Playoff Weekend Double Overtime...

"Call out the instigator,
Because there's something in the air
We've got to get together sooner or later
Because the revolution's here"
Thunderclap Newman: ""Something in the Air"

If you've been following the Twitter feed (and have been able to make sense of it, given that I was working out how to use it best throughout Saturday and Sunday and over-ran on several occasions at least) you'll know that the events on the ice saw Sheffield and Nottingham (the Steelers 5-2 over a Cardiff who fought like...well, devils from puck-drop to final buzzer and the Panthers 6-2 over a Blaze team who quite simply seemed disinterested after a bad start saw them go 3-0 down quickly...from then on it just got worse with only brief moments of hope from Danny Stewart and Barrie Moore goals at 3-1 and 4-2 to brighten a dire day for those in blue and white) triumph and give the EIHL top brass their dream playoff final-which was duly won by Sheffield thanks to goals from Ryan Finnerty and Steve Munn. Off the ice, meanwhile, the Breakaway (well, me) had a highly enjoyable playoff weekend, spending much of it with Becky and Matt from Five Minute Major, as well as also meeting up with Mark from the Angry Budgie for a hockey chinwag...For a flavour of the kind of conversations you overheard at PO weekend, have a gander at their excellent "Overheard at the Playoffs"...A few (very) quick thoughts on the on-ice action...:

Blaze? There was barely a flicker...: In contrast to the first semi-final, which was fought out tooth-and-nail by two committed Steelers and Devils teams, the second semi saw possibly one of the most one-sided games in EIHL playoff history, as Nottingham cruised through against a Coventry team which seemed to be already on their summer holidays-in mind if not in body. However, there were a few exceptions...Danny Stewart and Barrie Moore being perhaps the most notable.

Playing skill? Undoubted. Morals? Hmm...: Ryan Finnerty...taunting a goalie you've just scored on followed by dropping a knee onto a player who's down after you've hit him cleanly? Not good, mate. Really not good. However, moral dubiousness aside, the Steelers number 10 was arguably the stand-out player of the weekend for me...

That's what happened on the ice-now to off it-the events here threatened to make the games themselves something of a sideshow...:

For someone who's supposedly secure, they can't take criticism very well: On Saturday, I ended up sat over next to the Newcastle fans, just in time to watch (and join in) with their "six team league, you're having a laugh" chant, which became the running theme of the weekend for many. It was interesting to note that Dave Simms, up above the Vipers fans doing commentary for Radio Sheffield and BBC Cov and Warks, looked decidedly uncomfortable at both the length and volume of the Vipers' protest...

If even the stewards are on their side, then you've got problems, EIHL: Interestingly, a few minutes into the fifteen minutes of constant chanting, a few NIC stewards came up to the block and stood watching...when asked what they were doing there they informed the Vipers that a complaint had been made (from someone in the boxes above) that there was a loud and abusive song being sung. After standing there for a minute or two they further informed the Vipers that all was perfectly well as far as they were concerned...

The rot is setting in for the "big four" also: The Phoenix fan who originally posted the news that a six-team league was in the pipeline also mentioned to many (in a conversation that quickly spread around the arena thanks to the Phoenix fans telling as many people as they could) that he had been contacted by the GM of one of the top-four clubs (Belfast and Nottingham depending on who you heard the rumour from) pleading with him to stop asking questions as the resultant uncertainty and fans' reaction had already cost his club several thousand pounds in season-ticket revenue for next season as fans waited to renew their season tickets, if they didn't say straight out "no thanks"...with fans I spoke to from Coventry, Hull, Belfast and Sheffield all saying that the season-ticket renewal forms would remain un-filled until there was certainty, and definitely so if the league dropped to six, it appears that people are already voting with their wallets.

Not that I'm saying anything, but...: it was also noticeable that the music volume went up late in the Panthers/Blaze semi, round about the time the protest was going on..given that at the time you had Vipers, Panthers, Phoenix, Devils, Bison, Blaze, Capitals AND Giants blocks all joing in (fairly raggedly, but there were people visibly clapping along in all these blocks)...it seemed a strange time to play music, which, it is genuinely agreed, kills atmosphere the louder it is...

So...travelling to Belfast is an issue, but (potentially) travelling to Belgium and Holland every few weeks isn't?: Interestingly, and seemingly somewhat randomly, the trophies on final day were presented by the presidents of the Belgian and Dutch hockey associations. That seems somewhat strange, to say the least...although rumours that teams from both countries are being courted by the EIHL to form some sort of Western European Elite League may explain just why they were there...it could also be a case of people adding two and two and making ten.

No comment from me...make your own mind up...: For those of you who are perhaps unaware, or maybe don't know too much about the Elite League organisation or what the issues are that have caused the splits in the EIHL hierarchy...this is essential reading. It's Edinburgh GM Scott Neil opening the doors wide to the inner workings of the EIHL over the past year or three, from an Caps perspective. It makes fairly grim reading...

Manic Monday: Today is D-day for the EIHL, as the teams meet to thrash out the structure for next season. All we can now do as fans is await the outcome...you can rest assured there will be reaction to it on here as soon as it breaks...

And finally, some good news: Possibly the highlight of the weekend was the presentation of a British Olympic Committee award for "outstanding courage and dedication to ice-hockey" to Kingston Diamonds player Beth Davies, who was injured by a check during a junior game last season so severely that it was feared she would never walk again (her neck was broken)-her recovery was followed by the British ice-hockey community with great interest and much hope that she would be at least able to return to normal life...barely a year later she is back playing ice hockey. The award was presented on ice just before the final, and Beth received it in person, as well as a standing ovation that went on for several minutes from the roughly 6,000 hockey fans in attendance. It was one of those all-too-rare moments that made you feel genuinely proud to be a fan of the sport in this country...

That's your thoughts on PO weekend...I'm sure, like me, you're awaiting the outcome of today's EIHL meeting with interest...

Later this week we'll have a preview of the GB team as they head off to the World Championships in Torun, Poland, as well as a look at the EPL finals...

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