Friday Frolics and Big Screen Hockey..

Happy Friday! Right-rumours out of the way first of all...

For Whom The Godiva Bell Tolls: Colin Hemingway is, unsurprisingly, a big, big target this off season. Until Adam Calder decided that he'd rather stay in Coventry than chase the evil euro, he was the Blaze's new first line winger, with pen hovering above paper. With Calder back, though, he won't be....

...but maybe he'll just drop a line instead. How does Stewart/Kelman/Hemingway sound as a second line, Blaze fans?

Dan Tessier to Belfast: Here is someone, on the other hand, who would play rec if you paid him a few hundred more than anyone else was prepared to-and the Giants, unlike the Steelers, are...

Dwight Parrish back to Manchester: So much for retiring...from coaching Bracknell to signing (confirmed on the EIHL website). Parrish gives his nous and veteran presence (yet again) on the Phoenix blue-line. It seems you can take Parrish away from Manchester hockey, but you can't take his love for the place away.

Rumours that this takes the average age of the Phoenix roster this season to about 373 are unconfirmed as yet, though. :)

Rich Bronilla to Coventry: ah, that old chestnut, based on no more than being Neal Martin's mate. David Cullen is still the number-one target by all accounts, but Bronilla is a hell of a fall-back...


Shaun Sutter to Hull:...to replace Rob Rankin (see below). Nottingham to Sheffield to Belfast to Hull...poor old Shaun is coming down in the world. However, if he doesn't have it coached out of him by Rick Strachan, the Stingrays might have a genuine offensive threat...


And confirmed...


Rob Rankin to Newcastle: The Hull exodus continues, with their top scorer now moving across the Tees and Tyne after being chased for a while by Rob Wilson...hot off the presses, this one...

Nathan Craze to Belfast: An old one, this, but I've just caught up with it now. Steve Thornton has the best back-up in the EIHL (unless someone signs Mark Lee). If, unlike Ed Courtenay last season, he can get the starting netminder right the Giants will start to look very strong indeed.

So there you go...

Now onto the frolics for a Friday...as we look at the top ten moments for hockey on the big-screen (well, my personal ten, anyway)...


Hockey movies are a bit thin on the ground compared to the rest of American sports-everybody knows Slapshot and the Mighty Ducks but Youngblood, Mystery Alaska and "Rocket" are a bit more "niche" for the vast majority of casual hockey fans. However, given that they're a part of hockey culture and any hockey fan or player worth his salt should be able to drop a reference such as "Hanrahan...your wife's a lesbian! A LESBIAN!", here's a quick guide to the best moments of hockey on celluloid. These clips can all be found on youtube somewhere (I couldn't add the links thanks to blog software being a bit tempramental)...and may have a naughty word or two to appear in the list (just in case you're easily offended)...



10: Little Richard sings the National Anthem (Mystery, Alaska): Possibly the longest version of The Star-Spangled Banner ever committed to film-it's worth it just to see the NY Rangers shivering.



9: "Ya wanna go, pretty boy?" (Youngblood): Funny just to see Rob Lowe (possibly the least-convincing hockey player ever) win a stick-fight against someone twice his size. The fact he's avenging an injured Patrick Swayze and also scores the winning goal makes it even funnier...



8: "Hanrahan! Suzanne sucks pussy! I know! I know!" (Slapshot): Paul Newman-inspiration for pests and trash-talkers ever since...



7: "Like a mother walrus! Thwap! Thwap! Thwap!" (Mystery, Alaska): The comeuppance for this less-than-chivalrous description of one of the Mystery players' conquests in bed is a punch in the face with a shovel and a VERY painful naked skate-and-slide...hilarious to watch, though.


6: "Blow it out your ass!" (Mystery, Alaska): In one line Burt Reynolds (possibly the best fictional hockey coach ever) sums up what everyone has ever wanted to say to a referee. Disgust, anger, contempt...it's all there in those five words.



5: Steve Hanson shuts up a referee with one sentence (Slapshot): Yes, everyone rhapsodises about the Hanson brothers. Of their many golden moments, few are funnier than the referee who tries to warn them before the game as the anthem plays and is simply ignored as, without even bothering to look at him, Steve Hanson scares him off with the immortal line "I'm listening to the FUCKING SONG!"

4. The Triple Deke (Mighty Ducks): Clearly thought up by someone who'd never played hockey, as if you actually try this move at the speed Joshua Jackson does, you usually get nailed pretty quickly. But the last penalty shot against the Hawks is funny purely for the way you wonder just how bad the supposed "best goalie in pee-wee hockey" has to be to be beaten by the slowest deke in recorded history.

3. The Cat's penalty save (Mighty Ducks II): Not least because, when you're twelve, Julie Gaffney is possibly the best-looking hockey player on the team. Add the comedy of her being brought in just to face a penalty shot from the boy she's fallen secretly in love with (who is also the best player on the evil team) and the ridiculous slow-mo, and it just gets funnier. Add the fact that the villains are Iceland (Iceland?!) and the believability goes right out of the window. But "The Cat" is still a cool nickname.

2: Any moment in "Miracle" that involves a choice, motivational speeches or the USSR game: Because Kurt Russell is great as Herb Brooks, the hockey scenes are actually convincing and don't just concentrate on improbably skilful play by the stars (yes, I'm talking to you, Mighty Ducks)-and the over-acting of the "emotional" parts is funny in itself. Then, of course, there's "do you believe in miracles? YES!"

1: Any fight/Hanson brothers appearance in Slapshot: Just because. Honourable mention to the Ned Braden taking-his-clothes-off homage in Mighty Ducks (where the Bash Brothers go for it in the box). Slapshot is possibly the original and best hockey film-even if it is more than 40 years old. What other film lets people instantly know you're a hockey fan when you quote a line-and has lines for any purpose? I can't think of any...

That's your Friday Frolics over with...feel free to share your favourite hockey film moments, and keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Back and Forth...

The player movement carousel is starting to spin faster now...





Brett Clouthier returns to Phoenix: Damn. Way under-rated ability, size and the heartbeat of Manchester ever since he joined them as a surplus Steeler in his first season in the UK. If Tony Hand can find the forwards with the same amount of skill as Clouts has pure energy, Manchester would walk the league. It also puts the "Ryan Shmyr to Manchester" rumours to rest. I doubt you'll find a single Phoenix fan unhappy with this one.





Mark Garside back in Edinburgh: The Caps start rebuilding their roster well, with one of the best young Brits and an Auld Reekie native. Great things could be ahead for Garside if his development continues at the pace it has been.





JF Perras confirmed in Coventry: Mentioned as a rumour on this blog two weeks ago and now confirmed, the Capitals goalie, blighted in many Blaze fans' eyes (obviously those who never saw him play because they couldn't be bothered to go to a Caps' game) by a relatively poor save percentage, heads south. This guy is proof statistics can lie...he's a hell of a goalie who can lead a team to a title as long as he has a half-decent d in front of him. Trevor Koenig was just the same, and people in Coventry seemed to think the sun shone from his behind (a belief possibly held by the man himself by all accounts). On that basis, expect JF to become a fan favourite fairly quickly. Unless Blaze lose a game or two, then he'll be the sacrificial lamb for many. Unfairly so.





Nick Toneys to Panthers: Silly name, strange signing considering he appears to be very similar to Rumun Ndur working on stats...although cheaper thanks to playing at a lower level...





Mike Prpich and Jason Silverthorn back in Cardiff: Excellent-maybe I'll actually get to see Prpich play now after his injury-shortened (well, destroyed) time last season....As for Silverthorn...well, he can score, I'll say that for him.



Lee Cowmeadow to Devils (fact):...and unlike 2001, he doesn't have to worry about being utterly destroyed by Steve Carpenter. "Wily veteran" are the two words that come to mind here-he'll do a job on the third line and nurture the exciting talent of Ben Davies...





Now for the rumours.





Steve Pelletier to Coventry: Don't laugh...apparently this one is at an advanced stage. Hopefully it doesn't go much further, or you can pity his d-partner for all the two-on-ones they'll be left with...




Greg Wood to Coventry: A little birdie (or should that be calf) from Basingstoke and at least two people from Coventry (both who have been right on many occasions before, including Perras and the as-yet-unannounced-but-open-secret that is Carlyle Lewis) emailed me this one...as Russ Cowley has been pricing himself right out of the market and Wood is younger, hungrier and possibly better...



Colt King to Hull: It's the Hull Vipers! Just search for the guy on youtube to realise he isn't going to be the goalscoring forward (or top d-man or stonewall goalie or player who can tell Rick Strachan his system stifles the hell out of their team and doesn't work that well) that Hull have been praying for. Well, he might fit the last one if he throws a punch or two on the bench, which is eminently possible judging by the fact he looks like an utter fruit-loop...

There you go-a swift round-up updated in the breaks at work. On Friday we'll be looking at the best moments of hockey on the big screen, as well as any other news that may come along...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Taking a Leak and Summertime Songs...

A quick hit or two on a Friday afternoon...

Poor old Panthers. They produce a big song and dance about a "major announcement" taking place today, and then the nasty old BBC and the plainly incompetent NEP go and ruin it for them with a leak or two for their triple signing...so here they are (all now officially released, by the way)...

Jade Galbraith: If you're a Panthers fan, then right about now you're thinking "heeeelllllo...". Despite sounding like he should be a 13-year-old puck bunny in the Coventry crowd (come on, could you get many more stereotypically chavvy girls' names then Jade?) this guy is 14 stone, 5'10 and quite good at sticking a goal or two in. And he was mentioned on this page as far back as late April as a possible Panther. Beat that, Snow Plough...:) Could be pretty impressive...

David Clarke: So much for his amazing European adventure-the arguably premier British forward (as in arguably the best, not arguably good) returns to Nottingham yet again. Fans of other teams around the league immediately start whispering the words "wage cap?" under their breaths. However, there is no doubt Clarke's quality-he should be up among the top points scorers again this season.

Rumun Ndur: Hm. Obviously it's written into the constitution of the Panthers that they have to have one d-man with the turning circle of the Jahre Viking on their blue-line (and about the same stopping distance), so we can assume Robert Stancok is gone...This is a brave signing for the Panthers-no-one quite knows how it'll turn out after his injury-hit time with the Blaze.

Stingrays new rumour: And here he is...Nick Deschenes...Looks like a big, serviceable lad, doesn't he, judging by stats alone...

Summertime IceTunes!: You can tell it's a bit of a quiet summer thus far, although I did think it was about time for some slightly more sun-drenched summer music to sustain you hockey fans through summer, so here we are...

The Ting Tings: That's Not My Name: I mentioned this one in April. Three weeks later, it gets released and goes to number one in its first week. Thank you very much...:) Although there are even better from Jules and Katie...

The Ting Tings: Shut Up and Let Me Go:...and this is one. I can't really say much more than "listen. and enjoy".

Metro Station: Shake It: Remember hellogoodbye last summer? This is like them, only not that bad. It's guaranteed to put you in a good mood...

Scouting For Girls: Heartbeat: As is this. With a chorus more infectious than the Ebola virus, this will be the soundtrack song to every teenage love affair this summer.

Pendulum: Slam!: Yes, everyone likes Propane Nightmares, and yes, they're probably only going to be truly popular for a year or so. Get in on some of their earlier stuff, though, like this (their best song to date, in my opinion) and you'll look a bit cooler down the rock/drum n'bass club...

Nelly and Fergie: Party People: "What up, Berkshire?! Where my party people at?!" Completely silly rap for wannabe gangstas from the Home Counties, but it somehow gets inside your head nevertheless on a summer evening...

Allanah Myles: Black Velvet: Oh yes. Perfect for dancing when you think no-one's looking or you're alone in the house on a hot summer weekend afternoon. Best combined with a cold drink (ice-tea for the proper Southern US thing, but a beer works just as well)...

There you go...happy Friday, and keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Summer Tuesday Thoughts-Bolshy Brits and more...

As promised, here comes another post. There's been a few more signings in the past few days, not least the return of Dan Carlson to Coventry (universally welcomed by Blaze fans) and Peter Campbell leaving Belfast to sign in Denmark (universally welcomed by defencemen and goalies on the nine other EIHL teams). For once, however, we're going to move away from the formulaic "this player has signed here" nonsense which forms the backbone of summer hockey news, and consider one of the thorniest issues in British hockey. Yes, it's Brits v Imports, Part 973.

Don't switch off just yet, though...this will not be an EIHL-fan rant of "imports are cool cause they play better and we want to watch good hockey, which we can't do in the EPL cause it's rubbish", nor will it be an EPL-fan one of "you greedy EIHL fans are killing development in this country and you're all going to go bust eventually anyway, so ha!".

Especially as it's the EPL who are the ones with the money problems with at least two clubs (Bracknell and Chelmsford, anyone?). So much for the "at least we know all the teams are going to playing each season in the EPL" arguments...

Anyway, returning back to the original question. There was a thread on THF recently questioning which Brits were overpaid-to which the first reply was "all of them!". While somewhat radical, let's think about this for a second...

British hockey has an (artificially imposed) limit on the number of non-British players in the system (in the EIHL it's 106 spread over ten teams, in the EPL it's 4 per team). This allows for a maximum of ten/eleven per team. However, hockey rosters typically contain eighteen, nineteen or twenty players. Automatically, there are spaces created for eighty British players in the EIHL and double that number in the EPL. Without these players, you simply can't have a team.

Follow me here. The need for these players is artificially created-we saw in the ISL days that Brits were not necessary to form a team when there was no import limit around-admittedly that league failed thanks to overspending and a ridiculously high wagecap-but there is nothing to say that the same blueprit couldn't work nowadays. The only reason it's not being put into place is because of British players being perceived as "not being given a fair chance".
Given that most British players are of just acceptable level at EIHL standard, particularly the young ones, an open league would likely mean they'd be competing with young Canadian/American/European players, who would be asking the same money but likely be of a higher standard. So British players have to ask for less money in order to make themselves attractive. However, given that the BNL had an import limit, most British players thought "sod that" and said "we'll come play for your BNL team, but since we think we're ISL standard, you can pay us a ton more". And it worked.

So, we're now in a situation where British players are essential parts of a team-get the wrong ones and you're screwed, get the right ones (or those who mean you can use an import somewhere where they're more needed) and you're golden. Trouble is, there aren't all that many good (as in top two line) British players around-and the third-liners vary widely in quality from young inexperienced to old-and-nearly-past-it-looking-for-one-last-payday.

Either way, you can't afford not to actively chase British players. And they know this. They also know that the EPL, with no wage-cap and even more need for Brits, is going to offer them a decent amount of money and allow them to be part-time. This is why players like Gary Clarke, Adam Carr and Lee Richardson (who could easily do a job on a EIHL third line), and Leigh Jamieson and Paul Moran (who aren't exactly superstars but have convinced many they're good enough to do an adequate job) are likely to be able to ask silly money relative to their talents-and why some stay in the EPL to be a big fish in a small pond rather than try and better themselves.

The problem gets even more pronounced at the top level. Jonathan Weaver, for example. A very good player but probably able to add two or three hundred quid to his salary compared with an import of similar quality, just because he can turn round and say "well, I'm British". Compare his ECHL stats and you can see that players like him are ten-a-penny in North America or in Europe...trouble is they can't come in because of an artificially-imposed rule that makes Brits valuable and so clubs have to spend 2-300 more a week on them-which only a few can do. Trouble is, as soon as they start doing this for one player, all the other EIHL Brits go "right, I'm having some of that"...and then clubs who can't afford to waste a ton of money chasing a top Brit and have to spend similar on players of lesser quality suffer, both in the standings and in the cash vaults.

I don't have a solution to this, aside from the dreaded "chop the import limit" idea. In fact, if you've stuck with the rambling this far I'm impressed, as it's essentially a rant on how stupid it is that people should be paid considerably more simply based on their nationality thanks to a ruddy stupid rule which isn't even doing what it was intended to do (get more Brits playing at the top level, for the top clubs, all the time). Most teams go with two lines of imports to do all the major stuff and then throw out a third line of youngsters just to give the stars a rest one shift in every four...and that isn't worth spending a few hundred a week for, nor is it helping the quality a huge amount. British players complain about how hard life is in the EIHL. Frankly, they should listen to Supermac (no, not Sean McAslan but ex PM Harold Macmillan) with his famous words "You've never had it so good".

enough of the rambling, anyway. Apologies if you find this post somewhat disjointed...however, I would appreciate your views on whether the import limit is in fact harming the very game it was meant to save after the ISL years, as I believe.

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Signing Round-ups...

You'll have to excuse me-the sunny weather over the past week or two, coupled with news dribbling in rather than flooding, has somewhat nixed the daily postings. However, there's now finally some movement starting to happen, so let's plunge into the merry-go-round...



Panthers re-sign several: The Nottingham Brit Pack is taking shape, with James Ferrara, Geoff Woolhouse and Marc Levers all back for another season at the NIC. One very talented youngster, a back-up goalie and a very effective second/third line grinder aren't a bad three signings to join Brendan Cook and Matt Myers, especially as none of them will be on big money and all are British assets...


Paul Sample to Giants: Belfast have already completed their Brit-pack, with news light on the new signing front thus far. Shane Johnson is of course another one on the roster joining the retuning Graham Walton, Mark Morrison and Stevie Lyle and new signing Dave Phillips.

Running themes thus far in the off-season involve Brits being snapped up quickly and few new players coming in just yet-Sheffield are the only team thus far to really make some signings on the import front, but they're following the Blaze template for success in the past few seasons by retaining as much of their squad as they can, with Doug Sheppard, Jeff Legue, Steve Munn, Randy Dagenais and Ryan Finnerty already taking up five of the import slots. Meanwhile, Manchester, Cardiff and Newcastle are also consolidating by re-signing (or, in the case of Phil Hamer at Manchester, rewarding through promotion) their young talent, Jez Lundin and Carl Graham chief among them. The big changes thus far have come at Basingstoke and Coventry, with Basingstoke losing Greg Owen and Derek Campbell and Coventry losing Rumun Ndur (not really a surprise), Neal Martin (ditto) and Trevor Koenig.

Perhaps the biggest single loss to a team (and indeed the league) thus far is Sean McAslan, who has left Nottingham for Denmark (a popular destination this season)-arguably the best forward in the league, the Panthers captain will be extremely difficult to replace...

That's enough of the outs and Brit ins...-what about the import movements?

Scott Kelman to Coventry: I nearly had a heart attack when someone texted me saying simply "Kelman has signed"...I thought they meant Todd from Belfast. However, Scott Kelman is 6'3 and 215lbs of power-forward from the ECHL. A former first-round draft-pick, he's a replacement for Curtis Huppe and looks quite useful, if nothing hugely special. However, stick him on a line with Carlyle Lewis (yes, I know the Snow Plough hasn't said he's signed yet and thus it can't be true, but my sources say it is) and Sylvain Cloutier and that is an intimidating threesome for any defensive pairing...(on a side note, thanks to the person who let me know about Kelman's signing just before he did-I just wish I'd checked the email a day earlier...)

JF Perras to Coventry: With Koenig gone, the same source as above tells me that Paul Thompson is talking to the Edinburgh stopper about a possible move south after the young Canadian showed flashes of brilliance at Murrayfield last season-this will be a signing which may divide people but I'm all for it-the Quebecois is a superb young goalie who will only get better. But then, Maxime Ouellet has also been mentioned, so who knows? Personally, I'd rather have a young hungry stopper than a failed 1st round draft-pick who can't seem to stay anywhere for long, but so be it.

Russ Cowley to Belfast: Fair enough. Although it makes little sense for either side of the deal-Belfast will be spending more money on someone who is at best a second-liner when they could likely get a comparable quality import more cheaply...quids would appear to be the main motivator for the move away from Coventry...

And moving away from rumours...

Go Pens!: The NHL is fun again, especially if you're a Pittsburgh fan. A Philadelphia-Pittsburgh conference final in the east, and Detroit vs Dallas in the west-four teams who can't half play entertaining hockey when they put their mind to it-watching them on 5 is far more fun than sleeping of a Wednesday evening ...In fact, in Britain at least, there's your advertising slogan....The Stanley Cup Finals. Sleep is Over-Rated...

And on that random tangent, we end another round-up post. Promise you won't have to wait quite so long for the next one, as we look at whether Brits could be pricing themselves too highly for hockey in Britain to survive...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Summer Signing Fun...

No preamble this time...does exactly what it says on the tin...

Jamieson joins Coventry...Well, so it is then. If this is the season that Jamieson finally plays as well as he (by all accounts) thinks he can and already has, then so be it-after all, I was a little dubious about KC Timmons signing last year and was forced to eat a large portion of humble pie when he fast became one of my favourite players-and in this case I won't complain at a second helping. If, on the other hand, we get the error-strewn d performances that saw the Giants all but forced to move him to forward, then I won't need to push the point...watch the notoriously unforgiving Coventry crowd (especially when there's a reportedly large ego-another thing the Midlands crowd don't like in their players, involved into the bargain) turn on him by November. Except the young females, of course...
This has now led to speculation about Tom Watkins' future at Coventry. Hopefully the #20'll be back-although a wild rumour has him linked with Telford of all places...


Steelers re-sign Mark Thomas, Steve Munn and Randy Dagenais: That's the d in Sheffield looking very good indeed thus far, particularly with the return of Steve Munn, who is a definite Breakaway favourite. Mark Thomas would be my pick were I looking to sign a big Brit d-man for my team, a country mile ahead of Jamieson, and Dagenais is just one of those players who does his thing, and does it well. If you're scoring at home, that means the Steelers already have two of their top four d and a heartbeat for their forward lines in Ryan Finnerty, and the temperature hasn't even hit the high teens yet. The Steelers are coming...

Hull to rebuild...Is it possible? Well, according to the Hull Daily Mail it is...apparently just the "inability to score goals, a never-ending injury list and some opponents breaking the wage cap." were to do with last season's debacle. Of course, starting a rebuild with the same coach who caused at least one of those problems and was a contributor to the other unmentioned problems thanks to his chosen style of play being "his team seemingly being told only to cross the blue-line in exceptional circumstances with written permission in triplicate from the coach, and GOD HELP YOU IF YOU SHOOT MORE THAN ONCE A PERIOD!" is like starting a Channel swim wrapped in an anchor. And hogtied. But bless the Humbersiders, they're going to try it anyway. The two remaining fans who believe in Strachan await the changes with bated breath...

Speaking of Hull...all hell apparently broke loose at the Conference junior finals this weekend, with a bunch of youngsters brawling...there is supposedly footage on youtube but I haven't found it yet. I am still looking, though.

Brandin Cote linked with Nottingham: That "YES PLEASE!" you just heard was every Panther fan having the same thought at once on hearing this rumour. But, sorry, people-he's a natural centre. And he's gritty and hard-nosed too. Wouldn't fit in your team at all if you follow the template of the previous two years. But Cote vs Bergin? There's no contest in my eyes-it would make the Panthers games a must-see for me if the littlish centre was to make a comeback...

Phoenix re-sign Carl Graham: Not a bad start-by all accounts Graham impressed up north, although I must confess to not noticing him much when I saw the Angry Budgies. However, retaining your youngsters is never a bad thing...and Tony Hand does seem to have a knack for finding talent in the strangest places as a coach (we'll let him off Omar Ennafatti) :)

There you go...a whirlwind tour through the EIHL for this Tuesday evening. More to come on Friday or thereabouts...sooner if something big happens. Until then, keep keeping your eye on the puck...

First New Arrival and some more rumour talk...

It's officially the new transfer season now that there's a foreigner new to the league around...and can't you just see how excited I am?

Brendan Cook (good god-Richard Hammond plays hockey?!) is the first new import to come to the UK this off season, joining the Panthers after a few underwhelming seasons in the ECHL and one good season with the Austin Ice Bats (CHL) in which he scored 35+29 in 63 games. The 5'9, 184lb Manitoban native looks like more of a Brandin Cote player than a Kevin Bergin, and while a decent standard is hardly setting the Panthers fans alight with anticipation. However, he does compare himself to Joe Tallari and Corey Neilson (who, by the way should not be the Panthers coach because Mike Ellis should still be there, but that's another post) likes him a fair bit. Plus, he's purely listed as "forward" under position, so might actually be a natural centre! Hold yourselves back, Panther fans....

Derek Campbell officially signs for Cardiff: A good start for the Devils-teams always need a player who'll get his nose dirty as well as do the fancy stuff, and Cardiff have always been a team who value those sorts of players, so this isn't a huge surprise. Although I'd personally have backed a stay in Basingstoke because he seemed a good fit there-as can be seen by the sorrowful goodbyes posted by Bison fans on the forums...

Meanwhile, back in Belfast: There appears to be rumblings that the much-hyped oracle known as the Snow Plough has until now missed (for the record, it's not a bad blog-just a bit Leigh Jamieson-people seem to think it's much better than it actually is)...and sniffing the wind here, it involves a fan favourite. Carlyle Lewis has been linked with several teams this off-season, but until now Coventry haven't even been mentioned and surely it's inconceivable that Lewis could go from Belfast to their most hated rivals anyway?
Don't be so sure. Reading between the lines of some texts sent to me today from someone who knows far more than they ever tell me (he managed to pull out the Reid Simonton signing a good month before it got announced in his biggest coup thus far, but there's been a myriad of others he's been right on), it seems the big Belfast bruiser could be on his way across to the Skydome this time round. And this would definitely not be a bad thing. What's more, it fits, thanks to the Blaze's current tough-guy in Rumun Ndur being very unlucky with injuries the past two seasons, and Blaze appearing to need a new forward or two now that Curtis Huppe has retired...

Leigh Jamieson to Coventry: I can sum up my thoughts on this rumour in three words..."Please", "God", and "No!". At the moment,if I may use a pop culture reference, this signing is at the "Annie Leibovitz telling Miley Cyrus that those pictures will be "artistic" and everyone'll see it" stage-with the Blaze fans as Miley-they're an ace from doing the hockey-fan equivalent of dirtying up the hair, wrapping themselves in the towel and getting excited for seeing Belfast's makeshift third-line forward in a Blaze shirt playing d as they talk themselves into something that just seems a bit...well...not right. And we all know how that turned out for Hannah Montana, don't we?

I know it's a fairly short post this evening...but that's the trouble with the summer...you don't really have any games to talk about. Maybe I should start paying more attention to the NHL. :)

Aye well...keep keeping your eye on the puck...