"Out here, the birds don't sing
Out here, the fields don't grow
Out here, the bells don't ring...
And the good girls die"
The Killers: "A Dustland Fairytale"
I'm really starting to despise summer now, with a passion...simply because the burning hockeyless wasteland of each day seems without end (there's only so long you can lie on a beach, particularly if, like me, you have ice and snow in your soul and prefer the velvety inky blackness of midwinter evenings to the relentless, glaring glow of midsummer), the weekend nights, whatever you're doing, still miss the excitement of game time, the news comes in dribs and drabs, and rumours and half-truths are about as fun as it gets...
But rumours and half truths are better than nothing-there's even some genuine news in there, so as we continue to dance aimlessly and often drunkenly through summer with nothing more than the odd crumb of speculation to sustain our hockey appetites, let's have a look at it before departing into the realms of wild speculation and, as the title hints at, Icetunes returns with a few music gems that can take away the sting of hockeyless nights...as well as provide a bloody good accompaniment to anything else you may be doing...
A Brit Abroad: Let's start with perhaps the biggest news for British ice hockey as a whole. After being invited to the Chicago Blackhawks' prospect camp recently, Belfast d-man Dave Phillips, considered as one of British hockey's brightest home-grown talents, has been signed on a two-way between Rockford Icehogs (AHL) and the ECHL, with the potential to make the next step up now more than just a distant dream...much as I despised him when he played for Belfast, good on him.
Trouble is, Belfast are now left with a massive hole at the back, with Phillips being one of their top four defencemen and all the import slots now filled back there, either Graeme Walton will have to step up a level or there will need to be some readjustment in the Giants' season plan...
But then, at least they'll save on the wages: However, it could be questioned whether the Giants will sign a new player at all, with rumours from the Northern Irish capital pointing to light purses in the Giants camp and desperate measures, up to and including quietly "re-organising" their staff, being taken to make sure their (exciting-looking) roster will actually be seen on British ice. Obviously, we hear such rumours every single season, but this one will warrant watching closely...
The EPL doesn't know what's coming: Andre Payette, everyone's favourite pantomime villain, has been strongly linked with Manchester recently by sources in both Newcastle and Manchester-if he's allowed to play rather than expected to perform pantomime antics such as he was in a Vipers shirt, then he could dominate the EPL in the power-forward stakes...it will be extremely interesting to see if this one comes off.
As if the Skydome boards weren't rickety enough already...: they'll now have to contend with the impacts of bodies placed there by Jason Robinson-the ex-London Racer, Newcastle Viper and Sheffield Steeler, who isn't exactly shy when it comes to introducing opposition players to the plexi with extreme prejudice, is the Blaze's final import signing, returning from the IHL to provide the Skydome side with some muscle on the blue-and a more-than-useful enforcing element to his game also.
Meanwhile, up north...: Defence is the watchword, with Hull, Newcastle and Edinburgh all adding players new to the UK to their defensive strength recently. Ryan Jorde joins the Stingrays from the IHL, as well as Stephen Burns from the CHL, Jerramie Domish (something of a pocket battleship at 5'9 and 200lbs) heads to the Vipers from the AHL, and Michael Beynon, who has been linked with an unnamed EIHL club since the beginning of the summer, heads to the Capitals. The first three seem to be defencemen equally comfortable at either end of the ice, while Beynon is reported as someone more inclined to take care of business in his own end before charging forward-all three should be considerable improvements to their teams, with Domish in particular carrying an impressive pedigree with him...
However, perhaps the signing of the summer so far has occurred not for one of the big four teams but up in Edinburgh. Chris Allen joins after playing last year in Asia, but his stats suggest he could be the top d-man in the league next season...consider these facts:
Tied for second all-time scoring in the OHL for a defenceman-the other two players are ones you might have heard of...Bobby Orr and Al MacInnis.
A shot clocked at 103mph
Explosions in the Sky: "First Breath After Coma": And, at the complete opposite end of the spectrum, you have this. People have compared them to an American Sigur Ros (more of which later), and like the Icelanders they have a gift of making music that doesn't so much represent a tune as a state of mind. This song is my favourite one of theirs-a simple way of describing it is "instrumental prog-rock", but that doesn't really do them justice. This is the kind of music that, when played, can make even the most mundane tasks seem epic. The Earth Is Not a Cold, Dead Place does tend to disappear somewhat up a cul-de-sac, and you probably need a perfect summer evening and lying staring at the sky in order to appreciate it properly, but this is music at its most raw emotionalness...
As for what relevance this has to sports or where it'd fit in in a hockey game...well, how about this for a pre-game build up?
Sigur Ros: "Hoppipolla": The title means "jumping in puddles" in Icelandic. Which makes it perfect for a walk in an English summer. If you prefer your music a bit faster, then maybe the Chicane dance remix (I'm shuddering typing that) is more your style. My advice-stick with the original, get quietly drunk in your back garden on a clear summer night with someone you care about, and lie next to each other staring at the stars. It helps the summer pass quicker...
Aiden: "Die Romantic": Yes, if it was any more emo it would only be found in the corner of your bedroom, crying over wilted flowers and writing poems about the sweet embrace of death despite being about fourteen*. But it's still a very good song indeed to just randomly fire out of your speakers and laugh at the overblown-ness of it, while at the same time secretly enjoying it.
*(note-I actually like this sort of thing...this is what is known as "irony." No offence is meant to anyone of such a disposition, whether real or put on for effect)
Nine Inch Nails: "Wish": Violent, chaotic and fast. Also a bit disturbing to those who don't understand the appeal of such entertainment. Just like hockey, in fact...
And finally, a link or two...: Goalies. They're a strange breed. And they like to write a fair bit when they're not stopping projectiles being fired at their head...Ken Dryden and Jack Falla in particular come to mind...
Becky over at Five Minute Major is one in a long line of literary puck-stoppers, and has produced this extremely enjoyable piece which seeks to work out just why all the best hockey literature is produced by those in masks...which, assuming I can marshal my thoughts, may see a response from the other end of the stick (almost literally, what with me preferring to attempt to score goals as a forward rather than stop them)...
Also tonight, The Cat's Whiskers' Jono Bullard is interviewed by a site I'm likely very remiss in not linking to before now-UK Hockey Live, offspring of the already successful View From the Bridge, in which he and Patrick from the podcast discuss the growing popularity of the UK hockey blogosphere, and he also says some very nice things about yours truly...it's an interesting listen...
And that, ladies and gents, is your lot for now...
Keep keeping your eye on the puck...
Out here, the fields don't grow
Out here, the bells don't ring...
And the good girls die"
The Killers: "A Dustland Fairytale"
I'm really starting to despise summer now, with a passion...simply because the burning hockeyless wasteland of each day seems without end (there's only so long you can lie on a beach, particularly if, like me, you have ice and snow in your soul and prefer the velvety inky blackness of midwinter evenings to the relentless, glaring glow of midsummer), the weekend nights, whatever you're doing, still miss the excitement of game time, the news comes in dribs and drabs, and rumours and half-truths are about as fun as it gets...
But rumours and half truths are better than nothing-there's even some genuine news in there, so as we continue to dance aimlessly and often drunkenly through summer with nothing more than the odd crumb of speculation to sustain our hockey appetites, let's have a look at it before departing into the realms of wild speculation and, as the title hints at, Icetunes returns with a few music gems that can take away the sting of hockeyless nights...as well as provide a bloody good accompaniment to anything else you may be doing...
A Brit Abroad: Let's start with perhaps the biggest news for British ice hockey as a whole. After being invited to the Chicago Blackhawks' prospect camp recently, Belfast d-man Dave Phillips, considered as one of British hockey's brightest home-grown talents, has been signed on a two-way between Rockford Icehogs (AHL) and the ECHL, with the potential to make the next step up now more than just a distant dream...much as I despised him when he played for Belfast, good on him.
Trouble is, Belfast are now left with a massive hole at the back, with Phillips being one of their top four defencemen and all the import slots now filled back there, either Graeme Walton will have to step up a level or there will need to be some readjustment in the Giants' season plan...
But then, at least they'll save on the wages: However, it could be questioned whether the Giants will sign a new player at all, with rumours from the Northern Irish capital pointing to light purses in the Giants camp and desperate measures, up to and including quietly "re-organising" their staff, being taken to make sure their (exciting-looking) roster will actually be seen on British ice. Obviously, we hear such rumours every single season, but this one will warrant watching closely...
The EPL doesn't know what's coming: Andre Payette, everyone's favourite pantomime villain, has been strongly linked with Manchester recently by sources in both Newcastle and Manchester-if he's allowed to play rather than expected to perform pantomime antics such as he was in a Vipers shirt, then he could dominate the EPL in the power-forward stakes...it will be extremely interesting to see if this one comes off.
As if the Skydome boards weren't rickety enough already...: they'll now have to contend with the impacts of bodies placed there by Jason Robinson-the ex-London Racer, Newcastle Viper and Sheffield Steeler, who isn't exactly shy when it comes to introducing opposition players to the plexi with extreme prejudice, is the Blaze's final import signing, returning from the IHL to provide the Skydome side with some muscle on the blue-and a more-than-useful enforcing element to his game also.
Meanwhile, up north...: Defence is the watchword, with Hull, Newcastle and Edinburgh all adding players new to the UK to their defensive strength recently. Ryan Jorde joins the Stingrays from the IHL, as well as Stephen Burns from the CHL, Jerramie Domish (something of a pocket battleship at 5'9 and 200lbs) heads to the Vipers from the AHL, and Michael Beynon, who has been linked with an unnamed EIHL club since the beginning of the summer, heads to the Capitals. The first three seem to be defencemen equally comfortable at either end of the ice, while Beynon is reported as someone more inclined to take care of business in his own end before charging forward-all three should be considerable improvements to their teams, with Domish in particular carrying an impressive pedigree with him...
However, perhaps the signing of the summer so far has occurred not for one of the big four teams but up in Edinburgh. Chris Allen joins after playing last year in Asia, but his stats suggest he could be the top d-man in the league next season...consider these facts:
Tied for second all-time scoring in the OHL for a defenceman-the other two players are ones you might have heard of...Bobby Orr and Al MacInnis.
A shot clocked at 103mph
13 goals and 25 assists in his last season in the ECHL, before moving over to Denmark
He's not exactly small either at 6'3 and 223lbs...and judging by this, should be popular off the ice as well. Particularly if he also brings his fellow "sexiest vegetarian" title holder with him...Finally, in the land of steel, Sheffield have finally signed their replacement to Jody Lehman-it's ex-Bison goalie Kevin Reiter. Now, you'll forgive me if I'm not exactly conceding the league title to Sheffield yet, but Reiter struck me as something of a one-game-wonder last season. Yes, there's the whole "66 shots, 65 saves" malarkey (and as a Blaze fan who was present that day, that still stings a little), but one wonders if his exploits behind a Bison defence who were quite frankly bloody awful have placed his skills in a somewhat flattering light...there was a rumour he was Blaze-bound earlier in the summer and this worried me hugely, given that he hadn't looked hugely special in any of the other games I'd seen him play in. Nevertheless, he's still a decent goalie at this level, particularly with a better defence in front of him this time out. Whether he's a enough of a stand-out goalie to meet the expectations in Sheffield, though, particularly with the spectre of Jody Lehman lingering in the wistful minds of many a Steelers fan, remains to be seen.
And that's now you lot just about up to date...And now, and in time for something completely different, for some music...
It's been a long time since the last IceTunes (several months, in fact) but with it now being midsummer, here's one or two songs, old and new, that the Breakaway recommends to help blast the summer by and sound as good now as thumping out of your rinks speakers in autumn...I suggest you turn the volume up to eleven before reading on...and click on the youtube links to hear them...
Explosions in the Sky: "First Breath After Coma": And, at the complete opposite end of the spectrum, you have this. People have compared them to an American Sigur Ros (more of which later), and like the Icelanders they have a gift of making music that doesn't so much represent a tune as a state of mind. This song is my favourite one of theirs-a simple way of describing it is "instrumental prog-rock", but that doesn't really do them justice. This is the kind of music that, when played, can make even the most mundane tasks seem epic. The Earth Is Not a Cold, Dead Place does tend to disappear somewhat up a cul-de-sac, and you probably need a perfect summer evening and lying staring at the sky in order to appreciate it properly, but this is music at its most raw emotionalness...
As for what relevance this has to sports or where it'd fit in in a hockey game...well, how about this for a pre-game build up?
Sigur Ros: "Hoppipolla": The title means "jumping in puddles" in Icelandic. Which makes it perfect for a walk in an English summer. If you prefer your music a bit faster, then maybe the Chicane dance remix (I'm shuddering typing that) is more your style. My advice-stick with the original, get quietly drunk in your back garden on a clear summer night with someone you care about, and lie next to each other staring at the stars. It helps the summer pass quicker...
Aiden: "Die Romantic": Yes, if it was any more emo it would only be found in the corner of your bedroom, crying over wilted flowers and writing poems about the sweet embrace of death despite being about fourteen*. But it's still a very good song indeed to just randomly fire out of your speakers and laugh at the overblown-ness of it, while at the same time secretly enjoying it.
*(note-I actually like this sort of thing...this is what is known as "irony." No offence is meant to anyone of such a disposition, whether real or put on for effect)
Nine Inch Nails: "Wish": Violent, chaotic and fast. Also a bit disturbing to those who don't understand the appeal of such entertainment. Just like hockey, in fact...
And finally, a link or two...: Goalies. They're a strange breed. And they like to write a fair bit when they're not stopping projectiles being fired at their head...Ken Dryden and Jack Falla in particular come to mind...
Becky over at Five Minute Major is one in a long line of literary puck-stoppers, and has produced this extremely enjoyable piece which seeks to work out just why all the best hockey literature is produced by those in masks...which, assuming I can marshal my thoughts, may see a response from the other end of the stick (almost literally, what with me preferring to attempt to score goals as a forward rather than stop them)...
Also tonight, The Cat's Whiskers' Jono Bullard is interviewed by a site I'm likely very remiss in not linking to before now-UK Hockey Live, offspring of the already successful View From the Bridge, in which he and Patrick from the podcast discuss the growing popularity of the UK hockey blogosphere, and he also says some very nice things about yours truly...it's an interesting listen...
And that, ladies and gents, is your lot for now...
Keep keeping your eye on the puck...
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