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...