Irresistable Force v Immovable Object...

You may notice a slight change to the layout here-that's because I've added a blogroll-a wonderful little thing which allows you to see all the blogs that I have a read of on a regular basis. It also saves me putting a link to them every time I refer to something written-you can simply click on the relevant blog in the Recommended Reading menu on the right-hand-side. Anything to make your visit to the Breakaway more user-friendly...


That's the starter dealt with-now onto the main dish of the day...


The Elite League appears to be getting bigger. Not in terms of exposure (we wish, although there were some strides made last season) but in terms of simple size. Hull have signed their latest meathead in Rick Kozak, a 6'3, 225lb forward who should make for a few bruises if you're an Elite League defenceman next season. Cardiff's last two signings have been 6'6 and 6'3, both well over 200lbs (Doug MacIver in particular looks, well, intimidating) and even Bracknell are getting into the act by attempting to sign well-known human irritant Jeff Hutchins away from the EIHL.


Teams all over the place are trumpeting the need for "team toughness" and fans are licking their lips at the prospect of gloves hitting ice on a nightly basis in rinks around the country. But I can't help feeling that all this hoo-ha over toughness is somewhat missing the point.


Power alone doesn't win games. In fact, I would argue that it's far less a component of the game of hockey then speed and skill-after all, you can be big and powerful, but if you can't get near any of the opposition to use it, it doesn't help much.


This is why the Blaze's signing of Carlyle Lewis and the Phoenix signing Grant Jacobsen are so interesting, and why many hockey fans have been singing the praises of Steve Munn when he plays for Sheffield-these three are tough, powerful lads who have proved they can play a bit too. It's all very well fight fans getting excited about two teams of 6'5, 250lb monsters lumbering around the ice trying to smash each other into oblivion, but if your team wins five fights and doesn't score and the other team doesn't win any but scores one thanks to their 5'7 quicksilver sniper evading the crush for one second in a game to score, then who comes off better?

The EIHL Credit Crunch: I know the above isn't really the greatest post for nearly two weeks of a gap, but the trouble with the off-season now is that most of the exciting stuff has happened. Sheffield have completed their roster (well, the imports anyway) all the big Brits are settled in, and Colin Hemingway is the biggest remaining name out there. Now we're into the intriguing stage of the pre-season, where players slot in and the big signings, not necessarily in terms of reputation but in terms of "players that are vital to winning a championship" in a lot of cases, are made.

Certainly a running theme this off-season has been the big tightening of belts, with most teams (Belfast excepted) tightening the purse-strings massively with re-signings or holding out for quality rather than quantity when it comes to Brits.

Which is why Russ Cowley still being on the market surprises me hugely. Sure, you can believe the Blaze PR's about Cowley over-valuing himself, or you can believe sources close to the player saying that the Blaze treated him shabbily. But given that the Blaze have just signed Barrie Moore (who may be a wily veteran but is surely now on the downslope of his career and trading on one superb British season now that his best friend Neal Martin has left), surely the "wants too much money" defence doesn't hold up if you're then going to pay an import similar money to sit on the third line. Especially when you bear in mind that (and I am quoting the most often-quoted defences from Blaze fans for this move here) "couldn't hit a barn door/selfish" Cowley scored the same number of goals and seven more assists than "great team player/wicked goalscorer" Moore. Assuming the money is roughly the same, who would you take?

Now that Cowley is rumoured to be on his way back to Coventry, doubtless this will be hailed as another "great piece of negotiation". It's not. It's pure luck and a missed opportunity by the other nine teams in the EIHL to sign a Brit who is yet to peak and would have some serious fire in his belly. Instead he'll be left to yoyo between the Blaze's second and third lines and wither on the vine rather than being given the chance to elevate his game to the next level...

And that, from the GB head coach and a team who have trumpeted their pride in British talent long and loud but now ice only one young Brit (in Joe Henry) having released prospects James Archer, Tom Carlon, and James Cooke in the past few years, is a little sad.

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...