Round the Rinks, February 27th

Before we charge into the weekend preview, let's have a few stream of consciousness thoughts on last night's action...with a bit of a lyric first...

"A little gambling is fun when you're with me...
Russian Roulette is not the same without a gun
And baby, when it's love, if its not rough it isn't fun"
Lady Gaga: "Poker Face"

Granted, the title may have only been slightly delayed in being awarded to Sheffield by Coventry's win last night, but it seems there may be a way to get to the Steelers early...involve them in a scrap. The first period of last night's game reportedly saw Rod Sarich get called for sticking a Blaze player in the mouth, JF Perras get away with trying to remove Jeff Legue's head with a blocker, and all manner of more humdrum nastiness (slashing, hooking and the like) that appeared to throw the Steelers off their game sufficiently for the Blaze to eke out a three-two win. Highlights, by the way, are here...

With the varying standards of refereeing in the EIHL, and the fact that a lot seems to get let go in this league, surely it's worth teams trying to beat the Steelers in the trenches more, rather than trying to hold off their powerful attack and hope to get one through Lehman-a tactic which has seen the Steelers victorious on all but four occasions in regulation time this season...and, when employed, has won them at least a point on all but those same four occasions-had a few more of those OT losses been regulation losses, then the title race would be a hell of a lot closer...
Anyway, enough of my half-baked tactical reflections-on to last night's games and thence, the preview...

Granted, it's a lump of silver and not one of America's greatest poets, but even so...:...if the Elite League title were Mark Twain, right now would doubtless be the point where it said (with apologies to Huck Finn's creator) "The reports of my being won...have been greatly exaggerated".

They're not going without at least the pretence of a fight. We'll give them that: Basingstoke, meanwhile, scored five against Belfast last night. Unfortunately, even with Kevin Reiter in goal, they allowed the rampant Giants to score eight...

The prediction still holds...: Manchester, meanwhile, are now in their first final as the Phoenix (yes, I know they were at the finals weekend, but that doesn't count unless they played on the Sunday) after beating Newcastle in the KO Cup semi. Which means my prediction of "the Phoenix will win a trophy this season, way back in late August, is still looking good...

And now on to the weekend preview...

Double-headers:

Cardiff v Newcastle: Expect nothing less than a dogfight both by the Bay and on the banks of the Tyne. Points are more important to both teams than entertaining the crowds at the moment, and with neither team setting the scoring charts on fire (both as teams are little more than above-average, which isn't bad but by no means a threat to Sheffield's stellar attack, and due to concentrating most of their goalscoring eggs in a few players' baskets) grit and ugly goals will be the order of the day...

Friday

Belfast v Basingstoke: Live on the webcast at www.giantslive.tv for those of you who wish to watch it, this game has already produced thirteen goals this week back at the Silverdome. There will likely not be as many tonight, and Belfast will be expecting a fairly handsome win to capitalise on Sheffield slipping up last night, but you can always hope...whether you hope simply for a good game and a Belfast win or a good game and a Basingstoke shock depends on whether you support Sheffield or not...

Saturday:

Manchester v Coventry: Could be a cracker. Now the Phoenix have finally shaken the monkey off their back when it comes to beating Coventry with their last win in Altrincham, they will fancy another two points, not least because it could take them above Cardiff if results go their way, and in theory give them a chance of an easier playoff game...

Belfast v Hull: Someone wants to give the Giants every chance of taking maximum points from a gruelling four games in four nights schedule-they face each one of the bottom three, with Basingstoke twice...This one is arguably the toughest game of the four, and with one to come in Edinburgh on Sunday, the Giants will be hoping their opponents have an off-night...

Nottingham v Basingstoke: Poor Bison. Three of the top four in four nights? It's like the problems Belfast will face with fatigue, only a thousand times worse...Panthers will need to not switch off, and this game is theirs.

Sunday:

Coventry v Sheffield: What's that smell? A barn-burner on the horizon, perhaps? The Skydome will be packed as the Blaze and Steelers renew hostilities, and as mentioned earlier, there may be a bit of animosity still simmering from Thursday's slugfest. This one should be even better than the usual, if Blaze can stop Steelers scoring as early as they have on their last two visits to the West Midlands...

Hull v Nottingham: Panthers beware...the Stingrays have teeth now-and will not make a trip to the North East easy...the cats need a win to set them up for the visit of Sheffield next weekend, but will have to fight hard for it.

Edinburgh v Belfast: The tired Belfast d-men are probably wincing even now at the thought of having to face Adam Stefishen bearing down on them at the end of a four-game stretch, but you can bet the Edinburgh hardman and his pals are licking their lips in anticipation of the Giants' visit this time round. However, they should bear in mind that most animals fight hardest when they are tired and have no other option...

There you go...that's your weekend previewed...

Thursday Thoughts...

I know this week has been somewhat disjointed...I had intended to respond to Rob's post on the Pyre regarding the rumours about changes to next season's EIHL...however, events have overtaken me this week, hence the lack of posts.

This one is just very quick indeed-to point out that Basingstoke did in fact play Belfast last night (and it was a fairly eventful game by the looks of things-check out the ih-update report), not Manchester-the Phoenix play Newcastle tonight while Coventry face Sheffield at the Hallam Arena in a game rearranged from this coming Saturday...reaction to those games and your usual dose of Round the Rinks will appear tomorrow as per usual...

Until then, keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Double Double Overtime...

Sorry this is a very late Double Overtime...mainly thanks to computer problems (plus getting all of about 30 minutes sleep on Sunday night after celebrating a friend's wedding slightly too much...don't ever play poker with Carlyle Lewis because you WILL lose...).

On we go into a look back at an eventful weekend that gave us rumbles, refereeing incompetence and flying equipment...and that was just Coventry v Edinburgh...

So, we can assume this isn't just a "cosmetic" rivalry then: On Sunday night in Newcastle, the Vipers renewed acquaintances with the Giants-and went to war, often literally. Jason Rushton saw the other end of both Chris McAllister and Derek Campbell's fists, while Andre Payette, never one to be left out of any rough stuff, found a willing partner in Malcolm MacMillan...

There was some fairly decent non-pugilistic action as well, as the Vipers won 6-3 including a Jeff Hutchins hat-trick...Paul Deniset and Mark Morrison (twice) replied for the Giants...

It's just a matter of time now...: Sheffield, meanwhile, won their only game of the weekend against Hull, doing what all title-winning teams do and finding another gear after having some serious trouble disposing of a resolute opponent. Hull Stingrays were leading 2-1 thanks to Jamie Thompson going into the final ten minutes, before the Steelers scored three to set themselves up perfectly for a massive game against Coventry on Thursday...

Bouncing back is all very well, but has no-one ever told them not needing to bounce back is better?: It was something of a redemption for Hull after they suffered a home tanking against Cardiff the night before, Jay Latulippe scoring a hat-trick in the Devils' 7-1 win, with Konstantin Kalmikov scoring the lone Stingray's goal when his team were already 3-0 down...

In fairness to him, even the most ice-blooded person would react badly to an unexpected smack in the chops with a lump of carbon-fibre: Mark Hurtubise caused the normally-fairly-dull fixture between Coventry and Edinburgh to liven up a little (although Carlyle Lewis and Adam Stefishen had had something of an endurance-contest fight earlier which was the first instance of gloves hitting ice for some time at the Skydome) when he was sticked (accidentally) in the face by Matty Soderstrom as the Blaze defenceman lifted Hurtubise's own stick full into his jaw while battling for the puck-not because of the incident itself but because of his reaction when, despite dropping gloves and stick and heading for the bench holding his mouth and dripping blood, he somehow failed to attract the attention of referee Matt Thompson.

Clearly following the logic of "if at first you don't succeed", a very racked-off Hurtubise then proceeded to turn his helmet into a ballistic object/"Hey, YOU!" yell, by hurling it onto the ice, for which he was given a game misconduct.

But wait, it gets better:

Because any right-thinking hockey player knows that the best way to win a powerplay is to slam your stick into your own face on purpose: A few Blaze fans near me, who have been there many years, came out with the defence that Thompson had no need to give a penalty as it was Hurtubise's own stick, rather than Soderstrom's, that had done the damage, and thus it was all a blatant and cheating attempt to get a powerplay...

I have a cunning plan...: ...and Jordan Steel, realising that Caps were about to lose their best player, quickly took his helmet off, hid it and claimed he had thrown the offending one...

Which would have worked, had the Caps, like many other teams, not had their numbers emblazoned on the back of their helmets...the sequence of events went roughly thus...

Lee Young skates to the bench as Steel yells that it was his helmet that was thrown:
"So, you threw the helmet?"

"Yep."
Young checks Steel's shirt
"No you didn't...that's a nine on your shirt, not a ten."

You have to give the kid (a founder member of the Corey Spring All-Stars, by the way) points for trying...

"Basingstoke are like ducks in Britain-Every year, they're fine till about November, then, they head south like bats out of hell":...This random snippet overheard from an Edinburgh fan discussing the merits of next year's Elite League, and who (or not) will play in it, seems a fair comment to put here...Yes, Bison lost again-only this time, they didn't even have to turn up in Manchester to do so, thanks to a broken-down coach...although the 5-2 loss in their own rink the night before can't exactly have been a motivation to fix it...

That's all the events of the weekend covered, apart from Nottingham's (by now routine) win against Newcastle at the NIC (this season, the East Midlands has not been a happy hunting ground for the Geordies)

And, there you go...Basingstoke play Manchester tonight in the re-arranged fixture from Sunday, but for now, you're all up to date on the events of last weekend...

Round the Rinks, February 20th...

As promised, here's your preview of the weekend...

Very quickly, though...and the last word on the All-Star game following my thoughts earlier...for a player's perspective on Thursday night's game, have a look at Steelers TV, who, as well as saving the All-Star Diary below with the loan of a laptop, also spoke to Jeff Legue for his views on the event-it's well worth a look...

Now, onto brief pen-pictures of the games-you know the form by now...

Double-Headers:

Basingstoke v Manchester: It looks like the misery is far from over for Basingstoke, as they face the Phoenix home and away. It's looking more and more likely that this is the Bison's last season in the EIHL, and with a ten point gap (at the time of writing) to ninth place there is only pride left to play for. Rumours, fuelled by his being placed on a line with Dan Carlson and Adam Calder for the whole of the All-Star game while others were switched almost at will, are gathering pace linking club talisman Greg Chambers with a move to Coventry next season, and Manchester have their tails up in the chase for playing position. Couple that with some shaky recent form from Kevin Reiter, and you fear for the goal-judges thumbs on both nights faced with the potent Phoenix attack, tired or not.

Edinburgh v Coventry: The Blaze make the trip to Scotland and then are followed back by the Capitals on Sunday as fourth faces eighth. As recently as last season I'd be confident in predicting a four-point weekend for the Midlanders-however, this time round with the Caps beginning their traditional late-season charge, I'm not so sure...could we see the first Edinburgh win at the Skydome of the EIHL era?

Saturday:

Hull v Cardiff: Could be quite a close game, this one, with both teams needing every point in the scramble for playoff position...and the Stingrays at full strength for the first weekend in some considerable time-one to keep an eye on if not go out of your way to watch...

Nottingham v Newcastle: Corey Neilson looked very assured indeed at the All-Star game without the threat of being checked...however, against the Vipers he may need to look over his shoulder a little more, as the Geordies will be chasing a valuable win at the expense of the Panthers' jostle for second position behind Sheffield...and they'll be chasing very hard indeed.

Sunday:

Sheffield v Hull: This game is Yorkshire's version of the Prince and the Pauper, and will once again see the Stingrays hoping to at least delay Sheffield's title celebrations while at the same time earning themselves valuable points in the playoff dogfight...every non-Steeler fan will be hoping they're successful...

Newcastle v Belfast: This one should be tasty after Vipers coach Rob Wilson has said that the Giants "belong in a circus" after their last meeting...there is some bad-blood which has been built up nicely this season by both teams...expect fireworks...

And that's your EIHL weekend in a nutshell...

Closure on the All-Star Game

Well, now I'm back home safely having enjoyed a pint or two...and am amazed to find that the running diary had over 350 unique visits in three hours during tonight's game period (8-11pm)-to put that into some sort of perspective, the blog usually runs about sixty or seventy visits a day...so many thanks to everyone who stuck with it despite the problems in the second period...

This says to me that the idea of an All-Star game is a very good one and does raise the interest-people are curious as to how such a thing works...however, the fact that the crowd finally only numbered 700 or so (those are ticket-office figures from Planet Ice, not me doing a rough-head count) shows that despite the relatively intense efforts of the Elite League and those involved with it to publicise it, the execution of it (not on the night-the matchnight crew, particularly announcer Bavy from Basingstoke, made the best of very little genuine material) was flawed.

I will say that, reading back on the diary, it probably concentrates slightly too much on the negatives. For what it's worth, there was the germ of a good idea-the skill level was fairly high (notably Corey Neilson, who was much more open and willing to showcase his offensive talent than in games in the regular season-he clearly relished the extra time on the puck) even though players were clearly not skating at anywhere near their full potential and had had absolutely no time to practice with the majority of their team-mates, giving things a very "thrown-together" feel, there were shirts from all over the country and a few teams from other leagues there, while the atmosphere, while not high in intensity, certainly felt pretty-warm hearted and raised some smiles-it seemed that some were there as much for the social side as the hockey itself.

I'm honestly not sure about insisting on picking both imports and Brits from every team in the league, though, still...I appreciate the comment that this will likely give the game a potentially wider appeal, however, one of the recurring comments from people both before the game and in the rink tonight was "it's not an All-Star game, because (insert player here) isn't playing". You need nothing but the best in an All-Star game player-wise, and there were several (both Brits and imports) who would have struggled to make a "proper" All-Star game in the eyes of many...

However, Mark Hurtubise shone in company (on the ice) perhaps better than he is used to up in Edinburgh, as did Rob Dowd, while we saw a preview, perhaps, of next season's Coventry top-line in the trio of Adam Calder, Dan Carlson and Greg Chambers, who played together from the start.

A few tidbits that I missed from the blog and probably should have sneaked in...mostly spawned from shamelessly nicking an idea from Becky at Five Minute Major-she calls it "Overheard at the...(insert event here)" after Overheardinnewyork...Starting with some one-liners..

"You two people at the front of block eight-this is a family sport. Not a "make-a-family" sport"
Announcer Bavy to a pair of Hull Stingrays (I think-was trying not to watch) fans who had chosen an empty block to spend some "couple-time" together and not even looked at the ice for many minutes...

"Are you getting paid by the goal, Andrew?"
A yell from block 2 after Andrew Verner let in Greg Chambers' hard wrist-shot, having let in three swift ones before then.

"Goal scored by number ten...we're not sure which one. Assisted by number ten"
Bavy again, announcing a David Beauregard goal for the North (it was assisted by Paul Deniset) and at the same time showing why having two players on the same line wearing the same number is a ruddy stupid idea.

"Nice to see you save your best stuff for the important games..."
A Blaze fan yelling at Messrs Cook, Richardson and Neilson after they combined beautifully for a South goal...

"Andrew Verner? He may as well be Randy Lerner for all the effect he's having"
Who says football fans can't also be ice-hockey fans?

"Incoming...(puck strikes glass)-they're not trying. I didn't wince this time"
Heard at the plexi on the way round to a quiet seat, during the warm-up...

"I'll be hammering on your door to get in!"
"Funny. Don't they hammer on the door to be let OUT at your place?"
Banter between a Basingstoke and Sheffield fan...I'm not sure how the conversation started but this bit struck me as funny.

"...and you should have seen her dress last night. I know it's Ladies Night but you could see EVERYTHING, it was so short...and she wasn't wearing any knickers, I don't think. Imagine ZZ Top in a sombrero..."
Blaze fans bitching about another attendee at the previous night's night of oestrogen-and-alcohol-fuelled mayhem, known to us mere male mortals as Ladies Night. It shouldn't be funny, but it was...

"Go on, South-they've given up and put the backup in! How was it backing up that shower, Jody?"
A slightly inebriated Cardiff fan's reaction to Jody Lehman coming into the game.


"One misplaced skate, and the Sky contract goes right out the window"
A quote during the Fastest Shot competition, with the players participating having to skate round and behind a Sky cameraman who rather unwisely had his data and electrical cable snaking across the ice behind him, as Rod Sarich looked very close indeed to skating over it and totalling some very expensive equipment, as well as possibly becoming the first ice-hockey player to cite "electrocution during a game" as a reason for injury...

"Shouldn't that be (adopts accent which is a mix of bad Coronation Street impression, Hovis advert and Geordie) "Staaaaannnnd ooop, if yeeeerrrrrr luuuuvvvv tuh'north?!"
Nottingham fan reacting to Sheffield fans singing "Stand up if you love the North" at the end of the game.

Also, if you're a stattie...here are the fastest shots in mph from each player in the slapshot comp:

South
Brad Voth 93 (winner)
Adam Calder and Corey Neilson both 73

North
Rod Sarich 87
Taylor Christie 86
Colin Shields 84


Final grade: C+
There's interest there for an All-Star Game, but it needs to be a "proper" one, there needs to be some fan input into the lineups, a la North America, and perhaps a change of venue every year AND making a little space in the schedule to have it happen properly (drop the KO Cup or shorten it, perhaps?) with a bit of a break. Oh, and cut the prices a little while adding more razzmatazz to make it a "proper" fan festival...


Round the Rinks to come around 7pm this evening...

All Star Running Diary

19:45: It's just before faceoff in a barely half-full Skydome, and the players are on the ice...And we're on...keep refreshing the page every few minutes to see the latest update...

19:48: Starting anthems, as announced by our guest announcer from Basingstoke (who I'm informed "sounds like a porn-star"...:

North: Verner, Sarich, Horne, Beauregard, Deniset, Phillips
South: Reiter, O'Connor, Neilson, Carlson, Calder, Chambers.

And we're off...

19:50: Goal South: Verner is beaten as Brendan Cook simply slides a pass across the crease at half-speed and Bruce Richardson taps it in at the back post for the opener. Barely any of the players look interested, however...

19:52: Two goals in quick succession, one at either end. Slava Koulikov pokes in a rebound for the South off a Neilson shot and seconds later, Rob Dowd puts the North on the board.

19:55: A Blaze chant is modified to "Oh When The South Go Skating In"...I'd forgotten there was a crowd here until then...

19:58: Corey Neilson fans on a shot quite spectacularly, setting off a chorus of donkey noises from the North fans. Sheffield Steelers fans: possibly the only fans on the planet who'll heckle at an All-Star game...

19:59: However, revenge is sweet as Phil Hill makes Andrew Verner look a little silly from close range, and at the same time attempts some sort of justiication for being here.

20:01: Andrew Verner may be here in body, but his mind is clearly somewhere else. Like already in the pub...

20:03: Verner's definitely in the pub. Chambers has just fired one top-shelf, and he didn't even move. Nice goal though...

20:05: Believe it or not, despite the 4-1 score, the game is fairly even. The main difference is that Andrew Verner is bloody awful, and as yet, Kevin Reiter isn't.

20:07: And now I look silly. Verner makes a very good save from Chambers, but ruins it by kicking the net off.

20:09: Someone near me has said "the players are here simply because they were told to be. Only to be met with "...nope, they were told there's free cake"...

Northern wit at its finest...

20:10: Goal North...Awada tap-in. It's 4-2 after 15 minutes....

20:12: Northern Wit Part II: Overheard in the crowd..."We know a North v South game that would have sold this place out...Sheffield v Nottingham"

Ouch.

20:14: Cook zings one off Verner's bar...

20:17: Goal for the North. Mark Hurtubise with a beauty of a wrister high past Reiter. I like Hurtubise a lot, not least because (random fact) he plays the same position, wears the same number and was born on exactly the same day as me...

20:20: The North equalise through Mark Garside-Is this a good time to mention that the South All-Star goalies are from the two worst teams in the league?

20:22: Just as I type that, Reiter stacks the pads to deny Awada on a breakaway...

END OF PERIOD 1

We're now preparing for the Fastest Skater part of the evening...It's basically a slalom relay, people....

Dan Carlson leads Rob Dowd into the first change...

Tyson Teplitsky beats Paul Deniset...

And Mark Hurtubise falls to allow Russ Cowley to skate home for the South to win.

And yes, it really was that boring...

So, as we take a brief break for the first intermission...I have this thought...

It may be boring, but it's still considered more important to win by the players than the KO Cup...

PERIOD 2:

Apologies...battery issues mean that I'm having fun rushng around for a power-point. However, you're not missing much beyond a few run-of-the-mill tap-ins that have now made it 7-5 to the South.

And, judging by the comments, it appears a little light mickey-taking of the players annoys a few people...I wasn't seriously suggesting Andrew Verner was in the pub...it's called gentle mockery...:)

For the record, Verner improved immensely in the second period, and received a warm round of applause when changed for Lehman...Cruickshank is now in goal at the other end...

A more comprehensive look-back to appear, along with the return to the proper running diary format, when I get power back...try again around 9:15 or so...

PERIOD 3:

And we're back, 4 minutes into the final period...thanks to the gentlemen from SteelersTV...

The Fastest Shot was something of a disappointment-Brad Voth winning with a blast of 93 miles an hour-but the radar gun may well have been spectacularly faulty thanks to crediting Rod Sarich with a 31mph shot that seriously bulged the net...

Score is now 9-6 South, with the highlight goal being a blast from the blue-line from Corey Neilson which Jody Lehman barely saw....and as I type that, they make it 9-6...

There has been some confusion when David Beauregard scored for the North...due to the players being allowed to wear their own numbers and there being three number tens on the North squad...the announcer seems unable to pronounce it, causing a frustrated Welsh voice to yell "Who the hell is BOO-GARD?!"

21:23: Now 10-7 South, as first Paul Deniset and then Brendan Cook score, Brad Voth assisting. There still hasn't been a single hit.

21:24: 11-7. Bruce Richardson from Corey Neilson and Brendan Cook. Thankfully, unlike at the NIC, we don't have to suffer Chelsea Dagger as a result, the DJ knowing his audience and, as Richardson celebrates, YMCA rings out to delight the Steelers fans.

21:26: Just to clarify, Andrew Verner is better than Kevin Reiter. Just not tonight. However, he does appear to be posting comments from the bench...

21:28: Did I mention that this game has the atmosphere well and truly appropriate to the league which contains the "greatest spectacle of European hockey?"

21:30: Block 2 are waving at Dave Matsos, having spent the previous three periods trying to get a wave out of every different team's fan in the arena. Highlight of the night "Frolunda, give us a wave!"

21:31: Goal North: Jez Lundin. Assisted by David Beauregard (the announcer gets the name right this time...)

21:33: The North are making a game of this-it's 11-9 now. Paul Deniset. You can safely say that ten appears to be a lucky shirt number for the North...

21:35: Just as I post that, Adam Walker scores the North's tenth, and his second...

21:37: 12-10 as the South score an empty-netter. Cruickshank makes a superb triple-save to deny Paul Deniset...

21:39: Game ends 12-10 to the South. It was never going to be a classic of British hockey, but the players seemed to enjoy themselves...those few that weren't playing in their sleep, that is.

21:40: Just in case you missed it, the announcer is running through the teams again in a desperate attempt to remind us all how much fun it is to see the All-Stars play. He's failing. At least "spoonerdude" didn't do the same when it came to understanding a bit of humour...

21:42: And that's your lot, since I've had to borrow the Steelers TV laptop and they want it back to conduct the post-match interviews...Thanks to them for ensuring this diary didn't end prematurely, and thank you for reading...

Weekend preview to come tomorrow...keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Live and (hopefully) Loud...

Hey all...

Just a quickie to let you all know that, Internet connection permitting, I shall be attempting a live-from-the-Skydome running diary of the All-Star game-the plan is to constantly update the post every few minutes or so from about 7:15 pm onwards this evening, with what's going on, reflections or just simply what's running through my head at the time...the party will hopefully start on here from around 7:30 or so, assuming I can get a laptop running...refresh the page every few minutes to see if there are any new posts, as each line will be tagged with the time...

Hopefully, this'll work...if it does get going and you like it, then pass the word out to those you know who may be interested...and be prepared for randomness and possibly a rude word or off-colour joke or two...

Midweek Musings: Game Reaction and All Star News...

Morning all...

This post is a fairly short one, so let's waste no further time...

Well, that was all very civilised, wasn't it?: Over in Northern Ireland, Belfast and Manchester played out a fairly calm game, with two goals from the returning and resurgent Andrew Martin the difference in a contest which only saw ten penalty minutes and four powerplays handed out in the entire game-a measure of how benign it was can be gained from the fact that nearly hald of those minutes went to Jason Rushton for "accidental high sticks"...For the record, David Beauregard scored for the Phoenix...

Now, if they could just sort out the other 59 minutes then this season could still be interesting: Meanwhile, over in Nottingham, Coventry did their best to throw away their clash against Nottingham but again scored twice in the final minute to go from 5-4 down to 6-5 up, with Erik Hjalmarsson netting another crucial goal-he seems to make a habit of scoring just when the Blaze most need a goal in such games...

Well, if the arena's as empty as rumoured, I've got to find something to do:There is a chance the Breakaway will be providing live updates a la Five Minute Major of the EIHL All-Star game this Thursday from about 7.15 onwards, although given that only 400 tickets have so far been sold, I'm wondering whether there'll be enough interest out there to justify the effort of carrying a laptop into town...

However, I'll let you know on Thursday early evening if this is happening...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Rose-Tinted...

You believe what you want
And you said what's been said
And i do hope you learn a lesson
I... do hope you learn a lesson
What's your problem?
Can't you see it?

New Found Glory: "Failure's Not Flattering"

It's not often you read an interview and wonder whether the person being interviewed really means what they're saying, but this rare event has happened to me thanks to Neil Chiplen's continuing interview with Andy French on Elite Hockey Today, the first part of which spawned the rivalry debates of a week or two ago on here. The subject has now moved on to the playoff weekend, and while I appreciate the need to remain positive and promote at all costs, some of the quotes in this interview have left me questioning whether those running British ice-hockey are seeing the same things as the vast majority of the fans...so here's my reply. Call it an open letter, if you will, responding to the quotes point by point...All the words in italics are from Neil's article...the bits in speechmarks are a direct quote of Mr French:

Elite League Director of Hockey Andy French has told skysports.com that the playoff finals are the spectacle of European ice hockey.

Honestly? 7,000 people in an arena in the NIC is a bigger event with a better atmosphere than, say, Slavia Prague v Sparta or Cologne v Dusseldorf?

I disagree strongly. And here is one of the reasons why-the greatest ice-hockey moment and loudest roar I've ever seen live. Cologne's Bill Lindsay scoring against hated rivals Dusseldorf, in Cologne, in overtime, to keep them in the playoff semi-finals. Watch, imagine being in that crowd, and tell me how it's worse than a game for which half the people at the weekend have no real interest and a good thousand of the seven-thousand seats may be empty (if Nottingham have been knocked out).

Or, if you want an arena with similar capacity, here's the noise in Berlin's "Wellblechpalast" after they score the winner in the deciding game of the "best-of-five" DEL finals (sadly against "my" Cologne...:))

That's just two events that are bigger-the playoff weekend, however "uniting" it is, just isn't in the same league...

Moving on...

The playoff finals at Nottingham get huge crowds and always have,” French told skysports.com.
“It’s a big success. It’s very difficult to get tickets for it year in, year out and it’s very successful. It’s hard work but it is good. I enjoy it after doing a few playoff final weekends behind the scenes.”


Firstly...with ten teams represented you're not going to get a "small" crowd by British hockey standards...especially when Sheffield and Nottingham are given a third of the tickets by themselves. However, is there a single Elite League fan that's ever found it tricky to get tickets? In fact, has the EIHL finals weekend ever sold out, even in the year Nottingham won it?

I'm not sure that's the case...especially as, if either Sheffield or Nottingham go out, the arena is dramatically emptier for the Sunday...indeed, perhaps the major reason it is so full is purely because many people buy tickets while being unsure their team is actually going to be there...and in a lot of cases sell their tickets if they're not.

Then, of course, you have the fact that the average attendance of seventeen teams in Europe is higher than the attendance at British hockey's "showpiece", with only two teams represented...presumably this makes them on some stratospheric scale of importance to European hockey which hasn't even been measured yet-or at least it does if you're using the attendance as an argument...

Then, we move on to the playoff format, to whit the "knockout" two-leg quarter finals...

“I think we went to this new format and it’s created, in my opinion, a situation that’s way better than when we used to have the groups,” French added.

If "way better..." was replaced by "considered to be diminished massively in importance to the fans" then that might be right...

“I think it creates more interest for the fans and each club should get full houses (for the home playoff quarter final) especially if the first game is close."

If the playoff KO's were run like those in Europe, a best-of-three or -five, then I might agree in the "more interest" bit. And what happens to the crowds if the first leg sees one club win heavily?

“The next week (in Nottingham) you’re at what’s become the spectacle of Europe.”

Sorry, but no, just...no. The playoff weekend is considered by most fans to be a nice social way to round off the year while watching some decent hockey and supporting their team. Winning is a bonus. But seriously, it's an event which, in the past few years, has consisted of three EIHL games, a junior game that few people really "get into" on the Sunday morning and many skip in favour of nursing their hangovers before the final, and little to no fanfare outside the rink (i.e no "fan-parade" area, no social hub on site (the arena empties between games on the Saturday as everyone disappears into the Castle or other Nottingham pubs, simply because the area around the NIC is dead-you barely know there's a big event on from the outside)-to compare that to, say, the Stockholm-Gothenburg derby or any "big" game in Scandinavia, Germany or Switzerland just will not wash with anyone who knows about hockey...

It may bring a few interested newbies in, but is attempting to draw in those who don't even know there's a team in their local town to such an event as the Playoff Weekend really the best way to go?

Feel free to comment...

In other news, there are two EIHL games tonight as Belfast face Manchester and Nottingham face Coventry-reaction to those games will appear tomorrow but you can keep up with events at the Odyssey, as always, by watching the Giants Webcast...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Double Overtime, Feb 16th

Be warned...this one is a bit long..hence why it's a day late. I've had to do three drafts of it to tone it down to the version you now see...I thought the other two descended too much into ranting. However, I eventually decided to post that on Tuesday afternoon-thanks to a bit of Blogspot magic that is already written and will be going up on here at three pm exactly on Tuesday.

Anyway...on to the weekend review...

Well, that's me told, then: Remember my musings on how the Steelers/Panthers rivalry was, perhaps, a little tamer than it was made out to be and perhaps wasn't considered hugely important by those outside the fan-bases involved (and even that was dwindling)

Well, Saturday proved me wrong...seven goals, a game only won after nine rounds of penalty shots, the horrific sight of Jade Galbraith removing his kit (luckily he stopped with elbow pads) as he challenged the Steelers bench and was rather amusingly ignored, although the ladies in the crowd may sue for cruel and unusual punishment of their eyes. Add a decent scrap between Steve Munn and Kevin Bergin and Dan Tessier getting the smacking some would say is long overdue, all of which you can see courtesy of Steelers TV here, and I'm willing to admit that, on this evidence at least, the rivalry is still very much alive...

It's beginning to get a little...well, embarassing now: Poor old Basingstoke. Three goals scored, fourteen conceded...and well and truly rooted to the bottom with their fans hoping the season just ends as quick as possible. As if that wasn't bad enough, they starred in the latest Mark Haddon novel:

The Curious Incident Of The Twenty-Two Minute Period: This, which happened on Saturday night against Coventry, came as a result of an Adam Calder shot which appeared to go in, wasn't given as a goal, and play continuing. So far, so samey. However, the officials managed to do something truly special, deciding after the end of the second period two minutes later that yes, this was in fact a goal, and thus the second period needed to be replayed from the point the puck had "hit the net", which saw the surreal situation of teams play a 20 minute second period, then come back out after a normal period break, play the last two minutes or so of the second period again, and swap ends for the third. You really couldn't make it up...

Cup Crazy: Remember I've predicted from the start of the season that Manchester will win a trophy? They took a giant leap closer this weekend, passing safely into both the KO Cup Semi-final and Challenge Cup final, where they will face Newcastle and Belfast respectively after beating Hull and Basingstoke. The chase for silverware (and proof that I may actually have some ability at this prediction game) gathers pace...

So, lads, I guess that's training sorted this week: Nottingham played two games against their biggest rivals for position this weekend (Belfast and Sheffield) and lost both games in true English-team fashion, on penalties...

Cue much shooting practice this week at the end of training, especially with Dan Tessier now injured and off the roster for the rest of the season...

Not with a bang, but with a whimper: Similar to last season, some of the most intriguing action in the coming weeks will be to see who plays who in the playoff weekend, and particularly who will take the last playoff spot since Edinburgh and Hull are currently tied. The table is clearly split into three divisions, though, with a big gap between Coventry in fourth and Manchester in fifth (seventeen points) and between Hull and Edinburgh fighting for eighth and Basingstoke in tenth (ten points). It seems that all that is really left to decide is who plays who in the playoff quarters now-the jostle for position will be intriguing but hardly compares with the excitement of either a genuine title race (which has all but disappeared from this season as Sheffield march on) or the tooth and nail scrap which Edinburgh and Hull will hopefully provide...

With that in mind: It seems the Capitals are gearing up for their usual late charge-an impressive 7-4 win against Cardiff on Sunday shows that finally, something is stirring in the Bravehearts of the north...

It may be nicer looking up at the stars, but for the rest of this season, those looking for excitement in the EIHL may do better to find it in the basement...

Vipers lose their bite: However, it wasn't the best weekend for one of the others in the mid-table pack, with Newcastle (who look so far away from my prediction of a big year that it's untrue) coming out of the weekend point-less, including a loss to their nearest rivals in Cardiff. A respectable performance in Sheffield goes some way to redeeming the weekend, but you get the sense that some teams in the league are already focusing on the playoffs now...

Not with a bang but a whimper II: Coventry's performance against Belfast on Sunday was a microcosm of the Blaze's season...early promise, a bit of hope, problems against superior opposition, a brief resurgence and then simply being beaten by the same old frailties over and over again. This is the first season I've heard genuine mutterings of discontent at the Skydome directed at the organisation as a whole-even the Valentine's shirts for breast cancer were cynically being dismissed by many as "a moneymaking scheme" with the belief that not all of the money was going to reach the charity it was promoting...

These are not good times at the Skydome...despite the league position. If the Blaze ever genuinely do have a bad season, they could become hockey's version of Leeds United..

There you go...that's the weekend reviewed...check back around five for Tuesday's offering...
.

Insomniatic...

Morning all...

Yes, it's stupidly early, but I'm somewhat sleepless, not least because of the nightmares caused by yesterday's game at the Skydome...if you were a Blaze fan it was not the most pleasant of viewings...

However, given that I have work in four hours, Double Overtime will be appearing this evening around 7pm or so, looking back on quite an eventful weekend, especially if you're from either Sheffield or Nottingham...

Round the Rinks, February 13th...

Simple...all the games, one by one...in a tasty bite-size (i.e short) format...

Friday

Belfast v Nottingham
It's the battle of the Last Chance Saloon! The team that loses this game may as well start focusing on the playoffs, because their chances of the title will be well and truly gone. And with Belfast hit by the injury bug, the Panthers will fancy their chances...

And, with either a live feed from Five Minute Major (see left) or the Belfast webcast, you're spoilt for ways to watch it...

Saturday

Hull v Manchester. Given that there are two perspectives already out there on this game, I'm not going to add a third, but simply point you to the other two and let you judge for yourself...

For the Stingrays view, have a gander at the view from F Block

And for Manchester, there's the tweetings of The Angry Budgie , which is also the place to go if you want an in-depth preview of Manchester's welcoming of Basingstoke on Sunday...a game for which the PR machine is in high (and very well-running) gear...have a look at Five Minute Major for the story...

Newcastle v Cardiff

A quick referral back to Tuesday's post...Devils fan Stanley comments disputing my rejection of Phil Hill's all-star credentials, pointing out that he has a return of 16+17 on the season so far. Much as this amazes me, I have to give credit to him...perhaps my rejection of him as a "third-line plodder" was harsh. Although personally I'd consider Matt Towe the real British star on the Devils and (on skill level at least, which is what the All-Star game is supposed to be about)ahead of Hill. However, this is based purely on his performances against Coventry in a Devils and Steelers shirt this season...Towe and even Ben Davies have really caught my eye while, impressive figures or not, Phil Hill is just not a player I can ever imagine fans getting excited about seeing...

In that respect, with the exception of Devils and Vipers fans, he's similar to this game-they're always a good standard of play, but with Rob Wilson and friends suffocating the life out of inventive hockey and the Devils a team who are always enjoyable to watch but seeming to save their best hockey for games against Coventry, this game is a perfectly good watch, but just seems to be one that'll pass in relative anonymity despite the characters on both sides...

Basingstoke v Coventry..
I can sum up my predictions for this game in three words and a gratuitous reference to arguably one of the the most infamous shootings in American history...those words are: "Valentine's Day Massacre."

Continuing the tenuous link...

Sheffield v Nottingham
Love is in the air? My backside it is...this will likely turn out to be a typical Steelers/Panthers derby...all sound and fury...and that's just Ryan Finnerty.

Sunday

For Manchester v Basingstoke, have a gander at the Angry Budgie as mentioned earlier...there's a semi-final place resting on it too...

Coventry v Belfast
Always worth watching, this is perhaps the best chance Coventry will have to get a big win over the Giants thanks to their injury issues...for the Giants' part, they'll be hoping to send a message that their wins over the Blaze in both the Challenge Cup semi and KO Cup were a sign that, this season at least, they well and truly have the Blaze's number...

The other two games can be dispensed with fairly quickly...

Sheffield v Newcastle
Brains v brawn at its finest. Expect Andrew Verner to have a busy night and the Steelers to take another two-point-sized step towards the league title...

Meanwhile, at the other end, there's Edinburgh v Cardiff-can the Capitals finally get their late-season charge going or will the Devils just make their job harder?

I know it's a bit sketchy this week...I do apologise if you feel this post is a bit..well, rushed...but there's your weekend previewed. Eventually. :)

Thursday Quickie...

Hi all...

Apologies I've missed the last two days...starting a new, if temporary job (in a hospital and involving regular visits to the morgue, no less) has somewhat driven hockey out of my mind...however, it is back and Round the Rinks will be up for around 7 tomorrow evening...

Tuesday Thoughts: The Almost-All-Star Game

Just a quickie before we begin here...Kyle points out that, contrary to what I put yesterday, Belfast did gain a point from the weekend, as their loss to Sheffield was in OT. I'm not quite sure how I got that wrong, and it's even more embarassing since last week I was a little scornful of the Blaze press-machine for forgetting that Steve Thornton hadn't played for Cardiff in eight years in a release to the mailing-list.

I reckon that was karma, somehow...so thanks to Kyle and apologies for my muppetry...

Right then. Now onto the not-so-highly-anticipated Elite League Allstar game, which takes place next Thursday. I've been waiting for the rosters to be finalised before giving judgement on this up until now, but now they are...so let's have a look at them...:

North (coach: Dave Matsos, Sheffield)
Goalies:
Andrew Verner (Newcastle Vipers)
Jody Lehman (Sheffield Steelers)

Defence:
Rod Sarich (Sheffield Steelers)
Kenton Smith (Manchester Phoenix)
David Phillips (Belfast Giants)
Jez Lundin (Newcastle Vipers)
Kyle Horne (Edinburgh Capitals)
Taylor Christie (Edinburgh Capitals)

Forwards
George Awada (Belfast Giants, replacing the injured Bobby Robins)
David Longstaff (Newcastle Vipers)
David Beauregard (Manchester Phoenix)
Mark Hurtubise (Edinburgh Capitals)
Paul Deniset (Belfast Giants)
Adam Walker (Manchester Phoenix)
Colin Shields (Belfast Giants)
Ed Courtenay (Newcastle Vipers)
Jonathan Phillips (Sheffield Steelers)
Rob Dowd (Sheffield Steelers) replacing Tony Hand (withdrawn)
Mark Garside (Edinburgh Capitals)


South (coach, Paul Thompson, Coventry)

Goalies
Kevin Reiter (Basingstoke Bison)
Curtis Cruickshank (Hull Stingrays)

Defence
Corey Neilson (Nottingham Panthers)
Tyson Teplitsky (Cardiff Devils)
Jason Stone (Cardiff Devils)
Danny Meyers (Nottingham Panthers)
Kurt Reynolds (Basingstoke Bison)
Jon Weaver (Coventry Blaze)

Forwards
Brad Voth (Cardiff Devils) (C)
Adam Calder (Coventry Blaze) (A)
Matt Myers (Nottingham Panthers)
Lee Mitchell (Hull Stingrays)
Jeff Glowa (Hull Stingrays)
Russ Cowley (Coventry Blaze)
Shaun Thompson (Basingstoke Bison)
Phil Hill (Cardiff Devils)
Bruce Richardson (Nottingham Panthers)
Greg Chambers (Basingstoke Bison)
Slava Koulikov (Hull Stingrays)
Dan Carlson (Coventry Blaze)

So there you go.

Leaving aside the seeming stupidity of classing Hull as a Southern team when it's north-east of Sheffield (as we can fairly safely assume that that's to even the sides up a little-if the line were drawn through South Yorkshire than the Southern team would have something of an advantage given that three of the top four teams in the country would be included-this way it's two-and-two), here's my major issue...

Isn't the whole point of an All-Star team that you can pick the best players from that season? The Elite League putting a rule of "two imports and two Brits from each team) is putting a double hurdle in the way of legitimately calling this an All-star game. Firstly, because it must be just about the only all-star game in history in which every team in the league is definitely going to be represented, and secondly, it must be the only one in which there's a definite limit on the number of players on the roster from each single team.

This limit has meant that, amongst others, we're missing Sylvain Deschatelets (fourth in the league on points), Dan Tessier and Johan Molin (110 points between them for Nottingham), Brent Hughes (one bright spot on an awful Basingstoke team apart from Reiter), Mike Prpich (one of the best forwards in the league, but not noticed that much because he plays for Cardiff)...and for the North, Tony Hand has already withdrawn, Steve Thornton wasn't picked, neither was Josh Garbutt or Luke Fulghum...you could go on...

It's also meant that somehow, some players have made it in when there is no way the was majority of fans would have picked them given free-rein. I mean, seriously...Phil Hill (that's right, third-line plodder Phil Hill) now has the right to call himself an All-Star, but Joey Talbot (one of the scariest forwards in the league) and Jeff Legue do not? In the South, the situation is similar...would you seriously, for example, even entertain the fact of watching Slava Koulikov over, say, Johan Molin?

Then there's the goalies-the South goalies have a GAA of 4.57 (Reiter) and 4.00 (Cruickshank). I appreciate that these may be down to the fact (particularly in Reiter's case) that the teams in front are absolutely dire defensively, but is it just me or has Reiter gone the whole of this season riding the wave of this performance in Coventry...he's generally viewed as a good goalie but as good as someone like Lehman? If nothing else, the All-Star rosters show a massive disparity between the quality of the goalies as a whole in the South and in the North...

It seems to me that the Elite League are so concerned with presenting the league as "all-fair-and-equal" that it's led to the All-Star game being nowhere near one-just a collection of some of the "better" players in the league as opposed to what the game should be...all the best, all in one place.

FWIW, here's my Allstar teams, under unrestricted rules and with more realistic geographical boundaries, and based on my personal view of the league this season)

North (Edinburgh, Belfast, Manchester, Hull, Newcastle)

Goalies
Andrew Verner (Newcastle)
Stephen Murphy (Manchester)

Defence
Mike Burgoyne (Belfast)
Josh Garbutt (Manchester)
Mark Gouett (Newcastle)
Taylor Christie (Edinburgh)
Kyle Horne (Edinburgh)
Kenton Smith (Manchester)

Forwards
David Beauregard (Manchester)
Paul Deniset (Belfast)
Bobby Robins (Belfast)
David Longstaff (Newcastle)
Tony Hand (Manchester)
Mark Hurtubise (Edinburgh)
Mark Garside (Edinburgh)
Steve Thornton (Belfast)
Derek Campbell (Newcastle)
Luke Fulghum
Bruce Mulherin (both Manchester)
Lee Mitchell (Hull)

South (Sheffield, Nottingham, Cardiff, Coventry, Basingstoke)

Goalies
Jody Lehman (Sheffield)
Peter Aubry (Cardiff)

Jason Stone (Cardiff)
Tyson Teplitsky (Cardiff)
Jon Weaver (Coventry)
Corey Neilson (Nottingham)
Rod Sarich (Sheffield)
Blake Forsyth (Coventry) But since he's arguably ineligible, Steve Munn (Sheffield)

Forwards
Johan Molin (Nottingham)
Dan Carlson (Coventry)
Joey Talbot (Sheffield)
Rob Dowd (Sheffield)
Brent Hughes (Basingstoke)
Dan Tessier (Nottingham)
Brad Voth (Cardiff)
Adam Calder (Coventry)
Greg Chambers (Basingstoke)
Jeff Legue (Sheffield)
Sylvain Deschatelets (Coventry)
Danny Stewart (Coventry)
Carlyle Lewis (Coventry)

Now, which pair of teams, given the choice, would you rather watch? For me, it'd be the second every time-and who cares who they play for or whether they're Brit or import...

It's a nice idea, Elite League, and I shall be there on Thursday, but next year, forget the restrictions, forget the rules and just let the best players in the league play no matter what nationality they may be or what shirt they pull on week-to-week...you might get more people interested that way.

Double Overtime, Feb 9th...

On we go then, looking back at a weekend which had a pair of see-saw games and a cure for insomnia on the same night...

Next time, Vipers fans, just buy some sleeping tablets: Newcastle v Hull is never going to be one of the glamour fixtures in the league, but by all accounts Saturday's meeting at the MRA was a spectacularly boring example of the fixture. The Stingrays ground out a 2-1 win with Jeff Glowa scoring with five minutes to go, but perhaps the true measure of the game are the comments made on THF along the lines of "I'm a Vipers fan, but when Glowa scored I cheered as loud as anyone. Why? Because it meant there was no chance of overtime and we could get out of there"

Ouch.

No danger of falling asleep in Sheffield, though...: The Hallam Arena was one of the places to be on Sunday night as Sheffield and Belfast fought out an enthralling 4-3 OT win for the Steelers, with the Giants earning a point despite being without their entire top line due to injury. I was being updated while watching Coventry-Cardiff, and the texts were coming thick and fast as the momentum swung back and forth-in fact, no team managed to pull more than a goal ahead in the match, with scoring alternating all the way up to Scott Basiuk's winner as first Belfast went to 1-0 and 2-1, then Steelers scored twice, and looked comfortable until Evan Cheverie ensured the game would go to overtime. Stevie Lyle is possibly the first player to earn his team's MoM and then be ejected from the game, as he received a game penalty post-game for abuse of an official, continuing to vehemently dispute Basiuk's goal after the awards...

Or in Coventry...: At the Skydome, meanwhile, the Blaze-Devils game delivered its usual high-drama, particularly in a crazy six-goals-in-six-minutes spell at the end of the second period (look at the ih-update page if you don't believe me) which also saw Brad Voth thrown out for a nasty-looking check on Dan Carlson as he attempted to get the Devils back in the game. The score went from 2-0 Devils to 6-4 Blaze in one period, which must see some sort of EIHL record for the number of goals scored in a period....
After the madness of the second, the third period saw the Blaze settle down and do what they had failed to do in Manchester the previous night in making a comeback stick...

That's the monkey off your backs, lads: Which brings me nicely on to Manchester's weekend. In their only game the Phoenix finally came out on the right side of a close game against Coventry, avenging Blaze's Great Escape the week before with a hard-fought overtime win of their own to get themselves back on the league winning trail...

Giants cut down to size by injuries: Meanwhile, it seems that the injury curse which afflicted Cardiff last year has moved across the Irish Sea. Belfast have once again lost their top line of Andrew Martin, Paul Deniset and Bobby Robins to injury, and it shows as they came pointless out of the weekend, being shut out in Cardiff on Saturday and, as mentioned above, losing to Sheffield on Sunday.

Panthers pounce on opportunities: The injury problems in Belfast have opened the door to Nottingham in the race for second, with the East Midlanders taking four points from their weekend against Edinburgh and Hull. The Edinburgh game on Saturday is notable for the extraordinary disparity in the penalties called, with the Panthers only going to the box once all night at 59:44-I'm not sure but I think they would have been the first team in the EIHL and possibly one of the very few in the world (for games in pro or semi-pro leagues) to go through a game without having a single penaly minute called on them had it not been for Matt Myers being binned for slashing. Edinburgh weren't so lucky, giving the Panthers eight powerplays and conceding on four of them in the 5-2 loss-coupled with a professional 5-1 win in Hull on Sunday, this means that they leapfrog Belfast and Coventry into second place...

Sorry Bison now just marking time: Meanwhile, it's another miserable two-loss weekend in Hampshire despite the return of Kevin Reiter between the pipes...there are strong rumours floating around the league that the Bison have already applied to move to the EPL next season-surely this season can't be over soon enough if you're a hockey fan in Basingstoke...

There you go-that's your weekend reviewed-tomorrow we'll start the build-up to the Elite League All-Star game as well as round up any happenings in the league...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Round the Rinks Rivalry-Related Extra...

Given that we've been discussing British hockey rivalries this week, and I said yesterday that I couldn't work out why teams didn't play them up a little more or wind things up a little more often when promoting games without resorting to name-calling, thought I'd share this with you...this was posted by Blaze Chairman Andy Buxton on the Blaze mailing list earlier today, regarding the Blaze/Devils game on Sunday:

Big Bad Brad brings his Devils to the Skydome on Sunday - get ready for fireworks

This Sunday 6pm. Coventry Skydome Arena. Coventry Blaze v Cardiff Devils. Be there.

Last time out, 8 seconds to go. Voth fights Perras. Naughty.

Our fans haven't forgotten that. Our players haven't forgotten that.

Doors open at 5pm. We go to war at 6pm.

For the best seats, tickets on sale NOW from the box office on 02476 630693, book online via the Blaze website or pay on the door on the night of the game.

Now, Elite League...THAT's more like it...how can you read that and not think "hello...this could be a game worth watching...". There's a real hint of rivalry in there now...and doubtless it'll make anyone from Cardiff reading it think "right, we'll show 'em, then"...

Good on you, Andy...and if other teams follow suit in a similar manner for "their" rivalries and do it consistently well, then suddenly, the Panthers/Steelers rivalry might have some counterparts in terms of notoriety in other hockey-towns...

Game on. :)

Round the Rinks, Feb 7th...and some exciting news

You know the drill by now-straight in we go...although just for this week I'm trying a slightly different way of doing things...doing it by day and not each individual game..

Saturday

The first half of the weekend fixtures see Newcastle and Hull renew acquaintances yet again in a short space of time, Basingstoke preparing for the visit of Sheffield, which is just about the perfect game for the Steelers to start the weekend off (more on them later) and Nottingham commencing a home-double weekend with the easier leg, the visit of slowly-improving Edinburgh (who have announced a new main sponsor this week).

Meanwhile, Cardiff are the opponents for a Belfast team facing a crucial weekend away from the Odyssey. The Giants are something of a resurgent force after fading somewhat from early December onward, but last weekend were the latest to prove that the hockey gods often give with one hand and take away with the other, as Bobby Robins fell victim to a shoulder injury only a short time after Andrew Martin had finally returned from a long-term injury (Robins has been replaced in the Elite All-Star game by team-mate George Awada). The Devils, meanwhile, need a scalp just to prove to themselves that they can, in fact, still score against teams other than Basingstoke....

Up in Altrincham, meanwhile, Manchester face Coventry for the first time since the game known to Blaze fans now as "The Great Escape" (incidentally, can you believe that Blaze TV get paid for slightly grainy coverage with bad music like this while Steelers TV people do not even though they're both produced by teams mostly made up of university students-which would you rather watch?). And revenge is the only thought on their minds...although with both teams now scrapping for the best position going into the playoffs this could be crucial in determining how the rest of the season goes for both of them...if Manchester finally pull out a result the psychological benefits will far outweigh the league benefit of a mere two points at this stage...after all, success breeds success...

Sunday

Newcastle take on Basingstoke as they complete a weekend facing teams from the lower end of the table, while Edinburgh, who don't play tonight, will be hoping that the Hull Stingrays' seeming hold over Nottingham in their own rink will slacken after the Stingrays won there on their last meeting. Meanwhile, a major EIHL rivalry is renewed again as Coventry face Cardiff at the Skydome.

Game of the night by some distance, however, is that at the Hallam Arena as Sheffield take on Belfast. With the Steelers arguably having the easier game the night before (Basingstoke as opposed to Cardiff) the Giants will be hoping that they can travel with relatively little effort expended-especially as a win will likely all but remove the Giants from the league race even at this relatively early stage. Even a loss will not be greeted with panic in South Yorkshire-the Steelers really are in that strong a position at the moment. However, Giants fans, don't get hopeful..this team just doesn't slack off...

I know it's somewhat shorter than usual...this weekend preview...

I have an excuse, though...and it's a big one.

The EIHL playoff weekend this year will see, for the first time, a collaborative effort by the UK blogs out there to produce content by fans, for fans, rather than simply team-specific coverage from the "official" team sources. It's in the process of being set up now, and already having expressed an interest in joining forces for the weekend are...

The Breakaway (Coventry)
Five Minute Major and the Angry Budgie (Manchester)
The Cat's Whiskers (Nottingham)
Kingdom of the Giants (Belfast)

That, already, is half the league (almost) covered...but we still need people from Hull, Basingstoke, Newcastle, Sheffield, and Edinburgh.

The idea is to have a central site we all contribute to with postings, podcasts, (hopefully) video and blog articles, intended to give this "festival of hockey) the coverage it deserves-with every team represented...it's still in the very early stages, and if you fancy joining in, then feel free to join in at www.playoffweekend.co.uk (details are on there of how to sign up or even just keep up to date-it looks a bit rough-and-ready but the foundation is there)...

Details of the original idea can be found on this thread on the Phoenix forum if you fancy a read...as well as a way to mention what you'd want in such coverage...after all, the whole point of this is that this will be by the fans, for the fans, and the more ideas or help, the more chance there is of it becoming something special...so go have a read.

Oh, and keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Thursday Thoughts...

...from a freezing Coventry...

And so we're set, then: Both Challenge Cup semis went (just about) as one would have expected. with Coventry unable to sustain their challenge against Belfast over 120 minutes, mainly due to a combination of cruel luck (how on earth do you manage to hit the iron four times in a game and not have any of them go in?) and simply being beaten by the better team, as the Giants won the tie with two unanswered goals and then hung on for dear life as Erik Hjalmarsson threatened to lead a Blaze comeback, before Steve Thornton made the tie safe and George Awada's ENG rubbed salt into the wound. Meanwhile, down in Basingstoke, the Bison lost again, as Manchester eased their way through to the final, winning the first leg of the second semi by 5 goals to two in a game which you can read more about on Five Minute Major here...

Rivalry Redux: And so onto the main point of this post...following up on Tuesday's Rivalry Ruminations....

Wow. That post was definitely the one that generated the most feedback for a while. Interestingly, though, there was a clear split between those who said "yes, the Panthers/Steelers thing isn't as important as it was" and those who disagreed-admittedly this is a somewhat small sample but it appears that even within the Panthers fan-base there are different views of things-for example Jono from the Cat's Whiskers says:

"If there is to be a change in leagues I hope Steelers and Panthers are split up, less games against each other in a season might make them more of an event once again."

While Yotes disagrees that the rivalry has diminished with familiarity, for them at least:
"I dunno Paul, while I do (to go all Romford for a minute) f-in hate losing to your lot, I really f-in hate losing to those Squealers.

And Panthers Kim makes an interesting point regarding the rivalry in a wider context than just Panthers and Steelers fans:

"The thing about the Panthers-Steelers rivalry is that if you were to ask someone in Nottingham who doesn't really follow the sport to tell you one thing about the Panthers their answer will likely be that we don't like the Steelers. It's something that seems to transcend the support of the club. I think it's the Panthers' most marketable asset and we would struggle to 'sell' a game against another opponent to the same extent, which makes the reluctance that some might have to us being in different sections of a divided league understandable."

This got me wondering, particularly with the comments from Becky, Mark and Kyle regarding the "War of the Roses" rivalry between Manchester and Sheffield (which incidentally, seems very under-marketed compared to the Nottingham/Sheffield one, by both sides-amazing when you used to get stuff like this happening when they met)- why aren't teams apart from Sheffield and Nottingham making a bigger play to foster such rivalries, at least off the ice? I don't mean by sniping, cheap digs or comments that just portray people in a bad light (for example the Team Hollywood rumpus earlier this season, or the Sheffield/Cardiff back-and-forths) but by simply getting out there and telling people "look, this is THE game-these are the ones we really want to beat above all others". In Coventry, every game is marketed as a "really important" one, which means that they tend to blur together over a season, particularly when you get similar language used for each PR. After all, one thing that can't be denied is everyone knows about Panthers/Steelers...but how many are aware of, say Phoenix v Devils as mentioned? Or, unless you know your history, the Lancashire/Yorkshire divide as applied to sports?

Sadly, with the dropping of Chelmsford from the EPL to the ENL, the cross-Essex rivalry mentioned has withered, at least in hockey terms. However, one thing that has come out of this season is the fact that new rivalries have been created-and although any re-alignment of the leagues could potentially split up some "current" ones, the potential is always there for new ones...

There you go..Round the Rinks to come tomorrow...

Midweek Musings...or lack of them

Hi all...

There was going to be a Midweek Musings today, but got sidetracked in possibly setting up a playoff-weekend related project-more news to come if and when it happens...

Tomorrow there will be a posting, though, reviewing tonight's matches and taking a quick skate around the league...

Oh, and to those who've commented on yesterday's rivalry post-I have read them-there'll be another mini-rant on it contained in tomorrow's posting...:)

Tuesday Thoughts: Rivalry Rumination

Warning-there is a rude word or two later on in this post)
Hear that buzzing? It's a hornet's nest, and it's been stirred up by Andy French in an interview with Sky Sports' Neil Chiplen (see yesterday's post for the link). What one of the top men in British hockey has said in that interview flies in the face of what British ice-hockey fans have been told pretty much every season for the past ten years. Summed up in one sentence it goes thus...

There are more important rivalries in the league than Sheffield v Nottingham.

At last, someone with a bit of influence in British hockey has finally said it. For many years we've had to suffer the preaching and winding-up in either the Nottingham Evening Post or the Sheffield Star at least four times a year, the rhetoric of Dave Simms and Gary Moran, the digs in Powerplay columns every time another rivalry is born. Now, rumoured plans to expand the EIHL into northern and southern conferences, incorporating teams from the EPL, a more sustainable import limit and arguably a much healthier and more competitive league, are being dismissed by many. Not because it's unworkable, not because there are egos that simply cannot be got around, but because a North/South split would likely involve the Panthers and Steelers being placed in different conferences. This means that they're instantly complaining as apparently they are the only two clubs that take sizeable away crowds to each others' rinks.

This is arrogant in the extreme.

Now, having been to a few Nottingham/Sheffield games over the years, you can't deny that there is something of a buzz around the arena, one that you just don't get when, say, Edinburgh come to town (no picking on Edinburgh-I just picked them as they're one of the clubs that don't take a huge away support to many places due to the travel difficulties and, perhaps, having a smaller pool of fans who will travel). However, it's not a game I go to and think "wow, this is far and away bigger than any other in Britain). Personally, that used to be reserved for Coventry v Cardiff...a quiet rivalry which doesn't really get talked about as a big one except by Devils and Blaze fans but has consistently produced storming games played in front of packed-out rinks, including two epic Challenge Cup Finals. Despite this, there's still a healthy respect between the two fanbases...this rivalry is built more on the close games on the ice and the battles the clubs have had in the past more than the "manufactured" hype of Panthers/Steelers...you won't see press releases hyping the fact there is a rivalry from either club beforehand-both sides just know this is a big one. And so does any neutral who turns up, just by the electricity in the air.

Then there's Coventry/Nottingham. Sheffield fans may think there's still dislike between them and those down the road but come to the Skydome or the NIC for a Panthers/Blaze game...there is genuine hate between the two fanbases. Not the kind of hate that is the "negative" kind-that which leads to violence at every game (despite what a few misguided souls on the Cage Forum say when the Panthers come off worse) but the "good" kind that gives a genuine edge to the yells of the supporters and the hits flying in on the ice. Every goal is celebrated just that little but more loudly, the banter is a bit more vicious, and the crowd chants and interactions stay just this side of open warfare. Ask Panthers fans and they'll say the same-both sets of fanbases despise losing to the other. It's what the Panthers/Steelers rivalry wishes it still was, back in the heights of the Boxing Day bench clearance...

For a similar feel, what about Belfast Newcastle? You only have to look at the games this season to see those teams hate each other-this one is in its early days but even so, there is the potential for some serious legs on that one...

People talk about Belfast/Coventry also. Born out of the Theo Fleury year, this one has calmed somewhat, but can still provide the odd firecracker on occasion, just to let people know they're still around...

However, for sheer intensity, in my eyes, there are several in the lower-leagues that are very, very rarely mentioned even by those supposedly in the know but make the Steelers/Panthers look like a love-in. How about Fife and Edinburgh in Scotland, or Fife and Dundee (even though the crowds are dropping, the passion is still there). Kirkcaldy is an intimidating rink when in full-flow-I remember a trip up there back in the BNL days and again during the Blaze's "treble" season...look up the word "hostile" in the dictionary and there's a good chance you'll see a picture of Kirkcaldy Ice Arena in full flow. It's one of only two rinks where I've genuinely been slightly fearful of just how intense the place is-you feel like you've earned your stripes as an away fan when you come out of there...

The other place was at the Skydome, but the Blaze weren't playing. It was the EPL final weekend, and I had the dubious pleasure of being placed between Romford and Chelmsford fans. Now, I'd heard stories about the cross-Essex rivalry, but when you're placed between the two sets of fans, you experience it at first-hand. Apart from anything else, the banter being fired back and forth was red-hot, highlighted by this nugget which has stayed with me to this day.

(Romford are playing-and their opposition score. A "large" Chelmsford lady leaps to her feet and yells)
"F**king have that, Moffat (Romford goalie). You're shit!"
This provokes an instant response from the Raiders fans
"Sit down, and shut up, you f-in ugly fat slag!"
By this point I'm wincing. The arena goes quiet as play restarts, just in time for this banshee-like response in the broadest of Essex accents...
"I may be ugly, I may be fat, I may be a slag, but thank God I'm not from f-in Romford like you otherwise I'd fuckin' hang meself!"
Cheers from the whole Chelmsford section.

So much for hockey being a family sport...:)

I'm not saying the Panthers/Steelers rivalry doesn't exist-I'm saying that, like Andy French, I feel it's just not really that relevant any more, even to the fans of at least one of the teams involved. There are many rivalries equally as big in British hockey-the reason the Panthers/Steelers one stands out is purely due to the fact that we're told, over and over again, by the PR machines of the respective clubs, that it is. They may be the two clubs with the biggest fanbases, which guarantees that their games will likely get the biggest crowds, but the most hotly-contested rivalry? Maybe in 2001, but not any more...

If you don't believe me, nip along to a Blaze/Panthers or Belfast/Newcastle game as a neutral, then see how you feel...

Double Overtime, Feb 2nd...

Yes, I know it's a little late. Blame the snow...:) Let's just jump straight in...

Erm, lads...this is not a good habit to be forming...: After the late, late show in Coventry last weekend, Manchester have once again been doing fairly well in games only to throw things away in the later stages-of the seven goals they conceded to Nottingham this weekend, six were scored in the last ten minutes of the game, including four in ten minutes in Altrincham last night to wipe out a two-nil lead. It seems that at the moment the Phoenix are a team who are fine for fifty minutes, and then, somehow, go off the boil.

Which means, obviously, that there's going to be some serious nerves jangling if they go into the final few minutes against Coventry next week with a narrow lead...

Meanwhile, back in the basement: Edinburgh win the battle of the beleaguered, beating Basingstoke four to three in the "who's slightly less likely to finish bottom" contest. Although, saying that, even despite the additions of Corey Leclair and Czech forward Ivo Mocek, the Bison look dead and buried. Also, anyone who's seen Leclair play will no doubt have something of a smile at the Bison press release announcing his signing-the finest work of fiction since War and Peace. You know your team are a little stuck when you consider a "skilful" import scoring 6+12 playing on two of the best offensive teams in the league on the PP and PK "impressive"..."average" is probably the best you can get...

One hand on the trophy: Another two wins for Sheffield, including a game effectively won in the first five minutes at the Skydome last night (Sheffield were 2-0 up after four minutes and then Jody Lehman in the Steelers net took over with a superb performance, only allowing one goal on 41 shots) saw the Steelers take a step closer to the title despite Nottingham doing their best to keep up with a double over Manchester. Many Blaze fans will blame referee Tom Darnell, but he was equally cruel to both sides as he appeared to miss calls all over the place. You can't really fault the Blaze on this performance, apart from a comedy first four minutes-they were simply beaten by the better team.

And, winner of the second annual "F..., that was a bad idea" Award: Sylvain Deschatelets, who finally allowed his frustration at some rough treatment from the Steelers to boil over, dropping the gloves with Steve Munn at the final buzzer on Sunday night. This is one of those scraps that seemed even right up until the first punch, as Munn just unloaded hammering left hands on the French-Canadian. Despite the Blaze man trying to reply, he barely landed a telling punch as both swung and missed-however, the Steelers defender connected with several beauties which will no doubt leave "Des" with a sore head this morning...You can see the highlights by searching "Blaze TV" on youtube...

If you could sum up the weekend in two words, it'd be "late goals": Looking at the scores from the weekend, it's amazing how many goals were scored in the final ten minutes to win close games (empty netters aside). Perhaps the most important was that scored by Pavel Gomenyuk for Hull, in Cardiff, at 59:30, which saw the Stingrays squeak out a surprising two-one win. Jay Latulippe will not be the most popular man on the Devils bench this morning after taking a slashing penalty with 90 seconds to go-Gomenyuk duly took advantage on the ensuing powerplay, having brought the teams level just four minutes earlier after the Devils had held a slender one-goal lead from Wes Jarvis' marker in the fifth minute, in a game which only saw a total of 43 shots...

It was all so different from the night before: When Cardiff disposed of Basingstoke in the second-leg of their KO Cup semi with a thumping 9-1 win, making the final score 17-1 on aggregate. Ouch. If anyone has seen Basingstoke's dignity, which went missing in about late December, could they please hand it back? It's very sadly missed in Hampshire...

Fight night!: Belfast v Newcastle has always had the potential for a flashpoint or two this season, and on Friday night it duly delivered, especially if you enjoy a scrap or two between Jason Rushton and Andre Payette-if you don't believe me, here are the highlights of Friday, courtesy of Giants TV-it all gets a bit tasty...By all accounts, it got a little tasty on Saturday, too.
The Giants, for the record, win both games...

There you go-that's your weekend reviewed. Tomorrow, sometime, we'll have a reaction to Andy French's interview about rivalries with Neil Chiplen over at Elite Hockey Today (read it here, as well as a fine report on the Devils/Stingrays game here) as well as a look at Wednesday's Challenge Cup semi second-leg...

Another fine review of the same game can be found at the F Block Blog here... nice title too...:)

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...