Xenophobia in the Elite League...

In what is becoming something of a tradition, Becky has written another insightful comment (well, mini-essay would be nearer the mark :)) in response to this post last Thursday regarding the rumours about the EIHL. She and I appear to be of similar minds as regards the wage-cap...however, she does make this point, which set me thinking...

My feeling is that there was some merit to that rumour that some of the smaller teams wanted to break away from the EIHL and this is what the league are doing to try and keep them around. Merely speculation, but something must have made them realise they should be paying attention to the smaller clubs! :P

Now I did see mention of this rumour on THF-however, given that the posting at the time seemed to be from a few of the "look at the big bad EIHL ruining itself-the EPL is the way to go"-type posters who can be found willing to air their views at the drop of a hat whenever the issue of British development is brought up, I didn't give it much attention beyond a raised eyebrow. It seems that this reaction from the Elite League may give this rumour more credit than I did at first glance...

I do wonder, however, how raising the import limit will play with clubs in the EIHL who can't afford to give their players plum jobs with sponsors in order to work their way around it-as Becky points out, there's a possibility that far from bringing the league closer together, lifting the import restrictions will lead to some teams front-loading-signing 13 or 14 at the start of the season while others can only go with eight or nine. The only way I can see this being counteracted is by the better Brits refusing to take reduced roles and thus being open to offers from teams they wouldn't have considered under the current climate.

The make-up of the rosters is certainly looking like it could change massively over the summer-however, the transfer activity is not over yet with the transfer deadline three days away...tomorrow we'll look at some of the last-minute rumours floating around as well as the regular mix of opinion and possibly the odd bit of comedy as well...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Double Overtime, 28th January

Suddenly, the league is wide open again, despite the artificial cushion given by the Blaze's games in hand, especially after a weekend which saw the Giants gain four points as the leaders lost twice...

Basingstoke: The Terrific Ten finally suffered results perhaps more in keeping with their current injury problems, as they lost 5-1 and 5-4 to Edinburgh and Newcastle. The good news is that the Capitals and Hull both gained only two points between them on the Bison, but nevertheless the fact that the luck has finally run out for the Ten...
Grade: D

Belfast: What can you say about the Giants' winning run that hasn't already been said? Another four-pointer coupled with the Blaze losing twice means that, in a state of affairs which looked very unlikely only a few months ago, the Northern Irelanders can go top if they beat Hull on Thursday. Oh...and they've got a chance to go even further away on Saturday, because Coventry come to the Odyssey. This weekend two wins against Hull and Edinburgh earn themselves a solid...
Grade: A

Cardiff: Another torrid weekend for the Devils, but there's light at the end of the tunnel because Phil Osaer returning, and new signing Dion Darling should also bolster the roster next week. Manchester and Sheffield both beat the Welsh side by the same score of 5-1. Joe Myers will consider this weekend "character building" but the grade will only reflect the results, so it's...
Grade: D

Coventry: The wheels haven't come off, but if this weekend is the shape of things to come then they're looking distinctly wobbly already-shipping ten goals while their much-vaunted attack only scored four. On the evidence of the forums, sections of the Blaze fanbase are already in full-on panic mode, with Barrie Moore in particular taking the heat. It can't be denied that both performances were not the Blaze at their best-however, that does an injustice to both Nottingham and Newcastle, who both played superbly. The grade applies to the Blaze performances, though, and with their main rivals gaining four points on them, it doesn't look good...
Grade: E

Edinburgh: Two more points against their nearest playoff rivals, with a gain of one point thanks to the overtime win, could be crucial despite the loss to Belfast the night before...the Caps simply refuse to die. Unfortunately for them, so do the Bison, which means that their loss takes away another game in the Mission Almost Impossible of their playoff chase...
Grade: C

Hull: The Stingrays are still playing hard, but Sheffield and Belfast are a class apart and even a delayed face-off couldn't stop the Giants on Sunday. Saturday against the Steelers was another washout-3-0, to be precise...the playoff hopes on Humberside are all but gone already...
Grade: E

Manchester: This weekend was Steve Fone's coming-out party, as the Blaze back-up suited up for the Phoenix due to Scott Fankhouser's injury and immediately held the Devils to one goal as his forwards scored five at the other end. Nottingham spoiled the party for Tony Hand's thousandth league game by nicking a 4-3 win on Sunday night-however, the two points on Saturday night will be very welcome indeed as the Phoenix try and sneak a little higher in the playoff places..
Grade: C+

Newcastle: Four points-including a win away at the league leaders, with just two lines? That will do nicely for Viperland, thank you very much. On Sunday the niggling approach of the Geordies worked to perfection in knocking the Blaze off their game, and Saturday saw a professional performance against the equally short-benched Bison. The league title is gone unless three teams suffer a simultaneous collapse, but the Vipers now have a chance to build up some momentum going into the playoff run-in.
Grade: B+

Nottingham: Saturday saw one of the best performances from the Panthers this season in beating the Blaze 6-2-not only that, but young Brit Kurt Reynolds played superbly on defence and is definitely one to watch. Sunday saw a trickier game against a resilient Manchester, but Patrik Wallenberg's winner eight minutes from time led to a four-pointer which keeps the momentum going from last Wednesday's Challenge Cup final victory...
Grade: A

Sheffield: Did you know the Steelers hadn't had a shut out before this weekend? Surprising, I know-but Hull were the unlucky ones as they were the Steelers' first shutout this season on Saturday. Sunday saw them beat the struggling Cardiff Devils away from home for another two points which keep them in touch (just) with Belfast...
Grade: B+

That's your weekend review-the only midweek game this week sees Belfast with a chance to go top as they take on Hull at the Odyssey on Thursday...

Tomorrow will see further ruminations on money, as well as a round up of a few recent signings as the deadline draws ever closer...
Keep keeping your eye on the puck...