Midweek Musings...

In we go...faster and harder than an Andrew Sharp stick to the head...

A Swift Correction: As pointed out by Matt, Bruce Mulherin didn't play four games in five nights, but, due to barely being back from injury himself, was restricted to just three in five...these are the things you miss when ih-update doesn't have lists of who is actually appearing for the teams on each game-night, like the NHL. However, this does not lessen the sheer awesomeness of his goal against the Blaze, nor the fineness of the Phoenix performance on Saturday. If anything, the fact that they were missing Lucas Burnett and Kyle Bruce as well as having Mulherin playing hurt enhances it somewhat...

The good...: It's the Christmas weekend this weekend, or at least the closest approximation to it the teams will have, and so the cash-cows are once again being milked for all their worth with the Xmas shirts. Basingstoke, however, are at least doing something laudable with theirs, dedicating their special shirt to the Armed Forces with this nifty little camouflage number...which will be worn this evening against Nottingham.

The very good: Newcastle, meanwhile, have produced possibly the best effort thus far with this. Yes, the snow is probably a little...well, clichéd, but the Angel of the North motif under what looks like a lowering winter sky (but is in fact just the colours of the jersey) just looks somehow right, and is a nice unique touch. Shame, then, that they'll be wearing these on...erm...the 27th. They could probably have left the "Merry Christmas" bit off though without doing serious harm and just called it a "midwinter/Xmas jersey"...

...and the plain-bloody-ugly: And then we have this atrocity, which has just about made anyone with any aesthetic appreciation qualities bleed profusely from the eyes, and should probably come with a health warning. Not only do the Blaze have to suffer what appears to be a vomiting dragon (people take the mick out of the Angry Budgie logo in Manchester but, at least that's a decent fanzine name)...but it's now wearing a Santa hat on a jersey which appears to have already had the colour run in the wash and be covered in crusted bird-excrement on the shoulders. The previous Blaze Christmas efforts have been just about bearable (mainly for the amusement of seeing people pay wildly-inflated prices for what was essentially a normal Blaze jersey with some snow tacked on the numbers) but this one just looks bad. Can you seriously see people paying a stupid amount of money for a shirt which they can wear, at best, three times a year without looking a bit stupid? At least the Viper one has some link to the region and looks cool (and, without the Merry Christmas bit, is almost an any-time jersey) this one just looks like a way to extract cash from wallets in the quickest, cheapest way possible. When fervent Blaze-supporting friends of mine are using the term "hideous" to describe it, you know you've erred.

And it's pink. Which is a fine and laudable colour for hockey jerseys when used to promote breast cancer awareness, as the MK Lightning and EIHL teams have done in the past, but at any other time, especially when it's that colour because you've skimped on the red dye? Just...no.

Still...as the defenders will no doubt say, I don't have to buy one. To which I reply...true-but I still have to suffer the sight of the ruddy things for sixty minutes on Sunday...

And you'd done so well with the jersey design up until now this year, too...even sticking a bunch of flags on the back the same design and then re-packaging it as a "unique Conti Cup jersey" (as opposed to a quick tweak) was forgivable because the originals looked damn good...but this? Ew.

Rant over...

Obligatory Andrew Sharp Mention: Four games? That's a start...I am reliably informed that some of the footage of the events in Cardiff on Sunday has not been released yet just in case charges get pressed, and also that, despite all the talking on the site about "team solidarity" etc, Sharp has already gone from the Steelers roster. Which shows that, perhaps, there's someone in Sheffield who can see when things go too far besides the good folk sat in the Hallam Arena stands.


One Minute Preview: Basingstoke v Nottingham

I can't see the Panthers losing this one, Heroes night or no Heroes night in Basingstoke. Mainly because the Panthers are coming off a tonking of the Giants which may have quieted a few jitters, and the Bison are coming off being tonked by the Phoenix in Manchester, and still not anywhere near full strength. Much depends, though, on whether Kevin Reiter decides to perform a Christmas miracle or simply be a mortal like everyone else. Even so, the Panthers simply have too much offensive talent (now that Jade Galbraith has begun to find his form) and much as I dislike the East Midlanders, the head says they'll win this one. Eventually.

And that, very quickly, is your Midweek Musings...