Tuesday Thoughts...

Let's begin with the feel-good news...

Bison will hit the ice: From today's Daily Star:

Basingstoke have gone from doom to zoom in just three days. Swedish owner Tomas Enerston last night confirmed that Bison will be on the ice for this weekend's opening of the Elite League season after fans throughout the country chipped in to keep the club afloat. Enerston had warned he would have to pull out after losing nearly £25,000 following the collapse of Zoom airline.Ten North-American based imports were booked on sponsored flights to the UK, but Bison now have to foot the bill for their players and their equipment. Enerston said "We've raised £20,000 in three days. It would not happen anywhere else, the pure dedication of the fans is unbelievable. And it's not only our fans, we've had supporters from all the other clubs helping and now we can look forward to the new season"

So there you go. £20,000 in three days. It seems lightning can strike not once, but twice in the same few days, thanks to fans of UK hockey...

On dark nights, stay away from the Bay...or the Skydome...or you may have the pleasure of meeting Doug MacIver-an early nomination for "scariest-looking player in the EIHL". Although many in Coventry have already nominated Corey Leclair (how did he let that photo get past the censors?), memorably described by someone next to me as looking like a "zombie version of Moby". Poor sod-I think he's got a bit of a bad rap myself. Here he is as he is now...is it me or does he have a touch of Joel Poirier about him?

"Hate is a strong word, but I really, really, really don't like you...":
I am a reasonable man. I stuck up for Theo Fleury when he was hated for the rest of the league. I think Derek Campbell (Newcastle variety) is a very useful player when he can be. I prefer to call Rob Wilson "experienced" rather than just plain "old". I even think Payette has his uses on occasion...but sometimes, there comes a time when reason just goes out the window for me, and this is one of them.
I now have a new reason to hate the Vipers...they have signed my all-time most-despised player. Those of you who think Andre Payette is an object worthy of hatred have clearly not been exposed sufficiently to Marek Ivan, the ex-Panther who is now the Vipers' first line centre. There is no swearword vile enough to sum up my opinion of this white-gloved, chicken-hearted zombie lookalike from the Czech Republic-a man who celebrated a last minute game-winner in front of possibly the hardest team bench in the EIHL (London Racers, 04/05) and then ran like hell when they attempted to take physical retribution in a scrap which has become legendary in British hockey. A man who considered white gloves and a yellow shirt a fashion statement. A man who will never pass when he can shoot, and never check cleanly when he can swing a stick. A man so unpopular that even Steve McKenna turned away from a fight because it involved sticking up for him. Many people who have heard me talk about him are convinced his name is actually "Marek bloody Ivan!" and can only be said in a tone of utter disgust. I really don't like him much, no matter that he can actually play when he's not hiding under a bench...
(Oh, and by the way, if you think I'm not looking forward to "welcoming" him to the Skydome with a volley of family-friendly mickey-taking and generally getting on his back every time he makes his mistake, you're wrong. Very, very wrong...Within the limits of good taste and fair language, fishing season just well and truly opened...)

One Minute Preview: Charity Shield:
And so we're off into the season proper tomorrow night with the curtain-raiser/PR bonanza that is the Charity Shield. Sadly there may not be as much money raised as last time due to it being held at the 2,500 seat Skydome rather than the 7,000 seat NIC, but Coventry v Sheffield is always a game worth watching.

Why Sheffield will win: Their players know each other, and most of Coventry's, very well indeed. And thus, as they proved in the PO final last season, they know how to stop them. Joey Talbot is lethal even without Dan Tessier, Steve Munn is simply a machine on defence (no human can be that good, that often) and Nathan Gillies is a promising addition. Combine wind-up merchants par excellence (Ryan Finnerty), top Brits (Ashley Tait, Jonathan Phillips) and steel and skill on d (Mark Thomas and Rod Sarich) and the Steelers are more than capable of repeating their result in Nottingham tomorrow night.

Why Coventry will win: As always, they can flat-out play from top to the bottom of the team. And now they have size to add to their skill in the shape of Scott Kelman (both), Corey Leclair (both in one) and Carlyle Lewis (size and...well, he can play damn well where necessary, even if Belfast fans would have you believe otherwise). You will simply have to score four or five goals to beat this team for certain, and even then, you may find getting them a lot less easy than you think.

Key match-up: Scott Kelman v Ryan Finnerty. Two centres who can both play, and one who will do his best to be winding up the other, these players need to be firing for their line to score-this is obvious even this early in the season. Finnerty can get under people's skin like no-one else, and should he knock Kelman off his game and force Lewis to take penalties at the same time, that is a lot of Coventry's attacking size neutralised. With four goals in three games already this off-season, Kelman is fast becoming a fan favourite. Shut his line down and all the pressure moves to the AC/DC line-and they too can be stopped if you hustle hard enough...

Prediction: Maybe no goal-fest here, but a storming game which the Blaze will just (and I mean "by a gnat's wing" just...edge, purely due to being able to cope with the sometimes-unpredictable Skydome ice slightly better.

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