Steelers' second line together. He'd walk into any team in the league, and after being one of the players who were crucial in the Yorkshire club's playoff victory this season, he's a huge early capture for Matsos and his team...

Rules Rumpus Revisited: Well, it's nice to see that someone is happy with the new Elite Rules...the thing that worries me is that a) it's the owner of the club who were simply awful at times last season, finished bottom, and are one of the clubs gaining an advantage, so they're hardly going to be unhappy, and b) the main foundation of his happiness is the supposed "15 point penalty" which will be imposed on those breaking the cap. So, let's use a hypothetical example (this is not an accusation of wrongdoing up until this point, by the way)...

Nottingham (whose owner has already publicly stated that the cap is worthless) break the higher wagecap. Dock them 15 points? On the surface, easy decision. However, suddenly the Panthers turn round and go "Yeah, but Sheffield are doing it too, and so are Coventry, look!" Now you have the three most powerful members of the EIHL board being accused of breaking their own rules. Are you really going to tell me that the owners are then going to go "alright, fair cop-chop our points and we'll fall down the table"?. Or cut a player to get underneath it?

Are they fudge. There'll be a long drawn-out discussion of "this is under the cap, this isn't." "But we didn't agree that at the start of the season...you're just out to get us." "Ah, but you're paying one player 2,500 quid a week!" "Yes, but his wife works for us too, and you never said that counted"...Suddenly the league dissolves in in-fighting as those non-lawbreakers either band against the dodgy teams or keep their heads down to avoid causing a split. Or, in the worst case, the teams branded as cheats say "fine, we'll go and play somewhere else" and we have a situation much like that created by the demise of the old Superleague.

At the moment, all my cynical soul can see from these new rules is creative accounting suddenly becoming as important to a league title as the team on the ice, because with the league being the way it is and few daring to challenge the big four, breaking the wage-cap is not as much a crime as being seen to break the cap. And as we all know, there are a myriad ways to get around it if all that the cap is considering is the wages placed on the balance sheet...especially if the cap is nothing more than a "gentleman's agreement". The only way forward is to chop the cap completely (which could lead to teams folding in an ISL-style situation) or make it unbreakable by sticking EVERYTHING underneath it-perhaps saying "teams can only offer players a set number of uni places before they start being counted under the cap" or "bonuses are counted within a weekly wage". In fact, reforming the wage-cap is a whole other topic.

And finally, a shameless plug...But not for anything to do with me. Regular readers of this blog will have read (and doubtless enjoyed) the comments of Matt and Becky, particularly on all things Phoenix-related. Well, they've not started up their own blog, and having read the first few posts, it's looking like a good one. Five Minute Major is its name, and I'm already considering lobbying to turn the Greater Manchester Hockey League into a nationwide one...it's an excellent addition to the slowly-growing sphere of British hockey blogs..They're inviting people to take part as well...so feel free :)

That's all for this Tuesday...keep keeping your eye on the puck, now...

Rule-Change Rumpus and a little more

Sorry. When I said the Breakaway would go from daily to a few times a week, I didn't expect it to go six days without a post...however, there's simply not been that much to talk about. However, it seems you can always rely on the Elite League to do something worthy of comment, and this time they've really surpassed themselves by changing the rules again...





I'm now quoting from this page...





"The bmibaby Elite Ice Hockey League 2007-08 season finished with the stunning playoff finals at the start of April. September will see the next competitive game and already plans are well under way for clubs to enhance the competition and deliver even greater entertainment for the fans."





Stunning playoff finals? Those would be the ones that were generally agreed to be a bit of a let-down as far as the standard of the games went, then? The spin machine is already firing...





"However always wanting to improve the offering to fans, sponsors and the clubs, the league have adopted a new plan which should see the competition within league games even closer when the 2008-09 season gets under way"





You could start by actually sticking to the rules you make in the first place if you want to improve the offering. But failing that, you've done the next best thing and make up new ones...to whit...





Therefore, the teams that finished in the top four places in 2007-08, namely Coventry, Sheffield, Nottingham and Belfast, will continue to ice with a maximum of ten International Transfer Card (ITC) players on their respective rosters in season 2008-09. The teams that finished outside the top four in the 2007-08 regular season will have the option to ice an eleventh ITC player to provide additional depth to their rosters for 2008-09.





Fair enough. However, just how many of the teams outside the top four (the richest teams in the league, by the way) are going to have the money to sign this eleventh import-and just what do you do if they have to go with ten for budgetary reasons? The top Brits still get chased by the top four (even more so in fact as they'll be perceived as a must in order to offset the potential advantage of an extra import for the other four). Then, of course, you have the problem of continuity. Say that this season one of the four mentioned above have a bad year and finish outside the top four despite spending their money on top imports and Brits, and next season earn themselves an extra import. Then they use this advantage and well and truly blitz the league the following season. Just how is that making things more competitive-you could have a situation where teams are yo-yoing up and down the league from season to season based on whether they have an extra import or not, which might enable the PR people to say the league is more competitive as anyone can win it, but doesn't exactly make for consistency in terms of fans' expectations, does it? Nor does it help that certain teams (ie this year's top four) are already getting in the "it's not a true title win if you win it because of an extra import" excuses.



Plus, the system has a loophole-and I'm going to use one of the top players of last year to demonstrate it...Joe Tallari.



Look at his stats. They're not bad, but not great up until his move to Manchester-comparable to the vast majority of imports who come over fairly cheaply and often end up joining the mid-budget teams after being shunned by the big-spenders or, more likely, simply overlooked. If the rules had been in effect this season, the Phoenix would have been allowed an eleventh import (let's assume for a moment that the monetary means would have been there to use that opportunity). Suddenly, thanks to being a far better player than his stats (and thus wage-demands) would have suggested, he's by far one of the best players in the league. However, thanks to the rules the Phoenix have an extra import on their roster (say, KC Timmons-not flashy, but develops into a key player for his team nevertheless). Suddenly, there's a massive advantage-and off go the complaints.



Then, of course, you have the issue of manipulation of results becoming even more attractive at the end of the season. Say your team is in fourth place with nothing to play for, but it's still mathematically possible for your nearest rival in fifth to catch you. Given that the matchup is decided anyway, doesn't easing off a little in the final few games and being overtaken seem attractive for the advantage it'll give you the following season, particularly if you're a team like Nottingham, who have the budget spare? Morally, you'd take some flak, but moral scruples of your own fans will disappear pretty quickly when you turn around and say "Extra import next year, people".

Finally, is it just me who thinks that giving a league whose owners have the morals of a pack of sewer rats when it comes to getting one over on the competition yet another potential loophole for the bigger teams to exploit is a very bad idea?

Now, on to some rumours and signing news...

Derek Campbell from Basingstoke to Cardiff: Given that this was posted by the player's dad, we can safely assume it's credible...

Ben O'Connor signs for Blaze: While this could see the end of James Pease's time at the Blaze, signing arguably the best young d-man in Britain (OHL experience and all) is not an opportunity most coaches would pass up. Especially on a multi-year contract...

Jade Galbraith to Nottingham:...and he looks quite good...although maybe the natural centre the Panthers have been crying out for since Dan Tessier left will have to wait a little longer.

Hopefully the next update will be on Wednesday, but as you've seen, things get a lot more ad-hoc in the summer. There will be one soon though, so until then, keep keeping your eye on the puck..

Scenes from a Season part II...

I know. It's not Saturday afternoon. But I did warn you that we were going onto a summer schedule. I apologise profusely, though. Be warned that from now on the blog may not be updated until mid/late evening on days there is a post, thanks to me being back in the working world full time as opposed to part-time. Anyway-on we go, playing catch-up...

Lyrically blessed...First of all, let's finish off the EIHL season review with the other five teams...

Hull Stingrays:
"Just remember the first step in forgetting Is destroying all the evidence."
Alexisonfire: ".44 Calibre Love Letter"
This season was a nightmare from start to finish for the Humbersiders-Rick Strachan's style of play was vilified by home and away fans alike throughout the league, there were rumours it was causing unrest in the dressing room (given credence by Paul Cabana's departure despite being top-scorer for the team at the time) and watching them became a hockey version of the Chinese Water Torture as the Stingrays slipped to the bottom of the EIHL ocean and then began to dig themselves into the sand. The low point was probably a 10-1 thumping from Sheffield just a week after Rick Strachan had called for his troops to show more battling spirit, but there were plenty more in a season the Stingray's faithful will want to forget pretty quickly. That's if they return at all, judging by alarmingly low season-ticket sales thus far...


Manchester Phoenix:
"Don’t hold me up now,I can stand my own ground,I don’t need your help now..."
Rise Against: "Prayer of the Refugee"
The Phoenix proved they belong in this league this season before finishing with an epic playoff quarter-final in which they just lost out to Sheffield, thanks to the evergreen Tony Hand, the quietly effective Brian Passmore (who a Manchester fan described as having luck so bad in front of goal that he "must have been an axe-murderer in a previous life" when explaining the lopsided stats of the American) and Jeff MacMillan, the simple grit of Brett Clouthier, and the mercurial Joe Tallari. With Tallari gone to Italy, the Phoenix faithful will need to find goals from somewhere else next season, but Hand has a habit of pulling rough diamonds out of his hat (Luke Stauffacher, anyone?). The future is rosy in Altrincham...

Newcastle Vipers
"I hope to be the biggest disappointment"
From Autumn to Ashes: "The Funny Thing About Being Pistol-Whipped Is..."
Poor old Vipers. Top for a week, then Rob Wilson de-rails their season with one ill-placed quote that angered the hockey gods and condemned them to a season of mediocrity, as well as making a rod for his own back that many people happily beat him with the moment the Vipers began to fall. Despite being the only team to have a 100% record at the Skydome (a fact which should make the fans of the league pause for thought when they say the Tynesiders are nothing but a goon team) there's no better way of summing up the season than that quote...one more time, Mr Wilson...
"We (Newcastle) deserve to be where we are"...
Looking at this season, I couldn't have summed it up better myself.

Nottingham Panthers
"She looks like the real thing...She tastes like the real thing...It wears me out..."
Radiohead: "Fake Plastic Trees"
Another season, another Panthers team which flattered to deceive. Despite Tom Askey finally giving the Cats the solid netminder they've needed for the past three seasons, the Challenge Cup victory in Sheffield masked another season in which the expensively-assembled Midlanders went out of the playoffs before the weekend at their home rink and finished nowhere in the league. Mike Ellis has shown that he can get the Panthers going where it's needed, but surely the curse of 1956 will have to be lifted soon, otherwise they might as well call themselves the Nottingham Cubs...

Sheffield Steelers:
"Climbing on the way up, Sizing up the competition, Waiting for the right time..."
From Autumn To Ashes: "Lilacs and Lolita"
The Steelers are a scary team. You can dominate them once, you can gain a lead on them, but they just keep plugging away, and the moment you ease off, they strike. A game-plan which saw them cement second in the league this season before taking a deserved playoff win, sparked by Dan Tessier and the awesome Steve Munn-a trophy is well-earned in Steelerland this season. Next season, however, they'll want the league as well...

Fourth will do:...but it could have been so much better. GB did the easy bit, beating Holland by eight goals to one on Friday, but couldn't beat Kazakhstan on Saturday, going down three-one in a potential silver-medal game. As it happened, the medal would have been bronze instead due to other results, but fourth place with a young team is no disgrace for the Lions. With another season in the EIHL under their belts next time round, there's many a reason to be optimistic about Britain's chances in a World Championship for the first time in a long while by the time 2009 comes around...all the Lions need is for the defence to tighten up and hope that the forwards sharpen up their finishing next time round...with a lot of shots on GB to not a lot on the opposition being the general form of games, that trend is clearly one which needs to be reversed if there is to be progression to the next level...

Rumourwatch: Not that many new (credible) ones floating around apart from "Ben O'Connor to replace James Pease at Coventry" which is believed to be being announced this week as a done deal-it's been around the Blaze forums for a few weeks. In the EPL there's plenty, but most of them are re-signings rather than actual moves, although Dwayne Newman is upping sticks and landing in beautiful Chelmsford, which is a pleasant rumour simply for the fact that it appears to support the Chieftains actually existing at EPL level next season after some uncertainty recently....

That's your update for today...next one to come midweek (likely Wednesday night)-as I am taking part in the Beth Davis Festival of Hockey at the Skydome tomorrow night-all Coventry teams are represented and the fun starts at 6:30 pm...

Until next time, keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Scenes from a Season

Yes, that's a very pretentious title, and yes, this is very late on Thursday evening...but the Breakaway, like the British leagues, is now going onto its summer schedule thanks to other stuff (like earning money) grabbing its four-month window to be more important than hockey with both hands-don't despair though. You'll still be getting the same Breakaway you've come to know and (in probably no cases) love-the difference is you'll now only be getting two or three doses a week as opposed to one a day-at least until the run-up to the new season-and the postings may be somewhat shorter at times, starting with this somewhat rushed one- And, naturally, we shall finish the daily posts with a two-part look back at the season that was, team by team-using my signature style of carefully-chosen song-lyrics for each one...

Basingstoke Bison:
"The worst is over...You can have the best of me"
The Starting Line: "Best Of Me"
After a season which started so badly and nearly ended with a trophy, you can forgive the Bison fans for needing an off-season break. Money troubles nearly killed the Herd in September, before Tomas Enerston rode in on his white horse and saved the day. Real progress has been made both on and off the ice in Hampshire this season, with the heroics of the famous Bison Ten going down in British hockey lore, and crowds going up and up ever since Christmas. Now, with Ryan Aldridge, top scorer Greg Chambers and club captain Brad Cruikshank already signed for the new season (Chambers turning down Coventry among others in order to do so) the summer can be a restful one for fans of hockey down south, as they look forward to a promising autumn...

Belfast Giants
"Everythings all right up here...When I come down...Ill be coming home next year"
Foo Fighters: "Next Year"
It could be said the Giants took a year off this season, as their roster promised so much but ultimately fell short when the pressure was really on. Losing top player and their coach in the same man (Ed Courtenay) won't have helped, but already new coach Steve Thornton has made a splash in the transfer market, re-signing Colin Shields and tempting Dave Phillips away from his hometown Hull team to ensure that whatever happens, the Odyssey will have two of the top British players calling it home ice. The Giants, as the song lyric suggests, will be back...

Cardiff Devils
"I could've been a contender I could've been a someone...I could've been the heavyweight champion of the world..."
Reverend and the Makers: "Heavyweight Champion of the World"
But for injuries, the Devils would have won several trophies this season. That's something I firmly believe-their 16-game winning streak before the injuries hit shows that they had the quality. And so the 2007/08 season can be summed up in two words for the South Wales side, and they are, as you might have expected, "what if....?"

Coventry Blaze
"Summertime...and the living is easy..."
Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald: "Summertime" (from "Porgy and Bess")
Two trophies will take the sting out of losing a third. Not that much-but they will. And, let's be honest, the Blaze never really looked like losing the title from around about the time they returned from the Continental Cup. Hiccups in the Challenge Cup were brushed aside as they romped to the league title and ensured another lazy, contented summer for Warwickshire hockey fans. However, with the squad rumoured to be decimated this off-season, and linchpin of the team Neal Martin already gone, both Blaze fans and the opposition alike will be watching Paul Thompson hard this off-season to see whether he can work his magic yet again...

Edinburgh Capitals
"Just when I thought our chance had passed...You go and save the best for last"
Vanessa Williams: "Save the Best For Last"
A cheesy song, yes, but it sums up the Caps' season beautifully. After bumping along in ninth place for the majority of the season, pulling off a shock result here and there but never sustaining form long enough to mount a serious charge up the table, the Scots, led by the mercurial Colin Hemingway, sneaked into the playoffs by the back door with a beautifully-timed run of form which caught the Basingstoke Bison just as they lost theirs at the end of a tiring season. Pushing the Blaze all the way in the playoff quarters is an indication that top-flight hockey at Murrayfield is well and truly back under Scott Neil and Doug Christiansen, and fans north of the border will be getting just a scent of the old Racers' glory days in their nostrils as they hope the Caps can improve over this off-season...

There you go. I know it's short, but with my time being well and truly at a premium at the moment I'm grateful I could get that much on. Part II will be coming on Saturday afternoon, as well as a look at the GB-Netherlands game, which will be taking place on Friday evening with the British Lions still in the hunt for at least a silver medal...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Midweek Musings...

Right-decided. Tomorrow (probably mid-evening as I may well be out all day) you get the EIHL review. I know I've been promising it all week but it's actually a lot harder than I thought to sum up ten different seasons in a punchy, interesting way. Besides, this column will contain a bit of a rant anyway...you have been warned.

People Like Us: It seems the fashion for blogging UK hockey has begun to spread, as while browsing on the Hockey Forum last night I found the F-Block Blog, which now means that two teams in the EIHL have their own specific blogs, in Check To The Head (Edinburgh) and now Hull-the blog is named after the notorious (well, in Hull Arena at least) F Block. It's just starting out by the looks of things, but looks promising...

GB v Korea update: As I write, GB are 3-1 up with nine minutes or so to go, and look like they're on their way to their first win in the competition, which would put them on four points thanks to the somewhat strange scoring system used (3 for a regulation win, 2 for OT win, 1 for OT loss)-which is a decent mid-table position (fourth) with two games to play...the game has now finished 4-1, which isn't a bad result but is only really what's expected against the team just-promoted from Div II

Lee Mitchell returns to Hull:...much to the relief of Stingrays fans, who were convinced he was heading north to Newcastle. One of the best young Brits in the league returning to one of last season's worst teams-who says we need a draft? :)

Wage Cap Wonder: You know that rant I warned you about? Here it comes...

According to those who attended the Cardiff fans' forum held this week, all the EIHL clubs recently held a meeting in order to sort out the plans for next season, agree on the wage-cap etc. However, two teams did not attend the meeting in Sheffield, both citing travel issues. Care to guess which two?...
Yep, one was Edinburgh-this is fair enough.


Got the other one yet?


Nope, not Belfast....


Not them either....


It was Nottingham. Yes, that's the same Nottingham that, according to the AA, is all of 43 miles away-less than an hour's travel. I accept that Neil Black himself may have been busy on that day, but surely there's someone in the Panthers' organisation that can stand in his stead when it's the future of the league his team play in that's being decided. Although, given that Black has publcly stated that the wage cap means nothing to him, perhaps it's no surprise that no-one from the Cats could trouble themselves to actually take part in discussions...

Some may see this condemnation of the Panthers as somewhat hypocritical, given that "my" team are good for saying one thing and doing another (as seen when publicly stating they wouldn't appeal against the sanctions levelled at Belfast for playing an ineligible player and then doing so a few weeks later, followed up by a snipe or two in the local press as seen here-particularly that end comment, which just smacks of victim syndrome) but anyway-the point does remain that the Panthers are among the most vociferous of complainants when they think a wrong has been committed against them. Clearly, however, deciding not to take part in discussions which are supposed to be for the good of the league doesn't really count as a wrong when you're one of the biggest teams and your venue is host to the showpiece weekend of the season.

The good news for league parity, though, appears to be that the wage cap has actually dropped slightly for next season, which means no more throwing money at players in order to monopolise the best Brits-not if you want a decent roster as a whole, anyway. Given that the Devils were apparently only the fifth highest spenders in the league with their (pretty expensive-looking) roster, it'll be interesting to see just what effect this so-called tightening-up has on the really big spenders...

There's your Midweek Musings for another week...keep keeping your eye on the puck...

International Tuesday Thoughts

The EIHL season review is taking far longer than I thought it would, thanks to me having lots of other stuff on, so today we will confine ourselves to international matters in a fairly short post...

Let's just say that it's fairly hard to find positives after being beaten by 10 goals to five by Austria last night, even though the home nation is arguably the best team in the group. Thanks to the wonders of the Internet I watched some streaming coverage of the game, and the gulf in class was very noticeable indeed. It's not even as if you can blame the gap purely on experience, either, as comparably the Austrian roster is of a similar average age to the current GB one. Nor can you claim that Thomas Vanek was the difference for the Austrians, as he didn't score all ten goals nor did he assist on all of them. There were three major areas which seemed to win the game:

Skating/Fitness: We'll take these together, since one has an impact on the other. The Austrians were quicker, kept going at a high pace for longer, and looked far surer on their skates than the GB squad...whether this is due to the fact that the vast majority play at a higher level or just pure conditioning, it still needs to be rectified if the Brits are to keep up at this level...

Passing: Another area which saw the Austrians streets ahead. Hairiest moment of the night was Jonny Weaver deciding to pass the puck out in front of his own net without looking after (presumably) hearing a shout for it-straight onto the stick of a lurking Thomas Vanek. Thankfully the Sabre fanned on his shot (presumably out of surprise) but the number of giveaways, if you compared them, would probably be something like two to one in the direction of GB.

Defence: Austria fire in 56 shots, GB muster 18. It doesn't take a genius to work out that there's far more likelihood of conceding a goal the more shots you allow...especially when you then give the forwards a second or even third bite at the cherry by not clearing the puck...

All teams now have a rest day before GB take on Korea on Wednesday-this game is coming at probably the best time for the Brits as they can go for their first morale-boosting victory against arguably the weakest team in the group...

That's your Tuesday thoughts for today...keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Double Double Overtime...

This weekend saw a hive of activity in British hockey both at home and abroad, as the EPL finals took place in Coventry and GB went into action at the World Championships...and so, without further ado, let's review them, along with some other comings and goings...

J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets!: Shamelessly nicking one of the most famous chants in American football fandom, we commemorate me being completely wrong in my EPL playoff predictions on Friday as Slough win the EPL finals 4-1 over Bracknell...at least I picked one of the finalists right-and was right about the Slough-Guildford semi being too close to call as it ended 4-3 with a Jets goal in the final few minutes. It must be said, though, that all the EPL defenders' arguments that their league isn't dictated by money like the EIHL supposedly is don't really hold water when you bear in mind that the Jets, Flames and Bees are three of the top-budget sides in the league and the "other" side, Sheffield, although they battled hard, were never really expected to do more than make up the numbers. By all accounts the best game of the weekend (although perhaps the worst-reffed) was the ENL final between Whitley and Peterborough, which the Northern side took to take at least one trophy in British hockey north of Nottingham this season...

Paying the Polish Penalty: Meanwhile, in Innsbruck, the GB squad opened their World Championships with a penalty-shot loss to Poland, thanks to not being able to score when it mattered (indeed, the sole GB goal was scored by Greg Chambers, a transplanted Canadian). However, one point is better than none against one of their major rivals in the group, and means that the team can go into tonight's game against Austria (Thomas Vanek and all) with some hope, even after the Austrians opened their account with an 8-0 victory over Korea last night, while in the other game yesterday Kazakhstan beat Holland by 6 goals to three. Currently today Poland have beaten the Netherlands 6-4, the Kazakhs are 3-0 up against Korea in the second period, and GB play Austria live on the BBC around 7.30 pm British time this evening-go to bbc.co.uk/coventryandwarwickshire for the links...

Auf geht's Haie: Staying in Europe briefly before returning to domestic news, my Cologne team are in the DEL finals against Berlin having beaten Frankfurt in a five-game series-this is one finals I'll have to follow from afar because there's no way I can afford it at short notice-however, you can follow the series (and games when they're on thanks to the liveticker service) at www.del.org or www.haie.de.

Transfer news: Meanwhile, some rumours have already been quickly scotched with early-off-season player movements in the UK...Joe Tallari has jumped ship on the Phoenix to go and play in Italy (which seems to be a popular destination recently for UK-based players when they do leave-in the last few years Steve O'Brien, Dave Clarke, Tallari and several others have headed to Southern Europe on the backs of good seasons in the UK. In somewhat more surprising news, Romford Raiders are raiding the EIHL for next season, with Jeff Hutchins rumoured to be stepping down a league from the Newcastle Vipers to go and play at Rom Valley Way. The big story of the week so far, though, is...

Shields signs for Belfast: Not bad work from Steve Thornton thus far-not content with snapping up arguably the best young British defenceman in Dave Phillips (from Hull) he's convinced Colin Shields (arguably the best British forward) to return to the Odyssey after two seasons away (one in the ECHL and the last one in Newcastle) on a two-year contract...things aren't looking too bad for the Northern Irish fans at this very early stage of the off-season...

Forget the men-GB women are the hockey team to watch: Congratulations to the GB women's squad, who this weekend did what the men have failed to do for far too long and win an international competition. Not only that, but it was their division of the World Championships, beating Slovenia on penalties in the final and thus being promoted up to the next level, with Solihull and ex-Coventry player Katie Henry (who I've had the pleasure of watching when I used to announce for the Phoenix) being a key part of the squad. With an average age of late-teens, the GB women are certainly on the up and are doing their bit to put hockey on the map in this country-well done, ladies...

And linking seamlessly...Given that I'm not exactly a fount of information when it comes to women's hockey, I have found someone who is in order to cater for the readers of this blog who may be interested in the fairer sex's exploits in British hockey-the Women's Hockey Blog is a very good read indeed, and well worth checking if you want to keep up with all aspects of the sport in this country...

Finally, shameless plug time: Next Tuesday in Coventry sees the Beth Davis Festival of Hockey taking place at the Skydome, in aid of a Kingston player (both in junior and senior women's hockey) who suffered a broken neck during a game between Coventry and Kingston a few months ago. All the Coventry teams will be taking part, including the team I play for in the Coventry Chaos (and yes, before you ask, I will be icing), from U10's to members of the senior Blaze squad-that means that you'll be able to see seventeen different teams on ice during the evening...

Coventry Blaze
Blaze ENL
Coventry Phoenix (women's Div I)
Recreational and uni teams)
Coventry Chaos (The original Coventry rec team)
Coventry Chargers
Warwick Panthers (Warwick Uni)
Coventry Uni Eagles

Mercian Menace (all squads)
Coventry Blaze Juniors (all squads)

Apparently each team will play in four ten minute games-entrance is free but you'll likely be asked to make a donation to the fund, and the fun starts around 6:30 pm...if you're in the Coventry area that night, then come and see just how big a sport hockey in Coventry is...

That's your lot for today-tomorrow we reflect on GB v Austria and (finally) review the EIHL season...until then, keep keeping your eye on the puck...

International Review and EPL Preview Part 2...

I know, I know...this looks a bit strange. Basically I'm going to be out at work until around 6pm tomorrow so thought I'd get this on early on Friday, as by tomorrow evening a lot of EPL people will be on their way to Coventry already. First of all, though...

Reasons to be cheerful:...I've just got back from the GB/Sweden U20 game at the Skydome. As you'd expect of friendly games, it lacked a little in intensity but this was more than made up for by the sheer skill of the Swedes...you forgot pretty much instantly that most of these players were barely old enough to drink the MoM beer legally, never mind play senior hockey. Some of the speed and stick-handling exhibited by the youngsters, particularly Niclas Backlund and player-of-the-game Marcus Persson, was well above even that which would earn rave reviews at EIHL level. And as for the skating...Neal Martin would have to work hard to keep up with them...

However, despite this, the expected tanking never really materialised-the Swedes did spend long periods in the GB zone and tested both Stevie Lyle and Stephen Murphy (who played 30 mins each) on many occasions, but when the home side played as a unit, it looked to be more than equal to the task of keeping up with their more illustrious opponents. It was nice to see David Clarke back on British ice and his goal for 2-2 was beautifully taken as he reacted quickest to poke home a rebound from an acute angle-Stephen Murphy will want the first Swedish goal back though as a shot from the point dribbled through his five-hole.

All in all a performance from which GB fans can take heart from-they may have been pulled this way and that at times by the fast Swedish passing but held thier shape well and didn't play too many sloppy passes themselves. Drawing 2-2 with one of the top hockey countries in the world, even if it is their U20 side, is an achievement in itself for a Div 1 nation, so let's hope the squad can build on this in Innsbruck...

Meanwhile, back in domestic competition...
It's time for the second half of our EPL playoff preview, with Slough and Guildford coming under the microscope...(Bracknell and Sheffield were covered in Thursday's post)

Slough Jets
The richest side in the EPL are stuffed with EIHL-quality players-Steve Moria is still producing the goods at age 48, Jan Krajicek is by far one of the best defencemen in Britain, never mind his own league, and Blaz Emersic and Joe Cicarello round out an intimidatingly strong import corps. On d there's also Paddy Ward, who is carving out a very good career indeed at EPL level, and on forward watch out for Michael Bowman, who's made a strong return from a long injury layoff this season. The major obstacle to Slough winning the playoff weekend outright is the first they face, and we'll look at them now...

Guildford Flames
The EPL champions will come to Coventry confident that their powerful forward line, containing Lukas Smital (arguably the best forward outside the EIHL), along with Jozef Kohut, Milos Melicherik, the goals of Taras Foremsky and the grit and agitating ability of utility player Vaclav Zavoral will carry them to victory just as it did in the league season, even if one of the players has to sit out due to import rules. On defence, the cool heads of Paul Dixon and Neil Liddiard, the raw talent of young David Savage and the steady performances of Joe Watkins in net are the factors that have done the same. Bear in mind, though, that the Flames have several young Brits who can step in when needed, chief among them Ollie Bronnimann, who surely has an Elite contract in his future. If they can beat Slough, it's hard to look past the Flames as the safe bet for champions...

Predictions
First semi: Bracknell will just have too much for Sheffield, especially if Peter Slamiar's injury means he misses the game...
Second semi: Now this is a tough one to call. I'm going with Guildford, though-simply because, as a team, I think they're slightly better than Slough-a fact whic has been proven in the league season. Plus, having seen Lukas Smital and Taras Foremsky play, those two are game-winners by themselves when they're in the mood, as they certainly will be come playoff time...

Final: This'll be a titanic battle-Bees vs Flames, Kanka v Smital, Watkins v Rockman. Once again, I think the Flames just edge it, possibly in overtime, thanks to Smital and Foremsky being slightly better than Kanka and Peter Jasik when it comes to outwitting their respective defensive opponents. It really could go either way, though...

There's your Coventry preview-I may well pop along to at least the Sunday if I'm lucky enough can find the money...look for the tall, handsome (OK, maybe that's pushing it :)) guy in a Cologne Sharks or Blaze shirt settled in at the Zamboni end, or maybe, if I'm really lucky, the Windmill pub between games...

Good luck to all the teams at the weekend, and keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Thursday Thoughts: Two Team Teaser & Tunes...

Wow. That's the last time I try an alliterative title...:)

Anyway...today we'll look at the first two teams taking part in this weekend's EPL playoffs-Sheffield and Bracknell, before having a gander at the two powerhouses (Guildford and Slough) tomorrow. And of course there's your fix of IceTunes...

But first, a few items of news...

Dave Phillips signs for Belfast: ...and so the exodus from Hull begins. One of the better Brits in the league (and still only twenty) the big Stingray has finally left the club where he's spent his whole career to date to become Steve Thornton's first signing. Not a bad opening to the off-season for Giants-Phillips is big enough and fast enough to play and contribute in this league, and has experience in all situations thanks to the Stingrays throwing him into just about every situation you can have in a hockey game and expecting him to sink or swim...a very good first capture for Steve Thornton-it does, however, raise questions about Paul Moran's future in Northern Ireland-third-line forward or surplus defenceman?

Jonathan Phillips returns to Steelers: No relation to Dave, but a slightly better Brit, Jonathan Phillips will captain Sheffield for another year. This season he's finally made the leap from "great developing player" to "elite Brit" and reached a level as good as if not better than Ash Tait and Jonathan Weaver-I would love to have seen Phillips on my squad. There should be nothing but pleasure in Sheffield at this signing...

GB on the BBC: BBC Coventry will be providing live Internet commentary on all of the games involving GB at the World Championships-the link can be found here along with times. They'll also be covering tonights GB-Sweden game (which annoyingly I'll miss thanks to work) on the same link...

That's the news dealt with...now onto the teaser part with a look at the first two teams in Coventry this weekend...

Sheffield Scimitars
By far the underdogs in this group of four, the "other" Sheffield hockey club have made it to Coventry on the back of Peter Slamiar's and Stephen Wallace's goals and the heroics of Paul Jones and Pasi Raitanen in net, having topped Group A in the qualifying after finishing fifth in the league. This was something of a poisoned chalice as far as the Coventry weekend goes, however, as, thanks to their playoff groupings it now means that their supposed "easier" game is against Bracknell, who finished three places above them. With Slamiar (44+40 last time I checked) potentially missing Coventry, though, all the weight will fall upon the Scim's British talent (Robert Dowd and Stephen Wallace being the most important) if they're to have any chance of beating the Bees, and whoever plays in net will need two stellar games for the Scims to pull off a shock and win it...

Bracknell Bees
One of the powerhouses of the EPL despite their well-documented money troubles earlier in the season, the Berkshire side have the league's top import scorer in Michal Kanka, as well as a crop of very good Brits (many, like Tom Carlon and Matt Foord, with EIHL experience) to back him up and experienced EPL campaigner Greg Rockman in net. Their defence is anchored by Dwight Parrish, a long-time British hockey stalwart who's spent most of his career at the top levels in Britain, and the offensive force is provided by Jan Melichar, who can find the net as well as any forward when he needs to. The Bees will want revenge on their local rivals Guildford and Slough, either of whom they could meet in the final, and so you can guarantee they'll be going all out to avoid being the victims of a shock...

I know that these previews are a little shorter and less detailed than the ones for the Elite teams-this is the problem I have when you mainly watch EIHL hockey...if there are any mistakes in the above, feel free to correct me. Guildford and Slough previews appear tomorrow...

For all you EPL fans who are going to the Coventry weekend, by the way, the Old Windmill Pub on Spon Street usually runs offers for fans in hockey shirts during Blaze games-I believe they're continuing them for the EPL weekend, so nip in and have a pint or two...

And finally, a brief bit of IceTunes: There's only a couple of songs in there today, what with the playoff CD being created last week, and both of them are a bit more poppy than usual, but given that they've been rocking around my head all week I'll hopefully at least be able to share them and know I'm not the only one who has "earworm fever"...

Ashlee Simpson: Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya): I defy you not to have the chorus running round your head after one listen...or sit there and not get an urge to bob your head back and forth as soon as the beat kicks in...And this coming from someone who usually likes his music a lot heavier...Plus, she's by far the better-looking Simpson sister...

The Ting Tings: That's Not My Name: See above...apart from the Simpson part. :)

Tomorrow we review the GB v Sweden game and look at the other two teams taking part in the Coventry weekend...until then, keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Midweek Musings...

The trouble with writing a daily blog in the (almost) off-season is that you have to try and avoid repeating yourself-hockey news has almost gone into a kind of limbo despite the Stanley Cup playoffs starting tonight-I did consider doing a preview of them but it's one of those things you can find all but everywhere else with a few seconds' searching (and done far better than I could), so I scotched that idea. However, there are some interesting tidbits floating around the British hockey world....

Scottish rinks in trouble...: According to this BBC News article, the state of hockey in Scotland (currently with only one top-flight team in Edinburgh and a league which is well and truly disconnected from the rest of the UK as far as coverage in prestige goes) could get even worse thanks to the threatened closure of even more rinks. The article states that the vast majority of rinks in Scotland are making a loss, and this situation could only get worse thanks to the need to replace the refrigeration plants in order to comply with EU regulations coming in in the near future. The good news is that Murrayfield has apparently already done so...however, with almost nothing now heard of Fife and Dundee (once great hockey towns) outside of a few diehards who keep an eye on the Scottish league, reports of a collapse in the Scottish league and no chance of the "big" sides returning to the EIHL any time soon, these aren't great times for hockey-fans north of the border...

Devils chasing Mark Smith: According to the South Wales Echo, Cardiff are targeting a return of their top centre (and one of the best of the EIHL era, in my opinion) Mark Smith for next season. The Canadian, who's spent this season in Italy after scoring 35+57 for the Devils in 06/07, is believed to be interested in a return to the Welsh capital-the Devils faithful will be hoping this will rekindle his partnership with Max Birbraer in order to provide a top line which can compete with any in the league, including the famed AC/DC partnership in Coventry...

More Blaze rumours: Although this time Curtis Huppe is the player being replaced, as the ex-Giant is rumoured to be retiring this off-season. Lance Galbraith is a name that's been mentioned as a target-as a fairly prolific scorer in the ECHL he would more than slot in on the top two lines of any EIHL side...

More Wagecap questions: An idea from the Phoenix forum to sort out the clear problems with the current wagecap...make all contracts the responsibility of the EIHL rather than the teams themselves, with the teams paying the wage money into a central account which is then distributed to the players according to the terms of their contract. Not a bad idea at all, this-it would make the cap a hell of a lot harder to break if the people running the league knew what everyone else was being paid-and since all contracts are central, it would allow for trades between teams without breaking the EU employment laws, since players would still be working for the same employer, but just "transferred" to a different department under the same contract...But I'm sure there'll be some reason why this couldn't be applied to UK hockey, so once again we return to the problem of the people running the league also being the people who effectively ignore their own rules in the first place...

There you go-there's the Midweek Musings for this week...tomorrow we will take an in-depth look at the first two teams in the EPL playoff weekend and begin the build-up to Coventry as well as round-up any new rumours...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Tuesday Thoughts: International Special

As promised yesterday, this time out we look at Great Britain's opponents in the forthcoming World Championships, as they stand in the way of GB's attempts to be promoted back to the elite level of international competition and indeed take part in the next Winter Olympics. Despite not being among the top 16 nations in the world (they're all competing at the World Championships proper) there are some good teams in the group, and we start with perhaps the best of them...

Austria: The host nation has long lived in the shadow of its neighbour Germany as far as international competition goes, although they were the team relegated from the top sixteen at the last world championships and thus will be looking for a quick return. The Erste Bank Superliga is one of the better in Europe, and there are several Austrians with NHL experience, including Buffalo's exciting sniper Thomas Vanek, ex NY-Ranger Thomas Pock and ex-St Louis Blue Reinhard Divis. However, only Vanek is currently on the roster, along with ex-Minnesota Wild player Christoph Brandner. The Austrians are by far the favourites to win the group, particularly now Darcy Werenka has accepted dual nationality in order to play internationally for them rather than his native Canada, and with home advantage it's hard to look past them returning to the elite sixteen this time round...

Poland: This time out the Poles are made up entirely of players who play either in their domestic league or, in a few cases, other Eastern European leagues. They'll be GB's first opponents in Innsbruck, and they're a team about whom very little is known outside their native country, so it will be interesting to see just what level they're at compared to GB-as a team who stayed in Div I last time out and have played at this level since 2002, they should be fairly comparable...

Kazakhstan: Now we're right out in the unknown. As a former Soviet satellite state, the Kazakhstanis are a team who haven't really stood out in international competition, although they are the lone team in this group to have played in the 2006 Olympics, finishing in 9th place. Made up of players from the Russian leagues, they should be of a decent standard-however, a solid mid-table finish (or second at best) is probably all they can hope for...

Netherlands: There was a time when, like GB, the Dutch side had a large amount of dual-nationals. Now, they're almost entirely made up of players from the domestic league, with one dual-national in Paul Stanfort. The high point of Dutch hockey history was their participation in the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid-since then they've not really made any waves on the International scene, although they too have consistently played at Div 1 level for a number of years...

South Korea: The new boys in the group after winning promotion from Div II last year, the Asian team are a long way from home and possibly some way out of their depth, despite the surprisingly high standard of the Asian leagues. They're the lowest-ranked team in the group, although they do hold the record for the highest-ever ice-hockey score after beating Thailand 92-0 (that's a goal every 45 seconds) in 1998 at the Asian Winter Games.

That's your somewhat brief preview of the opponents who GB will be facing from Sunday-for an analysis of the GB team click here, although it has changed slightly with Danny Meyers being brought in to replace the withdrawing Nathan Rempel, Shane Johnson not being cleared to take part in time (replaced by Luke Boothroyd) and Colin Shields taking an injury on Saturday (replaced by Warren Tait.

Tomorrow we run our usual Midweek Musings and start to look forward to the EPL finals taking place in Coventry this weekend...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Game Winner: Season's End Double Overtime

Congratulations to the 2008 EIHL playoff champions-the Sheffield Steelers. Unlike Coventry, they not only turned up for the final in full force but continued the speed and aggression you need to win in playoff hockey (and up until now had been the hallmarks of Blaze play) for the full sixty minutes. Despite the score only being 2-0, there was only ever one winner once Jonathan Phillips had fought his way from the left-hand boards to the crease and jammed the puck through Koenig's legs from all of six inches out-Dan Tessier's instinctive wrister in the second period broke the back of the league champions, but even before then the Steelers were dominant in all aspects of the game. Rather than just running through bog-standard match-reports and reactions (which you can find pretty much anywhere) we'll just run through a few "best ofs"...

Best goal: Even though his team lost, Max Birbraer's spin-and-shot for Cardiff against Sheffield breathed life back into a game which had become...well, a little dead after the early Sheffield goal.

Best save: Jody Lehman in the final's second period-with Sheffield 1-0 up the puck breaks to Adam Calder in front of the net with some space. With the Blaze blocks already rising in anticipation as he wound up, Lehman somehow manages to drop and slide sideways at the same time to get a pad on the shot, and control the rebound well enough that it flew off into the corner rather than coming right back out to a lurking Curtis Huppe...

Best hit: First semi final, Tom Watkins on Todd Jackson. As the puck bobbles across the middle, Jackson stretches with his head down for the loose puck and is absolutely destroyed by an onrushing Watkins with a sweet shoulder-to-chest hit that sends the Viper flying through the air for a good few feet. However, despite the puck being barely a foot away and already having been played, Watkins is called for interference. Runner up is Ryan Finnerty walloping Jonathan Weaver in the final's second period and sending him spinning like a top into the boards down in front of the Steelers fans.

Best fans: Of the teams there, Sheffield. However, Manchester fans did themselves proud throughout the weekend, in company with the Giants fans next to them.

Best chant: The Panthers fans try and get into the act in the final by chanting "show us your trophies" at the Steelers fans, who respond with "show us your mascot" (Paws being absent). Panthers then desperately try and respond with "Where's Steeler Dan?" as the Sheffield mascot has also failed to put in an appearance. They're then shot down in mid flight as Steelers drop the hammer blow, instantly responding with "Where's your team?!". Steelers 1, Panthers zero...It was, however, run very close by the Phoenix fans showing their liking for Stephen Fone by asking where he was during the final after Blaze conceded the first goal.

Best confirmation of a rumour: Todd Kelman spending a large part of the weekend talking to Steve Thornton, followed up by the Belfast fans serenading the Bison player during the final...which has made the announcement that he's joining the Giants as coach almost irrelevant in hockey circles after the rumour broke last week...

Best gossip moments of the PO weekend (judge for yourself whether for rumour value or comedy): Phil Osaer nearly joining Blaze before being tempted away by a team in Norway...John Craighead returning not just to watch the playoffs, but because he's being courted as a replacement for Mike Ellis...Lee Jinman negotiating with Coventry as a replacement for Dan Carlson...Dan Cloutier searching for a house in Coventry because he's being bought out by the LA Kings...Nottingham also chasing Sylvain Deschatelets...

That's your playoff weekend in thirty seconds or so...and so the EIHL season ends for another year. This doesn't mean that the Breakaway will go onto its summer schedule just yet though, as we've still got the end-of-term reports to write for the EIHL (they'll probably appear midweek) and the EPL playoffs to get through...a preview of those will appear later this week. Then there's the Stanley Cup, the DEL playoffs (which are currently in full swing with "my" Cologne team in the semis)...

Perhaps one of the most relevant events to come for British fans in general, however, is the World Championships in Innsbruck later this month. Tomorrow we'll turn our attention to the International scene with a look at each of Great Britain's opponents in Austria, as well as your usual mix of rumours and news which tends to build up this time of year...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Halfway Point...

Just a quick update having just got back from Nottingham, after a highly exciting day of semi-final competition...

Coventry v Newcastle: Blaze sneak through but boy, did the Vipers make them work for it, with some very borderline hits coming in throughout the game and several flashpoints. Jeff Hutchins was thrown out for high-sticking Dan Carlson viciously in the face, a long way away from the play, after earlier being allowed to escape unpunished from a check to Koenig when the Blaze goalie left his crease. Andre Payette was also his usual self. although let it not be said (as many Blaze fans will tell you) that the thuggery was all the one way. Neal Martin somehow managed to escape with only a two-minute minor for a vicious swing of the stick into the back of Payette's legs which was, if not unprovoked (there had just been a melee in front of the net which had seen Soderstrom decked by Longstaff and pushes and shoves flying everywhere) at least unnecessary and at worst a blatantly thuggish act...if that had been some players in the league the reactions would have been far worse than just "oh, he was being wound up". For the record, goals were scored by Huppe, Cloutier, Calder and Weaver for the Blaze, and Jackson and Wilson for the Vipers...

Sheffield v Cardiff: Not the greatest of semis for quality of play (the passing was bloody awful from both sides at times) but not bad at all for tension-the Steelers sneaked through against a Devils side who looked...well, a little less fiery than usual. Moment of the match was, however, the Devil goal-Max Birbraer spinning on the spot and one-timing a puck past Lehman from a tight-ish angle at the edge of the left face-off circle. For their part, Steelers looked pretty ordinary as they huffed and puffed and eventually sneaked a win thanks to two goals from Doug Sheppard...

So, I'm still on course with my predictions...back up the M69/M1 tomorrow for first v second in the league, to determine the PO champions...

Playoff Final Preview: Reasons to Be Optimistic, and Blaze's First Big Signing?

Tomorrow sees the climax of the EIHL season for another year with the showpiece that is the EIHL finals weekend taking place in Nottingham (I'll be there, walking round in a Stephane Julien (#22) white Cologne Sharks top should you fancy saying hello)...and given that the title Round the Rinks is somewhat superfluous with all three matches taking place in one place, we'll simply look at why all four teams attending have a chance to win, and assess their chances. It must be said that this is one of the hardest weekends to pick in a long while, though...

Coventry Blaze
Why they have a chance: Erm...they're the league champions, so that must count for something. Plus, they have arguably the most complete side in the league, with scorers, grinders, d-men and the league's top goalie (at least statistically) in Trevor Koenig backing them up and looking for his second playoff title. With a team in which almost every player is a proven winner at EIHL level (only Matty Soderstrom and Curtis Huppe haven't played on a team that's won an EIHL playoff title, and Huppe won the league with Belfast instead)
What could stop them: Expectation. With many tipping the Blaze to win it this year, the stage is open for them to lose to arguably the least-fancied team in the semis, just like they did to Cardiff last time out. Paul Thompson and his players will be desperate to make sure this doesn't happen again against the one team that have a 100% record against the Blaze in the champions' home rink...

Newcastle Vipers
Why they have a chance: Playing style. The Vipers are the only team at the final four who prefer crash-bang hockey rather than skill (the Devils and Blaze can play it if so desired but it's not their preferred way to win games and all three of the Vipers opponents can be knocked off their game by good old fashioned smash-mouth hockey) As a team with a good mix of scoring talent and pure power the Vipers will be fancying their chances of pulling off a shock tomorrow, especially as they were expected to lose to Belfast in the quarters.
What could stop them: Penalty trouble. The Geordies aren't exactly the calmest of teams and have two of the league's leading penalty-takers in Andre Payette and Derek Campbell, both of whom are also crucial to their teams' style of play. If either or both of these two get riled up, then the minors (and opposition powerplays) tend to mount up as well as blunting the battering-ram by which the Vipers gain the majority of their chances, so the PK unit will need to be prepared to see a lot of ice-time over the weekend...

Cardiff Devils:
Why they have a chance: Put simply, motivation. The Devils have made it to Nottingham every time in the past four seasons, but have always suffered heartbreak each and every time, culminating in last year's penalty-shot loss to Nottingham. After gaining sweet revenge on the Panthers in the quarters this time out, the Welsh faithful will be hoping that this is finally their year, particularly with Brad Voth playing immensely and Sylvain Deschatelets providing the creative spark for Jason Silverthorn and Max Birbraer on offense...
What could stop them: The wobbles. After being the bridesmaids so often, the Devils psyche needs to be strong to cope with the inevitable rollercoaster-ride of playoff weekend-if other teams score early, frustration may set in even among the never-say-die attitude of the Welsh dragons, especially as a large section of the team remain from last season and the pain of losing the playoff final when it was there to win will still be a raw wound for many...

Sheffield Steelers:
Why they have a chance: Because, apart from anything else, the chance to ram a playoff victory in their biggest rivals' building (especially when those rivals will be absent) is a big motivating factor. Follow that with one of the most dangerous offences in the league and a wildly-under-rated (at least by IHUK journalists) defensive corps, and suddenly the team that finished second in the league look very dangerous indeed...
What can stop them: Again, this is one where a mix of indiscipline and the efforts of others mix-if the Steelers can get past the Devils in the semi then many would back them to win the final whoever the opponents, but lure them into penalty trouble and shut down their top forwards and suddenly frustation sets in...

So, going all Mystic Meg...here's how I think the weekend will run...

Semis
Coventry v Newcastle: The Vipers will come out hell-for-leather in this one, but I reckon that, with a final place on the line, the Blaze will have enough to beat them this time round as they look to avoid the poor performance bred from complacency that cost them against a very good Cardiff side last year.

Sheffield v Cardiff: Could be the best game of the weekend, potentially. Both teams are very good indeed and there's some needle in the game thanks to the Brad Voth/Ashley Tait incident earlier in the season. My heart would like Cardiff to sneak through thanks to the potential of a Blaze/Devils final, but head says that the Steelers may have just enough. This one really is too close to call though...

Final
Coventry v Sheffield: Going with head over heart, this is the logical match-up to pick-one vs two in the league, for the playoff crown. I think that Steelers could well sneak this, as the last thing they'll want is to be beaten by the Blaze again after losing out both in the league and KO Cup. This is the only time I'll allow my Blaze bias to influence things, though, as I reckon the Midlanders could win their twelth trophy in the Coventry era, in order to give Neal Martin the perfect send-off...

However...

Final II
Coventry v Cardiff: This is the final both Blaze and Devils fans want to see-and the final which I can see happening on the way to the Devils finally winning the playoff trophy. With Nottingham v Sheffield not possible, this is unquestionably the final which will be best for the neutral, as anyone who's seen some of the epic battles between the two sides (most notably in the two Challenge Cup finals, one won by each side) will testify. If it happens, I think the Devils could nick it. Certainly, it'll be a game which no-one in the arena (even those supporting the sides not involved) will be able to resist getting involved in-and that's what the sport needs most.

The Picks
Coventry to beat Newcastle
Cardiff to beat Sheffield (OT)

EIHL Playoff Champions 2008: Coventry Blaze (after OT)

Meanwhile, in news outside of the playoffs...

No sooner was it rumoured that Sean Blanchard was Blaze-bound, he's signed a contract with Hamburg Freezers, which means that the Midlanders would appear to be looking elsewhere for Neal Martin's replacement. And they have indeed-see below...

Blaze "signed Martin replacement already": Based on several sources, including that of a Blaze sponsor and, believe it or not, the purchase of his hockey cards by a Blaze employee on Ebay (something which is apparently a surefire indicator according to the source), Coventry fans need not worry too much about their premier offensive defenseman leaving, as his replacement is a player with AHL, DEL, NHL and Swedish Elite League pedigree. His name is David Cullen, and his stats are here. Just cause I like spoiling you lot, here's a picture (on the right, seen playing for DEG Metrostars last season, which means being a Cologne fan I should hate him...:))...
That's my shirt sorted, given that the Irish part of my family are named Cullen...

That's your EIHL playoff preview...all that remains is to wish good luck to all four teams involved (as well as all their fans), invite all you Breakaway readers to come up and say hello if you see me around over the weekend, and finish with the immortal words said before every hockey game in the State of Minnesota...

"LET'S.....PLAY....HOCKEY!"

Thursday Thoughts and IceTunes...

We begin todays Thoughts with a quick look at the latest signing news, a brief look at junior development, and finish by creating the ultimate playoff warm-up CD for your journey to Nottingham (and/or Coventry, for you EPL fans)...

Chubby returns to the Herd: Bison follow up their recent announcement of Brad Cruikshank committing for two years by announcing another key player has committed himself to the Basingstoke cause in top scorer Greg Chambers. There was some speculation over the 24-year-old's future, with Coventry and Sheffield rumoured to be in the market, but by returning to the Bison the winger has already ensured that the Bison have a solid foundation to build upon for next season having signed their two most important players and kept their coach...

Winning isn't everything...possibly: The latest feed of a topic from THF to appear on here involves junior development, after a post on there asked whether it was right that some junior teams, even at U12 and U14 level, give the talented players far more ice-time than others in order to pretty much guarantee winning. Certainly if you keep an eye on the junior results you can't help noticing that there are a lot of scores along the lines of 12-0, 9-1 and even, on one occasion at the Skydome I remember a score of something like 31-0 being announced. I'm not really up on junior hockey, given that I'm not young enough to play in it and not old enough to have kids involved in it, but I do remember just how some people reacted when the policy of "playing to win" was brought in on my rec team-the better players loved it because they got a ton of ice-time but some of the newer players were miffed at paying the same and getting far less ice-time in games-I assume this problem is far worse when it comes to juniors, particularly as you also come into the problems of favouritism and parental pressure. Given that the whole point of junior hockey is to get as many young players developed as possible, surely the concept of "playing to win" is a bit alien in most junior hockey. I accept that by the time you get to U16 or U18 the better players need to be given more chance as they're going to need to get used to the higher levels of competition if they're to progress, but at U10, 12 and 14 it seems a little silly...after all, people play for fun first and foremost..

IceTunes: Now That's What I Call Playoff Hockey!: Given that, if you're anything like me, you'll be off to the playoffs this weekend, and travelling by car, you'll be wanting something to fire you up for a weekend of top-class hockey action on the way there. So, naturally, here we are-the ultimate modern-hockey mix CD-no "hockey standards" allowed...which means no "Hockey Song", no "I Wanna Drive the Zamboni" and definitely no "Chelsea-bloody-Dagger"...some of them will have reasons, and some won't. But they're all great songs...

1. Hans Zimmer: Captain Jack's Theme (from Pirates of the Caribbean): Just because it's an awesome piece of music to wake you up in the morning...
2. ACDC: Thunderstruck: One of the greatest intros of all time...and..well, that's all you need as a reason, really.
3. Led Zeppelin: Immigrant Song
4. Priestess: Talk To Her: They're Canadian, they make great songs, and they like hockey. Job done...
5. Finger Eleven: Paralyzer: See above. :)
6. Heart: Barracuda: I said there wouldn't be any "hockey standards". I didn't say there wouldn't be any classic rock...
7. Saliva: Ladies and Gentlemen: If you've been to Manchester, you've heard this. It's a perfect hockey song...
8. Fightstar: Deathcar: Just because.
9. Senses Fail: Bite To Break Skin
10. New Year's Day: Sunrise/Sunset
11. Incubus: A Certain Shade of Green
12. Bullet For My Valentine: Hearts Burst Into Fire
13. Avenged Sevenfold: Beast and the Harlot
14. Dragonforce: Valley of the Damned
15. Arch Enemy: Revolution Begins
16. Pantera: Walk
17. Rage Against the Machine: Killing in the Name Of
18. Drowning Pool: Bodies
19. Paramore: Emergency
20. Blink 182: Dammit

There you go...proper hockey music. :)

That's your Thursday Thoughts...tomorrow is all Nottingham, all the time as we preview the biggest weekend of the season...it's EIHL playoff finals time...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Midweek Musings...

This time round, in something of a short post thanks to being in the midweek news doldrums, we simply consider a few more rumours and watch a lot of flying teddy bears...

Rumour time again...
The rumour mill hasn't yet got into high gear (although I shall be keeping my ears open now that I'm going to the playoff weekend after all) but there are still a few curious ones floating around, with one of the hottest topics for speculation just who the Blaze are targeting to replace Neal Martin...

Ben Storey to Coventry: This is yet another Martin-related rumour-the 6'0 200lb Canadian, who won Player of the Week for his performance in the playoff quarterfinals yesterday, is the latest player linked with Martin's vacant "offensive defenceman" slot on the Blaze blue-line.

Sean Blanchard to Coventry: This is getting silly. The ex-London Knight is another who has been linked with the Blaze, as well as his ex-Knight team-mate (and Dan Carlson's linemate at Munich) Rich Bronilla-both are fine offensive d-men who would equal if not better Martin's ability at this level...of the two I'd probably prefer Blanchard because he's three years younger (and indeed round about the same age Martin was when he joined) and has an absolute cannon of a slapshot...

Steve Thornton to Belfast: Despite rumbles from Bisonland that he wants to stay down south, there are persistent mutters linking Thornton with the vacant coaches' job at the Giants left by Ed Courtenay's departure. As someone who played at the Odyssey already in his time in the ISL (although his one season in Belfast, like the previous season in London, was cut short by injury after becoming he became a legend in Cardiff in the preceding seasons)...He's the right age to maybe consider a move into coaching, and Belfast isn't a bad opportunity...

Todd Jackson and Colin Shields to Belfast: Two of the Vipers' best players to make the trip across the Irish Sea? Well, Shields has won a title there before...

Jeff Hutchins to Edinburgh: Four teams in four years since coming to Britain? It could happen, as Hutchins is apparently good friends with Caps coach Doug Christensen, and would make a decent second-line forward to complement the skill of some of the young Scots...

Scott Basiuk to Sheffield: A rumour floating around the Phoenix forum and indeed picked up upon on Steeltalk...Basiuk appears to have split the Phoenix faithful in his year as captain, judging by the forums, with some rating him a must-sign for next season and others ambivalent as to whether he stays or goes. He's also yet another one linked with Coventry...

That's the best of the ones floating around today (at least those that are believable)...

And finally...

Heads up!...There's not really any words I can append to this video clip apart to simply say...in the field of being tossers, there is no way any fans of the EIHL can compete with those in Calgary...(and yes, I include the Blaze in that*)

(*view copyright rest of the EIHL, 2005)

Tomorrow we prepare for the playoff weekend with the ultimate hockey music CD (well, at least one of my many versions of it) and have a look at whether development of the few or enjoyment of the many is more important in junior hockey...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Tuesday Thoughts: Crank Up the Rumour Mill...

Nice try...Sheffield and Manchester both posted press releases on their official sites this morning about Tony Hand signing as an emergency replacement for the Steelers which were just plausible enough that the hockey world was bracing itself in anticipation of a Panther-led forum meltdown...however, it was of course one of the many spoof stories which tend to float around round about April 1st. However, doesn't it say something about the way British hockey is run that even such a made-up rule as "if a player in the GB squad gets injured before the playoffs, they can be replaced by another GB player" seems like something the league would come up with?

And carrying the pride of Great Britain are...at least three Canadians, including one who's said he'll play for his club instead of GB if they make the playoff finals. But at least there are more young players-here's the final squad and a bit of analysis...

Goalies
Stevie Lyle
Stephen Murphy
Steve Fone

Personally, I'd have taken Mark Lee rather than Fone as the third goalie, given that the third-goalie spot in itself is essentially giving someone a free holiday in Austria with the national squad and meant purely to gain experience....and yes, that's even allowing for Fone's performances up in Manchester recently, mainly because the ex-Viper has actually been playing regularly rather than warming the bench, and a 92% save percentage in the EPL isn't anything to be sniffed at...after all, Joe Watkins is still mentioned as among the best British goalies despite disappearing off Elite teams radar. Lee has also actually played in (as opposed to dressed for) more EIHL games in his career, for a save percentage of 91.2. But there we are.

Defencemen

Kyle Horne
Leigh Jamieson
Shane Johnson
James Pease
Dave Phillips
Graeme Walton
Tom Watkins
Jonathan Weaver

Another crop that makes sense-with the possible exception of a player benched by his coach (who also happens to be the GB coach) in the past few weeks-that player being James Pease-particularly when you've got players like Leigh Jamieson and Ben O'Connor missing out. However, we know Pease can play-it just seems that his coach hasn't thought he has been doing so sufficiently well recently.

Forwards

Greg Chambers
David Clarke
Gary Clarke
Russell Cowley
David Longstaff
Matt Myers
Greg Owen
Jonathan Phillips
Nathan Rempel
Colin Shields
Ashley Tait
Matt Towe

Are these the best 12 Brit-eligible forwards currently playing? I think so-with the possible exception of Nathan Rempel. Not because of his skill-level, which is undeniable, but because his commitment seems questionable, given that he's reportedly said he'll play for Peterborough if they make the EPL finals, which start at exactly the same time as the Worlds begin. If this is the case, is he really going to play in the warm-up game against Sweden and risk injury-would his place not be better going to one of the players who narrowly missed out but are fully committed to the cause, such as Bison's Greg Wood?

Verdict: It's a safe squad, full of safe, steady picks, which I suppose is what we should have expected. It'll need a fair few lucky bounces for the team to do more than finish mid-table and actually make the world championship, but hey, it's April Fool's day, so anything is possible, right?

Rumour time!: The silly season has begun, with rumours of teams rising, falling, players travelling left right and centre and all sorts...here are the best thus far:

Tyson Teplitsky to Coventry: Yes, please. As a replacement for Neal Martin you can't get better in this league-the Devil is a superb offensive defenseman. Whether it'll actually happen is questionable, though-Teplitsky reportedly loves playing in Cardiff. However, the Blaze would be foolish if they didn't at least enquire about the Canadian's availability...

Joe Tallari to Sheffield/Nottingham/Coventry: After a 50-goal season it's perhaps inevitable that the Ontarian will be linked with every team going. No-one can deny he's lit up the league this season and would be a great capture for any side...however, any bid will have to fight a Manchester bid which won't be as far off in terms of cash now that the new wage-cap regulations have arrived.

Jake Riddle to Newcastle: Finesse is not Riddle's strong point and he does like to have a ruck....oh, wait, perfect fit...:) Plus, he has managed to pot 22 goals on a frankly awful Hull side, along with 247 penalty minutes-he'd make a good replacement for Andre Payette or Derek Campbell if either of them were to leave. Coincidentally...

Derek Campbell to Coventry: Please. The Viper is very much a Marmite figure in Coventry-but 65 points isn't a bad return for an agitator, and there's no question he could do a job and add a few teeth to the lineup. His EIHL stats, believe it or not, are comparable to Curtis Huppe until this season despite spending more time in the penalty box this season (232 minutes) than Huppe has done in his four seasons here (216 cumulative minutes), so he's not bad at putting goals away in this league either...

Goalie wise, there's not much occurring yet aside from Trevor Koenig supposedly heading for Japan and Wade Flaherty (long-time NHL backup) joining the Giants next season-although at the age of 40 he would seem to be a little advanced in years...

At least Askey's pics are real people...After the Frankengoalie debate yesterday, Peter Budaj's mask was mentioned as another cracker worthy of being used if we extended the mask criteria beyond the EIHL. All I can say is...okilie-dokilie...

That's your Tuesday Thoughts...we'll have more tomorrow...

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