Thursday Update: Return of the ISL?

News of a new arrival who's already had an impact on the season despite only being a few hours old kicks off our Thursday, along with rumours of striking changes in the EIHL...



Maybe they'll play some decent music at the House of Steel now...Jody Lehman was missing from the roster as Sheffield took on Nottingham in the Challenge Cup last night, thanks to being required for a more pressing engagement elsewhere-at the hospital as his wife Raquel was adding to the Steeler "family" by giving birth to a 8lb 11oz baby girl with the pleasingly alliterative name of Layla Lea Lehman. Rumours that the Sheffield playlist will be changed for the first time in six years or so in order to include a musical tribute to the new arrival are, however, hopelessly optimistic...

Congratulations to the Lehman family from your friendly Breakaway editor-should she become a goalie, hopefully she'll have far better taste in pad colour than her illustrious father...



Meanwhile, back on the ice....Nottingham took a vital lead in the Challenge Cup as they took advantage of Jody's absence (which also meant all bets were off as regards to my prediction of a close game) to stick 6 past Davey Lawrence while only conceding three...Ryan Shmyr being kicked out of the game for "incitement" after winding up the bench following the sixth goal was just one of the many talking points. The game is live on Sky this Friday for those who want to see the amazingly rare event of Panthers winning a big cup final in regulation time...



Fifteen imports? Fifteen?!: The South Wales Echo has released news this evening of major changes to EIHL rules being considered by the ruling body. Here they are, along with my reaction...

15 ITC cards per club.

People on forums have taken this as clubs effectively being given the go-ahead to sign 15 imports if they wish, which makes last night's non-event game at the Skydome (see below) even more silly-looking. At the moment the rules are that 15 ITC (ie import) cards can be used in one season, with ten icing at any one time. However, there's no mention of an import restriction in the new rules, which effectively means that we could see a return to the ISL days of import-only rosters, with a few British players thrown in to make up the numbers or used as injury cover. It will be interesting to see where the debate goes on this one...
The Elite League wage caps to rise from £5,700 to £6,000 net per club per week.

Hm. Are we seriously expected to believe that most clubs aren't paying at least the "new" limit in wages already, despite the lower cap?

The wage cap must be strictly adhered to – and tough penalties, including a potential loss of points, will be imposed on those who break it.

Unless, of course, they can appeal. Or pay most of the wages to "fitness coach"/player X rather than player X, which is what happens at the moment. Like most British hockey fans, I'll believe that when it starts happening consistently.

The extra ITC cards could affect the current crucial importance of British players.

Now that statement, to me, implies that the 15 ITC card rule is "at one time" as opposed to "a season". Which means that all the lip-service paid to development of British players in the top league has just gone right down the pan...

Clubs can only sign ONE import player from another British team. With 10 clubs that would ensure only 10 players currently with Elite League clubs could move to a rival between seasons.

This is the most interesting one, because it effectively scuppers the "sign a player released by another team" tactic if it's true. It would also have made several rosters this season look very different, notably that of Nottingham-as it would have meant one of Johan Molin or Mark Richardson wouldn't have been allowed to sign for the Panthers under league rules...It will be interesting to see just how this rule works out.

Let's just say it wasn't a moneyspinner...Clearly a lot of people, at least those whose loyalties lie with the teams involved, are as scornful of the merits of the "Best of British" competition as I am-or saw it as the window-dressing it was...only (at my estimate) 300 people turned up at the Skydome last night to see a four-import game between Coventry and Newcastle. The actual hockey wasn't that bad, but it was far, far below Elite League and even EPL standard nevertheless, with the imports in particular seeming almost embarrassed to be playing in such an artificial and meaningless "competition". As a "showcase of British talent", it didn't work because few fans cared enough to turn up (I actually did just in order that I could at least claim to have seen the product before arguing against it)-and the proposed changes to the EIHL import rules make it even less likely that there will be opportunities for these players to progress, thereby wounding the whole "it's an important phase of their development" argument. A bit of a cock-up all round, really.

I would, however, be interested to hear the views of others on this and similar games, and indeed the proposed EIHL rule changes...will they lead to better standards or just a mass exodus/dying-off of teams unable to afford to keep up?

On that downbeat note, that's the end of the update...Round the Rinks will appear early afternoon tomorrow, so check back for your weekly guide to the weekend's fixtures, and keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Finals and Friendlies...

Welcome to the midweek trip round the British hockey world...warning, this post may contain sarcasm...

It's the Cosmetic Cup! Tonight sees the finals of two competitions, one being the most prestigious cup competition in Britain (the playoffs being counted as part of the league in this case, for you pedants) and the other one a friendly dressed up as a cup in order to give it some air of legitimacy. Unfortunately for me, my team are involved in the second. The "Best of British" appears at the moment to be nothing more than a bit of window-dressing-an excuse to claim that there are opportunities for young British players to progress to Elite League level,and justify two-way contracts in a league where imports are brought in to cover a few games rather than risk bringing up a junior for a shift or two-it all seems a bit hypocritical for me. Some claim that the format could be adopted for a united British Cup competition involving Elite League, EPL and even ENL teams, similar to football's FA Cup. I'm thinking this is about as likely to happen as Hull winning the treble given all the politics issues which have thus far stopped the leagues collaborating, but so be it. I shall still nip down in the hope that one day I can claim this to be the first time I saw the next great British player at the Skydome...

Meanwhile, in legitimate competition...The Sheffield Steelers take on the Nottingham Panthers tonight in the first leg of the Challenge Cup Final, and in true Breakaway style, it's time for...

One Minute Preview: Challenge Cup Final
Why Sheffield will win: Dan Tessier. The most creative forward in the EIHL returns-and making his debut against a former club will only add to the already large number of points to prove for the little centre. Add the always-dangerous Joey Talbot and the fact that Jeff Legue now has another player with almost-equal speed to play with, and the forward line looks pretty formidable. Plus, their defence simply looks more resilient than that of the Panthers.
Why Nottingham will win: Being the underdog when chasing trophies always tends to drive the Panthers along a bit-even more so when they're away from home. Tom Askey is a decent foundation to build on and will always keep the score respectable even if Robert Stancok and co decide to disappear. Let's give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they'll turn up when there's a trophy on the line. If they do, and Sean McAslan and Johan Molin are firing, this tie could be very interesting indeed.

Verdict: I have a feeling that the winner of the first leg won't necessarily win the tie, so neither side should feel too disheartened if they lose by the odd goal. Home advantage should just about see the Steelers through tonight in what will be a tight and low-scoring game...but all will still be to play for as the teams go back to the NIC.

And that's your lot for tonight...keep keeping your eye on the puck...

(Tuesday) Fighting and Frolics...

And so we return for our daily wander through the hallowed portals of British hockey-particularly the Elite league variety. And we begin with a poor excuse to use a classic song title as a headline before moving on to fighting...

Ruby Tuesday: Sergiy Rublivskiy (being a pedant, this is the Russian way of spelling it) returns to Hull after being released by Newcastle in a move that wasn't exactly unanticipated-as successful comebacks go, this looks like being more Eldorado than Take That. Mainly because the Ukrainian is a great goalscorer when given someone to feed him, but not while playing on the third line as he was in Newcastle-And looking at the Hull roster, just who is going to provide the assists on a team whose top provider is...43rd in the league ranking. And don't claim it's due to Hull's lack of goals, because Edinburgh's Ryan Crane (a d-man, by the way) is twenty-one places higher. Still...on the off-chance he touches the puck in a scoring position more than once or twice a game, the goals could trickle in a little faster for the Stingrays...

Hide the white stilettos...:...for fear they'll be thrown in anger, as rumours are coming out of Essex that the Romford Raiders will have to move due to the closure of Rom Valley Way rink. There's not much more than conjecture at the moment flying around about this, but it will certainly worry friends of the EPL side...

Only one way to settle this....fight!: Where have all the enforcers gone? Time was you couldn't go to any rink in the country without a good chance of seeing a player signed more for his ability to throw (and take) a decent punch than a decent check (players like Cornish, Rob McCaig, Louis Bedard, and Dennis Vial come to mind) Nowadays the breed is more represented by Brits, and then at EPL level, mainly by the likes of Andrew Sharp, Norm Pinnington, Mark Williams etc. But, with the cutting of Jeremy Cornish by Sheffield last week, the trend towards "team toughness" espoused particularly by Newcastle and to a lesser extent Coventry, and simply the fact that you can now go weeks without seeing a decent scrap, one wonders just where the traditional import "enforcer" has gone in British hockey. A telling example of the change in emphasis was seen recently when Blaze did sign Andrew Sharp recently as a two-wayer, they used the fact that he was a "tough Brit" as a major selling point.
I think we're seeing some sort of evolution here, and the signing of a player like Sharp is the first sign of it. The enforcer is not dead, as some seem to be claiming-he's simply more likely to be a Brit as teams have realised that someone who can fight and not much else is not much use when he's a Canadian, especially with the import quotas.
But, someone who can fight and not much else isn't much use in today's British game, as unlike the NHL, the small rosters and relatively small budgets mean every player has to be able to play several different roles in order to make a successful career. Hence the influx of players like Brad Voth, Sylvain Cloutier and Brad Cruikshank into the British game-players who prefer to rack up the points rather than the penalty minutes, while being capable of both. And this is a wonderful thing-because the more multi-dimensional the players, the more multi-dimensional and thus the better to watch the game is.

And that is your somewhat short Tuesday trip....apologies as I have a feeling this isn't my best posting ever quality-wise...but check back tomorrow for my thoughts on the Best of British Cup and more...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Double Overtime, 20th January

Sorry this one's so late...I do love a laptop that won't bloody work half the time...anyway. On with the review of a weekend which saw Cardiff hammered, Belfast march on and an epic comeback for ten-man Bison...

Basingstoke: This team just will not lose. At least not without a monumental fight. You get the feeling you'd have to remove limbs from the remaining skaters to dampen their effort, no matter how many injuries hit down south. Saturday saw the Terrific Ten push the Panthers all the way and even look like winning with three minutes left on the clock, before Ryan Shmyr scored a rare goal to squeak the Panthers through. Then came Sunday. Hull away isn't the hardest fixture in the league, but when you're two goals down with a minute to play, most teams could be forgiven for taking the loss, even on Humberside. Not the Herd. Two goals in 85 seconds and a win on penalty shots followed to make the trip back to Hampshire a euphoric one. The Terrific Ten earn themselves full marks despite only gaining two points...
Grade: A

Belfast: Whisper it, but Coventry, the Giants are coming for you. Two more wins this weekend, both by the score of 6-2, including a demolition of the Panthers in Nottingham after a professional performance against Manchester, are clear statements that the Giants just will not give up on regaining the league title. The game at the Skydome in March now looks like a potential title decider, particularly if the Northern Irish side can beat the Blaze at home on the second of February. With Coventry having to play five more games in that time, fatigue could become a factor, and if it does, there is no team better placed to take advantage than Belfast, particularly if they continue this fine run of form...
Grade: A

Cardiff: Sorry, Devils. The league title is gone, thanks to the injury fairy having a real grudge against South Wales. Joe Myers suffered a torrid weekend this weekend against Coventry, being shelled for thirteen goals on 64 shots, including 7 in eighteen minutes on Sunday as the table-toppers cut loose. The one positive I can see is the emergence of Ben Davies, who looks scarily quick and a very good prospect indeed from the two games I saw...Building for the playoffs must be the Devils priority now...
Grade: E

Coventry: Two games, thirteen goals. And it could have been far more. The Blaze dispatched the injury-hit Devils with the minimum of fuss in both games this weekend, including a truly devastating seven-goal burst in the second period on Sunday, to keep their advantage at the top. With the Giants roaring up behind them, however, those three games in hand now look less of a cushion and more important than ever-the gap may look big but a few losses will make things tighten up at the top very quickly indeed. No complaints from the Midlands this time out, though...
Grade: B+

Edinburgh: Two losses to the Steelers, however close, have dealt a heavy blow to the Caps' playoff chase. The EIHL site says it best in stating that the lack of remaining games is the real enemy for the Scots right now. Points for effort will gain them a decent grade from me, but unfortunately for them, they don't count where the Caps need them most-in the standings.
Grade: C

Hull: When you outshoot a team of ten skaters 21-4 in the first period and score six goals in a game, you should really expect a win, shouldn't you? Not if you're the Stingrays, and not if the Bison are the opposition. If the Hampshire side seem to find new ways to win every week, the Stingrays are still finding new ways to lose-and this weekend was yet another that the Humbersiders will want to forget as soon as possible...
Grade: F

Manchester: As you may have noticed by the tone of my postings, I have something of a soft spot for the Phoenix. Unfortunately, it's kind of hard to be upbeat for them when the team's one game of the weekend was a 6-2 loss in Belfast in what was, by all accounts, a very chippy encounter,. Thanks to the Belfast web team, here are the best bits. 7th place is good enough for a playoff spot, with sixth attainable thanks to Cardiff's slump and even fifth if there's a winning streak in Altrincham, but the Phoenix need to be vigilant with the Terrific Ten of Basingstoke now just four points behind them. Sadly, though, the loss this weekend means I have to give one of my favourite opposition teams a...
Grade: E

Newcastle: The Vipers had a weekend off this time out, so for this reason are exempt from grading.

Nottingham: Barely beating Edinburgh followed by a home whipping at the hands of Belfast? That new player had better come in quickly or the Panthers' regular season could be in danger of fizzling out, especially if Dan Tessier influences Wednesday's Challenge Cup Final first leg in the way Sheffield hopes he will. The Panthers can still influence the league title (although it would take a miracle to win it themselves), with Belfast and Coventry both having to face them twice between now and the end of the season, and with two trophies still in the Panthers' sights, all is not yet lost. Not by a long shot. But a few more weekends like the one just gone, and it could be...
Grade: C-

Sheffield: The Steelers are hanging around like a bad smell in third place, ten points off the lead and only one game behind the Blaze after this weekend. One win and a loss to the team immediately above them isn't perfect, but it still just about keeps them in scrabbling distance of the summit with three months to go, and Dan Tessier will win them games they may otherwise have lost in the three months between now and April 16th. Then, of course, there's the small matter of the Challenge Cup...Steelers fans may not be dancing with joy right now (that's unrealistic after oh-so-nearly being beaten by Edinburgh on both nights) but they certainly shouldn't be complaining too much...
Grade: C+

This week sees the first leg of the CC Final between Nottingham and Sheffield, and also a game so important it isn't even advertised on the EIHL site, as Coventry take on Newcastle in the so-called "Best of British" money-making fr....sorry, Cup...

Tomorrow evening, there will definitely be the Tuesday roundup, as well as a ramble about enforcers and their slow disappearance from the British game...check back around 7pm, and keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Return of the Prodigal, and Round the Rinks

First, a bit of news...and it's a big bit...



Dan Tessier signs for Sheffield. Again.



Oh, goody. The little centre is and has always has been one of the best players in the league to watch, and I defy any hockey fan to say they wouldn't want him on their side. Even you, Panthers fans...



I refuse to get into the wage-cap debate this signing will no doubt provoke on hockey forums everywhere...at least not now. Suffice to say that Wednesday's game against the Panthers will now be just a little spicier than usual...



With that out of the way for at least a short while, on with Round the Rinks-which may seem confusing at first as I'm trying the new strategy of grouping teams together when they play double-headers, and there are two this week...



Basingstoke: Nottingham and Hull await for the Bison, in a weekend where they'll be grateful just to be putting a team out after being down to two (two!) fit d-men. All the laws say that this should be a hard and ultimately fruitless weekend in Hampshire, but then, all the laws said they should never have been able to score ten goals against Edinburgh last week with just ten skaters. And we all know what happened there. With the Stingrays back on form (well, for them) Sunday's trip to Humberside will be a little harder than it has been at times this season, but by the same token Panthers will not be relishing their trip to the Silverdome either. Surely the Bison can't beat the odds twice in a week?

Belfast: Manchester and Nottingham are the oppostion, as the Giants swing into another home-and-away weekend looking to put some serious pressure on Coventry at the top of the table and continue their impressive win streak at the same time. These two games are eminently winnable...except both the Phoenix and the Panthers are more than capable of pulling out a win. Several teams at the top of the table will be hoping they do...

Cardiff/Coventry: We'll take these two together, as it's a double-header of one of the most passionate and keenly-contested rivalries in the league. Blaze are coming into this weekend the stronger, as Cardiff are still in the midst of an injury crisis which means Phil Osaer is only slated to play one game this weekend (in Cardiff on Saturday) as he begins his return from a knee injury. However, nothing would please those in South Wales more than to put a bump in the road of the Blaze's seemingly relentless chase to be the first team to defend an EIHL title successfully. Nothing is ever certain as regards the results of these games, but one thing that's cast in stone is that both games will see a tooth-and-nail scrap between two teams who well and truly want to win at any cost...

Edinburgh/Sheffield: Another double-header sees two teams equally desperate for points face each other, although they currently lie at opposite ends of the table. Steelers need the points to keep in touch with Belfast and Coventry at the top, while Caps need the points to open up a gap on Hull at the bottom and close in on Basingstoke, who currently occupy the last remaining playoff spot. With the Bison weakened by injuries, and the Caps on something of a run of good form, they will fancy their chances-and may consider using Adam Stefishen as a battering-ram now that Steelers have lost their main policeman in Jeremy Cornish...

Hull: One game for the new, slightly-improved Stingrays-Basingstoke are the opponents, and Humberside is the venue on the Sunday night. Hull will fancy their chances against a weakened Bison, but would do well to be cautious after the Bison destroyed the Capitals when the Scots perhaps got caught looking ahead...A win would be a huge tonic if they can maintain their focus, however...

Manchester: Belfast are the Phoenix's only opponents this weekend-being the team to stop the winning run of the hottest side in the EIHL will certainly be motivation enough for the side who seem to delight in being the banana-skin that the top teams slip up on. Having already won in Northern Ireland this year, there is considerable reason for optimism in the North West, and the Angry Budgies will have several fanbases keeping an eye on them and hoping they can derail the Giants Express on Sunday night. I certainly wouldn't bet against it...

Newcastle: The Vipers don't play this weekend-probably a good thing as any good results would be lost in the furore surrounding a footballer deciding to return to his former club...However, the signing of Cory Morgan will add a small but not-unnoticed reason to be cheerful for those on the North East who prefer pucks to balls. If he has any sense, Rob Wilson will be using this weekend break to work out just how the new players will fit in in preparation for a hectic run-in...

Nottingham: Basingstoke and Belfast are the opposition for the Panthers, who still harbour hopes of climbing the table despite there being no sign of the promised PC Drouin replacement. With Dan Tessier going to Sheffield ahead of the Challenge Cup Final first leg on Wednesday, the Panthers need a four-point weekend this time out in order to give them the best possible lead-in to the first chance of silverware of the season. Both the Giants and the Bison will provide tough obstacles to getting it, however...

And that's your preview....let's play hockey!

Flurries of Movement...or "Kerching!"

Jesus-is it Thursday night already? I seem to spend my weekdays either at work or updating this place. But then, it makes the time between watching and/or playing hockey pass quicker-and this "ain't nothing but a G(ood) Thang" as Snoop Dogg might have put it. On we go with player movements a-plenty, and a meditation on budgets...

Lucky thirteen...Coventry and Sheffield needed overtime to settle their CC quarter final after Sheffield won 7-6 in regulation, wiping out the one-goal deficit from the first leg....however, the fourteenth goal of the night and seventeenth of the tie went Coventry's way in the extra period, courtesy of Jonny Weaver, to put the Blaze through. Now we await the draw of the semis...

Third time's the charm...Cory Morgan is once again a Newcastle Viper. As if joining the fire service wasn't enough excitement for the skilled Canadian, he's decided to return to the North East for his third stint as the Geordies' premier scorer for the rest of the season, having missed out on silverware in the Vipers' memorable 05/06 season thanks to a late-season knee injury. Last season he led the team in scoring with 26 goals despite them not making the playoff weekend, and was one of my favourite players to watch in the league. If I were a Vipers fan, I would be buzzing right about now...the Albertan from the romantically-named town of Blue Sky is a class act and will definitely pep up the team considerably in the late-season scramble for position.

Meanwhile, "Pasty" is off the menu in Sheffield...OK, that was unfair. Jeremy Cornish has progressed far beyond the slightly cruel nickname he earned from opposition fans in his time at London, becoming an under-rated, not always visible (unless he's fighting) but always useful cog in the Steelers machine this season. And this is why it's surprising that he's the one suffering as Sheffield make changes, being cut today by coach Dave Matsos despite being one of the more steady performers for the Steelers this season. Critics will point to the fact that he doesn't score enough points to justify an import slot, his crash-and-bang style is a role which can also be filled by many other players, and he can't find fights often enough due to the fact that this is one aspect of the game in which, as other EIHL players have come to know (some by painful experience) he's very proficient indeed. However, I'm not sure Sheffield won't live to regret this-after all, like him or loathe him, no-one who's seen him play can deny that he's one of those players who will give his all for the cause and do whatever he's asked to do every single night. I wouldn't be surprised to see some other EIHL team snap him up on the cheap with a few still looking for role-players...

Ker-ching!: Recently it has been suggested by readers that I'm...well, a bit of a hockey snob. This is because of my distinction between "big-budget" and "small-budget" teams in the EIHL-it appears to have raised the ire of some in the sense that, when it comes to crowds, the differences between the biggest and smallest isn't as pronounced as, say, in the DEL (although I'd consider the difference between 4500 in Nottingham and a few hundred in Edinburgh a pretty big one). I will admit to being guilty of seeing some teams as "bigger" than others-mainly due to the sizes of the crowd. This naturally does lead to the assumption that some teams are run on a slightly tighter rein than others with regard to the pursestrings.
This, however, makes it far more interesting, praiseworthy and yes, enjoyable for me when these "smaller" teams (I am now using the word purely to refer to their attendance, not popularity, relative merits etc) do well-the reason being that I don't actually enjoy seeing teams like Sheffield, Nottingham etc constantly in the hunt for trophies, or fighting out a mini-league between themselves as has been in danger of happening a few times in the EIHL era-this does not make for a stable league. And I can't understand people who will refuse to go to a game just because the opposition is "less glamorous". Hockey is hockey, and every team should be treated with at least a minimum of respect by their opponents and the opposition fans. Mickey-taking is fine but comments like "X and Y have no right to be in this league" are pushing it too far. So from now on the terms "big-budget" and "small-budget" are banned from my posts when referring to EIHL or indeed any other British hockey teams...

In other news-I've just noticed that the year has changed again: It has also been pointed out after my last Double Overtime column that the EIHL does not, in fact, run a playoff group system, nor has it for the past two years. This I was actually aware of, but being a bit slow to change the way I talk about hockey, at least as far as terms go, I still use "group stage" to refer to the part of the playoffs that take place between the end of the regular season and the finals weekend...simply because that was the system when I started watching. One of these days I'm going to have to get with the times in word as well as deed...trouble is with this league that by the time I do that, they'll have decided a group system is in fact their chosen way to run the playoffs...

The post title was cunningly chosen with just this statistic in mind...
Before we leave budgets, however, it is interesting to note that, whatever your view of teams financial resources, there is a view expressed on THF that says 8 out of 10 teams are currently breaking the EIHL "gentlemen's agreement" on wages. Nice to see the lessons of the ISL are being learnt, isn't it?

And finally...Congratulations to Shaun Johnson-a player who has been one of the few players I've seen who has played in in Britain for every one of the eight seasons I've been watching hockey, as he reaches his 1000th professional game (all played for UK clubs) with the Vipers' meeting Belfast...a superb milestone to reach...Pity it ended in a loss as the Giants nicked it three-one to increase the gap back to Sheffield in third place...

I was going to write a long diatribe about enforcers and their disappearance (slowly) from British hockey...but might save that for a post all its own at some point, either at the weekend or early next week. Tomorrow sees Round the Rinks as another weekend draws ever closer in the EIHL...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

More KO Cup Thoughts, and Fame At Last...:)

A few more quick hits as I settle in to watch the return of Torchwood on the BBC...

Well, that was unexpected: Andy Sharp fights Jeremy Cornish in the early minutes of Blaze vs Steelers. And loses. Not a bad way to make a debut...although a text from a friend at the game says it's about the only viable contribution he's made...With the game currently poised at two each, I have a bad feeling about this...

(warning-self-indulgent section)...:)

And, speaking of the PR front...It appears that, in Manchester at least, the Breakaway splits opinion...one of the readers was nice enough to mention it on their forum...(I found the thread on the nightly trawl)...and there's some nice replies (and some not so nice ones :)) on it...at least this explains why the blog had a ton more traffic from the North West than it usually does...that's another forum I should be monitoring a bit more closely. Certainly the comments on there have been noted and will be implemented...

Edit....but not posting, thanks to the fact they won't accept hotmail addresses, such as the one the blog uses..:)

And even more...: Taking my own advice...I'm casting the net, as it were...I'm very conscious that this blog is still very EIHL-centred...and I'd like to change that. Trouble is, I'm not exactly an expert when it comes to EPL, ENL or junior hockey...so if any of you out there in cyberspace would fancy sending me an update on any of the other leagues in Britain once a week (or even bi-weekly), then let me know, or just send them unsolicited...I'll place them on with full credit.

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Midweek Musings...

Welcome once again to your daily skate around the British hockey world...

It's important...there's a trophy, so it must be!: Tonight sees the ugly duckling of British cup competitions take centre stage (and how often can you say that) with the final quarter-final between Sheffield and Coventry being resolved. It's so important they're playing in Ice Sheffield (traditionally used by the Steelers only as a last resort) and even then it could be interesting to see just whether it's full or not...The tie itself is delicately poised, with Blaze carrying a one-goal lead, and there's some intrigue on both sides as Steelers defend their title and Blaze seek to win the only Elite League competition that they haven't already held. However, there's simply no escaping the fact that many see this as very much the poor relation of British hockey competitions at the moment-and with midweek games and teams seemingly allowed to opt out or simply not be asked to take part for simple logistics reasons (you can't have an odd number of teams in the semis, and giving a bye to the final would make the whole competition a mockery). I almost hope that Blaze don't win this competition this season-as seeing a team from the lower reaches of the league win some silverware would be good for the sport as a whole...

More Communication Kerfuffle: It seems my recent praise of the Bison's enews strategy has stirred things up a little, with it being pointed out that I in fact have my facts wrong, and that the Elite League clubs are in fact all open in communicating with their fans...
Thing is...I consider there to be a difference between the Bison (and to a lesser degree Phoenix) strategies of being open about almost all aspects of the club (even to the point of Tomas Enerston eschewing the usual platitudes of owners in favour of actually telling the fans exactly what is needed from the word go), and the approach of many other teams, which is essentially always "everything is fine, the team are determined to do well-everyone is positive-come and buy the stuff that's on sale, and tell your friends about the hockey" which appears in the Panthers, Steelers etc "newsletters".
I'm not asking to be told how every penny is spent, I'm not asking to be told just how my team's star defenceman spends his Wednesday nights or which pub they drink at. But I, and I would have thought others, am asking for a little more than the same stuff you could read on every other forum or every other press release.
It's also mentioned that some teams have sponsors which produce stuff for them...and this is why they have an advantage. Well...here's the list of Blaze sponsors. Notice the "media design" companies and radio stations...surely one of them could produce something similar to the Phoenix efforts given half a chance? Looking through the list of sponsors of other teams, it's notable that a similar situation exists with all of them-yet only the Bison and the Phoenix are really making use of it to build a genuine two-way relationship with fans beyond the simple promotional appearances, PR releases in bland media-ese, or media interviews. And this is why I say they're templates to follow for the rest of the EIHL.
After all-British hockey fans, like the rest of the population, are fast becoming more savvy to the efforts of bland, samey "spin" and PR (the Stingrays in particular have become a bit of a target this season for my humour and the ire of their own fans because of their stream of cookie-cutter PR releases), and are more willing to get out there and either look for or produce stuff which makes them and others feel part of things. Why not use some of them to try and do it professionally-or at least get them more involved in the promotion of clubs beyond simply sticking up flyers....there's no better advert for a sport than the people who genuinely love what they do, after all...just like Tomas Enerston seems to.
For the record-it may sound like I'm belittling the efforts of the PR departments of the EIHL as a whole. I'm not-I appreciate how hard it is to get noticed from trying to build up a readership for this blog...and like them I appreciate every comment and (hopefully like the teams :)) also am grateful for every individual who takes the time to read (or in the team's case, go to games).

However-there's a lot of hockey fans out there, all with talents of their own-why not cast a net and see what happens? It's certainly worked for the Bison in recent weeks...

Warm up the Fax Machines...because the ice-hockey transfer deadline is in two weeks time-as of the 31st of January, the EIHL rosters are set until the end of the season unless exceptional reasons force a change (like a season-ending injury to the starting goalie). With Cardiff, Hull and Nottingham at least still on the prowl looking to give their team that final ingredient for a title/playoff push, the player movement could be far from over...

That's your slightly shortened Wednesday musings...keep keeping your eye on the puck...

GB Squad Analysis and Much, Much More...

The Great Britain squad has been announced for the Mont Blanc Invitational, a warm-up tournament for the World Championships..GB's participation in this event is in itself a sign that someone is finally taking international hockey seriously in the UK, as up until now the team has been seen as something of an old-boys club for long-serving imports who've qualified for their British passports to go on a jolly at the end of the normal season, and compete at the second or third tier of world hockey. But now the team are playing together and leaving league action during the season in order to prepare for the World Championships in April, in the hope of a showing good enough to lay the seeds for the rise of Britain as a nation. And it's about time...traditionally us Brits will rally behind a winning team or winning sport (look at the tennis courts around Wimbledon week or the fuss over curling at every Winter Olympics)...a strong national team is vital for the whole game in this country. This is something of a transition period for the national team, with every player selected needing to establish themselves as internationals-and the long road to the Winter Olympics starts here...

So who will be wearing the Union Jack in France in February, and for those of you who don't really follow the sport beyond your club, just how good is Team GB? Let's look at the squad, position by position, as they compete to establish themselves...

NETMINDERS
Stevie Lyle (Belfast)
Stephen Murphy (Stjernen, Norway)
Joe Watkins (Guildford)

Stevie Lyle is clearly the starter in this group-and has been for some time after cementing his place as the best British nettie with consistent high level play wherever he's been. Fans who've been around a while may remember Murphy bursting onto the scene as a teenager with Fife and Dundee six or so years ago and performing truly heroically, but his career has stagnated somewhat in recent years, best shown by a nightmare season in Edinburgh last time out, while Joe Watkins has almost faded from view for many after choosing to take the Flames' shilling in the EPL rather than fight for an EIHL starting spot. He can still do a job, but has a task on his hands in order to convince the hockey community that his skills haven't suffered away from the top level...Mark Lee (ex-Newcastle) will consider himself unlucky not to have been selected, but his decision to play in North America this season may not have helped his visibility. His game, however, can only benefit...and he's surely breathing right down the necks of these three already.

DEFENCE
Luke Boothroyd (Hull)
Paul Dixon (Guildford)
Leigh Jamieson (Belfast)
Jez Lundin (Newcastle)
Paul Moran (Belfast)
James Morgan (Peterborough)
Ben Morgan (Sheffield Scimitars)
Ben O’Connor (Edinburgh)
James Pease (Coventry)
Mark Thomas (Sheffield Steelers)
Graeme Walton (Belfast)
Jonathan Weaver (Coventry)

One of the major positives of this group is that it's still growing...Paul Dixon and Jon Weaver stand out hugely as the oldest experienced "true Brit" internationals in a position traditionally dominated by dual-nationals like Rick Strachan and Brent Pope. The very fact that this group contains none, and (apart from Dixon at 34 and Weaver at 31), no-one over the age of 26, is a huge plus for the future of British hockey. With youngsters such as Ben O'Connor, Jez Lundin and Ben Morgan already impressing at their respective teams (Lundin and O'Connor at EIHL level already and Morgan ready to make the jump), and others such as James Pease and Mark Thomas established internationals already, this group can only improve with international competition...

FORWARDS
Greg Chambers (Basingstoke)
David Clarke (HC Alleghe, Italy)
Gary Clarke (Milton Keynes)
Russell Cowley (Coventry)
Mark Garside (Edinburgh)
Jason Hewitt (Sheffield Steelers)
Marc Levers (Nottingham)
David Longstaff (Newcastle)
Greg Owen (Basingstoke)
Jonathan Phillips (Sheffield)
Nathan Rempel (Peterborough)
Mark Richardson (Nottingham)
Colin Shields (Newcastle)
Ashley Tait (Sheffield Steelers)
Warren Tait (Sheffield Steelers)
Matt Towe (Cardiff)
Adam Walker (Manchester)
Tom Watkins (Coventry)

This group has a slightly older average age than the defence...and the dual-nationals rear their heads in the shape of Greg Chambers (who has been on fire for Basingstoke this season) and possibly the EPL's deadliest forward in Nathan Rempel, both of whom qualify for British passports. However, the younger players are well represented, with players such as Matt Towe (a surprise hit for Cardiff this season) and Mark Garside (one of the latest products of the Edinburgh production line which has produced, among many others, British legend Tony Hand) given the chance to stake their claim. Notable in this squad is the fact that, as well as the established names such as Tait (A) Longstaff, Clarke et al, there are a fair few players who have perhaps flown under the radar of many a casual fan but are now given their chance to shine. Basingstoke's Greg Owen and MK's Gary Clarke (both far under-rated playmaking forwards, mainly due to having spent the majority of their careers outside the top tier of British hockey) are the most notable examples, although Adam Walker and Warren Tait are also far better than they're given credit for by many.

ABSENTEES
These are a category all their own...with Danny Meyers and Matt Myers of Nottingham notable by their absence (both would certainly be in the squad if they were available) along with the young guns of Hull, the Phillips brothers and Lee Mitchell. All are certainly good enough to stand in this company....

THE SQUAD VERDICT
Boasting a young and hungry roster sprinkled with a few experienced heads, perhaps the best thing that can be said about this squad is that it doesn't really suffer for the relative lack of dual-nationals or the vast majority of the old guard (Tony Hand included). Perhaps the biggest criticisms lie with the lack of "true" offensive defensemen (Jon Weaver being the exception) and a need for more "instinctive" goalscorers. With Adam Calder and Curtis Huppe both becoming eligible next year, though, and Ben O'Connor receiving his international blooding early, this could change...

The foundations are there for something quite special to happen in GB hockey over the next few years-this April will show just how special it could be...

Meae Culpae: Once again, a few corrections to my earlier posts...It turns out that it's not only Basingstoke who communicate well with fans...Becky informs me that Manchester have been doing the enewsletter thing since last season, and were likely thus the first. I should also mention the Phoenix News on the official website...it's sometimes a bit amusing to watch given that it's not quite BBC standard yet...but it's improving nicely. Certainly many other clubs in the EIHL could do the same (as far as I'm aware only Manchester and Nottingham provide video news through their sites, along with Basingstoke's letter. Certainly they all put my club in Coventry to shame...

Sharp's Revenge: Blaze have signed Andrew Sharp on a two-wayer from Romford to add muscle to their third line...Personally I'm not quite sure about this...especially as there's a perfectly good ENL team that could do the same job of providing physical third-liners on a two-way, but we shall see...

Goalies Rated and Slated: Becky also points out that there are no goalies included in my "best of the Elite League" column here, and asks whether this means I don't rate any of them, or simply have something against picking goalies...:). Neither is true...I simply thought that there were players I enjoyed watching far more on each of the ten teams...and apart from anything else considered it slightly unfair to lump them in with outskaters. I do have something of a soft spot for Ryan McDonald-when he's on his game there are none better in the league, and it's easy to forget he's just 22. Trouble for the Vipers is, at the moment that happens only rarely. Like Becky, I wouldn't complain if Tom Askey came to the Blaze next season (if there was no better option). I refuse to pick Trevor Koenig in anything-not because I don't think he has ability but simply because he's not, as some seem to say, the greatest goalie ever to pull on an Elite League shirt-and I have never been much of a bandwagon jumper. He's good, often very good, but on his top night, no better than any other goalie on their top night. Scott Fankhouser? Nothing special despite his NHL pedigree. Phil Osaer? Unbeatable some nights, unthinkable as an EIHL goalie on others...Ladi Kudrna? Score a few quickly and his head goes down. Stevie Lyle? As a Brit...superb. As an EIHL goalie...he'll do a job, but not inspire awe. JF Perras? Give him a team that'll truly let him shine and we'll talk. Curtis Cruickshank? Hm. Jody Lehman? A great goalie, but if you want to beat him, just remember two words...high glove...
Maybe I am just not that big a goalie fan...the only ones I can remember genuinely inspiring feelings of awe in me (in Britain) were Joel Laing (Sheffield) and Steve Briere (Fife-and even that is not because of his overall ability but because he's still the author of the most astonishing save I've ever seen). Mark McArthur was also pretty special for Guildford. The best goalie I've ever seen live is still Thomas Greiss (Cologne Sharks)....although in Britain, there has been no-one, and I mean no-one, who has wound me up and delighted me more while wearing a netminder's kit -and thus can be considered my favourite ever goalie, than the immortal Pasi Raitanen.

Hope that answers your question...it certainly leads nicely onto my final point for tonight...:)

"Oh, God...it's Pasi!": These were the words that came out of my mouth at more than a few Peterborough Pirates, Newcastle Vipers, and even a few Sheffield Steelers meetings with the Blaze, as I saw the familiar yet always disturbing sight of Pasi Raitanen bending himself nearly in half during the pre-match warm-ups. This was because he was the most frustrating opponent the Blaze have ever faced while I've been watching. There was and is nowt understated about the "Finnish Octopus", as he was nicknamed...he broke Blaze hearts singlehandedly by performing truly magnificently in a Findus Cup final victory for the Vipers in their first season in the league, and constantly pulled victory from the jaws of defeat while playing for the Pirates against the Blaze. Then there was his "up, down, cross-arms, down, up" routine at every faceoff in his own zone...

Anyway..now Pasi has earned himself a testimonial...to be held at Ice Sheffield on Tuesday, Feb 12th. If there's any way I can get there from Coventry, I will do...the man is truly a legend, and possibly my favourite goalie ever to play on British ice while I've been watching, despite not playing a single minute in a Blaze shirt. It sounds like I'm not the only one who thinks of him that way...

That's your lot for this Tuesday, then...keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Double Overtime, 14th January

It's been a busy news weekend, so there's a lot to catch up on and comment upon this week. Tomorrow (Tuesday) evening, I shall be analysing the GB squad announced for the forthcoming international matches in France, as well as responding to several comments brought up from last week's posts-however, this Monday evening is all about the weekend review. And what an unpredictable weekend it was...unless you were a Coventry or Hull fan...(you may notice that these two teams get treated slightly briefly)...:)

Basingstoke: Saturday was truly epic in Hampshire. 10 skaters scored ten goals to Edinburgh's two (from a full team) as the Bison ran riot. You can forgive them, then, for suffering a seven-three loss away in Newcastle on the Sunday, especially as they caught the Vipers on a good day. Just for the amazing goal-rush on Saturday, the Bison get a...
Grade: B

Belfast: Quietly, the Giants are pushing very hard indeed. Beating Sheffield and Cardiff by a combined total of nine goals over a weekend is pretty damn impressive in anyone's book-especially from a team who couldn't score for toffee earlier in the season. Even more so when you bear in mind that both games were away from the Odyssey. Peter Campbell simply can't miss this season, and the defensive struggles appear to be just a memory. There's really no justification for awarding the Giants anything other than...
Grade: A

Cardiff: There, but for injuries...The Devils misery continues-a fighting loss in Nottingham was followed by...a fighting loss against Belfast. With Phil Osaer still out, and no sign of a return any time soon, should the Devils be looking for a rental goalie for the playoff push? Or maybe just set up their own emergency room in the Tent? This will definitely be remembered as a season of "so near and yet..." unless the luck changes in South Wales pretty quickly. Sorry, Red Army, but your team only earn...
Grade: D

Coventry: Two games against Hull, two un-flashy wins. Michael Tasker retires. Job done. There will be far tougher weekends before the end of the season for the Blaze....
Grade: B+

Edinburgh: I've given up predicting Capitals games. Who on God's green earth would have predicted a weekend where the Caps lose ten-two to Basingstoke before coming back to their own rink and shutting out one of the top teams in the league in Nottingham, all the while missing their leading scorer on the Sunday? Or a weekend where a team could come out with a goal difference of minus five and still be happy? The Scots are truly a pundit's nightmare of a team...but you can't argue with that win against Nottingham pushing up the grade a little...
Grade: B

Hull: Two games, no points. And now the Stingrays are officially bottom. Did you expect anything more?
Grade: E

Manchester:: Now, here's a team who appear to have taken the role of the plucky losers to heart this weekend, losing by the odd goal in both games (and taking Sheffield to a penalty shootout). Despite this, I can't shake the nagging feeling that, come playoff time, the Phoenix will be the last team any other team wants in their group...they're certainly the last team I'd like to see the Blaze facing...particularly if the game must be won for qualification. They're like terriers...they will yap, chase you round and round and not really be taken seriously as a threat by anyone...and then, at the worst possible time, they'll bite. I can't help thinking I'm slightly unfair by giving them...
Grade: D

Newcastle: Four point weekend in Viperland! That gale of a north wind dropping the temperatures today is made up by a thousand Viper fans sighing in relief...their team are not done yet. Certainly the points against Manchester and Basingstoke will be welcome-the onus now is on the team to prove that, in fact, they don't deserve to be where they are right now...
Grade: B

Nottingham: Hmm. What do you say to a team that barely beats a side cripple by injuries, while playing at their own rink, and then gets shut out away from home against a side pretty much everyone would expect them to beat, all things being equal? Simple. Not bad in that there's points on the board...but must do a lot better if you're serious about winning anything this season...
Grade: C+

Sheffield: At this point, I believe I'm justified in saying the Steelers won't win the league this season. And inconsistent weekends like this last one show why. First rule of championship teams is...win your home games, and then think about stealing points on the road. This weekend, Steel City got it backwards-and one of their major rivals (Belfast) gleefully profited from it. You don't win a championship by just beating the teams you know you can, Steelers...
Grade: C+

There you go, then...another Double Overtime in the books. Be warned, tomorrow is likely to be a long post, so have the evening coffee ready...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Round the Rinks, 11th January

After a two-week break, your weekly team-by-team preview returns...

Basingstoke: The Bison face a fast-improving Edinburgh and a still-struggling Newcastle this weekend-two games that they'll need to work hard to win, for different reasons. With the Capitals looking to clinch an unlikely playoff berth and the Vipers desperate to put some sort of run together after being in the doldrums for seemingly forever, they'll both be very tricky opponents. The Saturday game against the Capitals is a must-win, although the Vipers game, while away from home, may provide the better chance of two points...

Belfast: Sheffield and Cardiff await the Giants...two teams who the Giants must beat if they're serious about challenging in the top half of the table. The Devils are in serious injury trouble right now and the 14-game streak of November and December is just a memory-and the misery looks like continuing on Sunday. Steelers will be a much tougher proposition in the Hallam Arena...but with both teams well-stocked with offensive talent, this game looks like being a shootout-well worth visiting if you're in the vicinity...

Cardiff: The misery continues for the Devils...Belfast and Nottingham are not teams you want to face without your starting goalie or several key players. Sadly for those in South Wales, I can see this being another winless weekend for the PT Maintenance Devils-although they will certainly make the opposition work for it.

Coventry: Home and away in Hull would have seemed like an easy four points as little as three weeks ago. But with the Stingrays looking more solid now that Jani Virtanen has returned and Troy Neumeier added to the lineup on the back line, four points is by no means a given. I'm not saying it won't happen-I think Coventry have too much for them. The 3-2 result up on Humberside last time out shows, however that the Stingrays will at least no longer fear being embarrassed on home ice...

Edinburgh: The Capitals, on the other hand, are flying as they chase eighth place and that last playoff spot. With Basingstoke and Nottingham standing in their way to four points this weekend, the Capitals will need to be firing like they have done recently, but don't be surprised to see more proof that this under-rated and underperforming (thus far) Caps side is finally reaching its potential...

Hull: Coventry are the opponents-and let's just say that the Stingrays will be motivated-a win on either night, particularly at the Skydome on Sunday, will send shockwaves through the league and give heart to the teams chasing the Blaze at the top of the table. As for the boost it'll give on Humberside..."rocket up the backside" is nowhere near strong enough. The last time something this unlikely happened, it involved a fellow called Lazarus. Beating the Blaze would be a sign that, like that fellow, someone on Humberside could possibly still bring Hull's season back from the dead...

Manchester: The Phoenix, stung by their exit from the KO Cup, face Newcastle and Sheffield as they attempt to get back on track. The Vipers are eminently beatable-Steelers less so. However, with Joe Tallari hovering around the opposition's goal, anything is possible for the hot-and-cold Angry Budgies...

Newcastle: The panic button has been pressed in the North East-Rob Wilson has returned to the ice. Manchester and Basingstoke are the opponents-two teams that the Vipers would have eaten for breakfast in September. Now, though, I can see another winless weekend on the horizon unless some people on Tyneside buck their ideas up fast...

Nottingham: Quietly sneaking up the table has become the Panthers' specialty. With Edinburgh and Cardiff on the slate for this weekend, Mike Ellis' men can continue their rise, but shouldn't underestimate either team despite their struggles at various times this season. I can see the Cats nicking another four points as they chase Sheffield and Cardiff in the race to lead the pack chasing the Blaze...

Sheffield: Belfast and Manchester-two opponents against whom the Steelers will want and need to win-especially as they're all playing for their jobs still. The Giants will be the tougher opponents on paper, but the Phoenix are the banana-skin side-underestimating them while concentrating on Belfast could be fatal...

That's your lot-all the games covered...

Let's play hockey...:)

Thursday Catch-up...

Just a few odd news items from this week which haven't already appeared anywhere else for your Thursday evening...Round the Rinks will return tomorrow...

Bison v Giants live on the web: Don't forget the Belfast webcast if you're needing a British hockey fix tonight...they're covering the game at the Odyssey this evening as with all Giants home games-details, as always, are here...

Cardiff get new sponsor:...and are now the PT Maintenance Cardiff Devils. Doesn't quite have the same ring as the glory days of "Coca-Cola Devils" or "BT Cardiff Devils", does it-but the good news is that the recent financial woes in South Wales are eased considerably thanks to this, so one of the great clubs of British hockey will continue around for at least another season.

Vipers sign Burt Henderson:...who doesn't exist, according to most hockey stats sites. This may be due to the fact that he's played in Japan the past few seasons-not exactly a hockey hotbed. Although perhaps this scepticism isn't fair, given that the last player to join a UK team from the J-League was Ryan Kuwabara, who was part of the Belfast Giants side which swept all before them in the last ISL season ever before losing the title to Sheffield by one point. He could be a decent signing-although he appears not to have played since '03 if you believe the stats sites. Since he won't be in the UK until after the weekend, Rob Wilson will be bringing his variety act (consisting of skating slowly, moaning at the referees at every call, moaning at the referees at every call, and generally looking like he should have given up three years ago) to British ice for (hopefully) the last time in order to fill the gap.

Straight from the (Bison's) mouth...: I was sent an email by Simon a few days ago (don't forget, address is on the left should you wish to contact the blog) telling me about a fine idea brought in by the Basingstoke management-a free weekly enews letter written by the owner, Tomas Enerston (who is also a regular contributor to the Bison section of the Official EIHL Forum), keeping the fans up to date with exactly what is going on behind the scenes (well, up to a reasonable point, anyway-don't expect names of new signings until they're announced or complex financial details, naturally). This openness from team management is very rare in British hockey, unless it's a PR initiative or yet another request for some of your hard-earned cash (I can hear Blaze and Panthers fans at least sighing in agreement) and seems to me to be an excellent idea. Obviously a lot of the content is more of interest to Bison fans than anyone else, but the very fact that there is an owner out there who is willing to tell people just what is going on with their team rather than stay silent and allow rumour, hearsay and "privileged insiders" (read: sponsors) to create an "I know something you don't know" culture of fan one-upmanship is very positive indeed, and a lot of clubs in the EIHL (and indeed the league themselves) could learn from the Bison example.

Michael Tasker retires this weekend: The press release says, and I quote...
With a proud career spanning over 16 years, British forward Michael Tasker has taken the decision to retire following the Mobilx Vipers v Coors Belfast Giants bmibaby Elite League clash on Sunday 22nd October 2006....
Oh, wait. Sorry. That was last time he retired, only to sign back in Coventry less than a month later. The press release this time is in full here. And we're only two years further down the line. Needless to say there won't be many Vipers fans wishing him a fond goodbye this time round...and I assume it would be far too cynical of me to say that his last game at the Skydome just happens to involve Hull as the opposition-traditionally a game which many home fans give a miss. Now the Blaze are all but guaranteed a sellout...

For the record, though...good luck, Task-and thanks for your service at the Blaze...

And that's your lot...keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Only in Dreams...

So today, I'm doing my nightly trawl of the forums (although I started it slightly later than usual) and saw the intriguing topic of "if you could have one player from the rest of the EIHL, who would it be?" on one of the Elite League ones...


Naturally, I thought this wasn't enough. So I shall allow myself one player from each team on my fantasy roster. Positions no object-simply my favourite player from each EIHL team-along with reasons why...


Basingstoke: Danny Stewart: The "other" Danny is a real find. Fast, feisty and surprisingly powerful for a smallish winger, the #79 is a penalty-killing, goalscoring, soft-handed, irritating little demon of a player. Shorthanders are his specialty, and he seems to cover every inch of the ice on an average evening. Steve Thornton gets the headlines, but Stewart should get the praise and the first new contract-this 22-year-old has the potential to become a British hockey legend.


Belfast: Roman Gavalier: Every team needs a d-man who simply thinks "they ain't scoring on my shift". Gavalier lives and dies by this motto-he doesn't fly around the ice trying to win the game on his own, nor does he try and smash the plexi with every check. But my, is he a pleasure to watch, just for his effort-you'd need to remove his limbs one by one to prevent him trying to chase his forward down, and even then he'd drag himself along, yelling "It's just a flesh wound!". In a team full of players all trying to prove they're the biggest dog offensively (Ed Courtenay, I'm looking at you in particular), the Slovak is happy to be a yappy little defensive terrier, nipping the ankles of any opposition forward with the puck hard and often for sixty minutes a night. Take your place on the blue-line...


Cardiff: Brad Voth: What?! The Canadian everyone loves to hate is the glue that holds the Devils together. Mess with a skilled forward? Voth'll be there in seconds to "have a word". Need someone to do the dirty work screening the goalie? 6'5 and 235lbs of Alberta-bred muscle is pretty good for that job. What about a captain who'll stretch every sinew for the cause? Voth'll do that too, night after night. Cardiff aren't the same team without him in the line-up. And for that reason alone, he makes the list.


Coventry: Sylvain Cloutier: Anyone who knows me will be wide-eyed, wondering why Curtis Huppe isn't in this spot. It's simple-he isn't Sylvain Cloutier. On any other team, Huppe would be the pick, but he has the misfortune to be on the same team as the greatest grinding centre (and possibly the best centre ever) to take the Skydome ice. Clouts is 6' and 195lbs of pure class. He can hit, he can create, he can defend, he can irritate, and he can score. Often he does all five on the same shift. The Quebecer's intensity was shown to perfection against Romford this season in a challenge game, after Andrej Sporina unwisely tried to rattle the young players with some stickwork. The Blaze captain watched and waited until Sporina got the puck and tried to take him on...Wallop. Perfectly cleanly, the offending Raider was almost knocked right out of his skates...and the message got through. Mess with any Blaze player, and you mess with me. And that, to me, is a flawless example of the way a captain should be.


Edinburgh: Colin Hemingway: Speed and goals. Two qualities which the Caps need desperately in order to be successful playing their game in this league. Hemingway provides both, and is a class above anyone else wearing the shirt when he's on form...Oh...and he's scored over a quarter of the Caps' goals this season by himself.



Hull: Stevie Lee: Watch him hit, pass, buzz around the ice like a mosquito on the skin of the opposition, never back away from bigger, stronger players, and become one of the brightest stars of the Stingrays' season and a darling of the Humberside crowd. Or bear in mind he took on Brad Voth, and forced the Cardiff giant to back away. Realise that he is already one of the best British dmen in the league despite being on a team which regularly faces the full force of opposition attacks for sixty minutes a game with very little respite, and that he is one of the major pieces of that defence, more so thanks to Hull's injury woes. Then remember the most amazing fact of all...he's doing this at an age where he can't even legally buy the man-of-the-match beer yet. I think that merits a place in the squad, don't you?



Manchester: Joe Tallari: Some will pick the craft and guile of Tony Hand. Some the brute force and dominating presence of Brett Clouthier. And some the silky skating and timely blue-line bullet goals of Simon Mangos (the poor man's Neal Martin). But if you're picking the most important player to his team in the league, then you'd have to go a long way to pass the Thunder Bay, Ontario native. As Joe Tallari goes, so go the Phoenix. As for my reasons for including him among my favourites...there are 34 of them this season, five more than the much-more-heralded "king of snipers" Adam Calder, who is his next challenger in the scoring race. Make that 34 and counting...

Newcastle: Colin Shields: The velvet glove of goals which covers the steel fist of the Vipers, Shields is a player you love to hate unless he's on your side. Almost invisible for long periods amongst the blood and thunder of Andre Payette, Derek Campbell et al, Shields is the silent force behind the Geordies' attacking play...And when all that crashing and banging subsides with the puck in your team's net, you can be sure that Shields had a hand in putting it there...

Nottingham: Sean McAslan: Combined with Johan Molin, he provides the Panthers' goalscoring claws. One of the few players in the league who I am always looking for when the puck is in the Blaze zone-just in case the worst happens and he gets it on his stick with a little space and a glimpse of the net behind Trevor Koenig. In that case, there's a good chance a goal will follow soon after. If you're scared of an opposition player every time he gets the puck, then he's doing something well. And in the Panthers' captain's case, scoring goals is something he does very well indeed.

Sheffield: Rod Sarich: A d-man who is equally at home in either zone, Sarich has a slapshot many dmen would kill for, the eyes of a bird of prey and the speed and elusiveness of a gazelle, as well as the killer instinct of a jungle cat when given time to pick his spot from the blue. Neal Martin may take all the praise, but Sarich is almost as good-and his best years are still to come.

There you go. Feel free to comment if I've missed a glaringly obvious player from any team who would be better...and keep keeping your eye on the puck...

On Arrogance and Money II...

Ever since I started writing this, one of the things that has impressed me the most are the thoughtful comments seen from those who read-there are clearly some very knowledgeable and erudite hockey fans out there, and many an article here has come from a comment either on a forum or from here-the latest gem of a comment, in response to this post, comes from Becky, and takes issue with my mentioning Manchester fans as the most tolerant...

Manchester fans hit the panic button incredibly quickly earlier in the season but are now content to sit back and bitch, whinge and moan. I guess they know changes are unlikely and would probably be harmful because of the budget but there's no end to the negativity in our fan-base, even when we win.KC was the target of a witch hunt for a while and finally went. Cloots and MacMillan have also been slated and Tony's always being told to hang his skates up.

This did surprise me-Brett Clouthier in particular has been impressive for Manchester when I've seen him-there are few better in the league at screening the goalie, especially on the powerplay...

However, Becky then really set me thinking with this point...especially as I support a "big-budget" club...

I think that money means you can and do make changes and smaller budgets work with what they've got. I guess if that's the way you deal with it, it's what the fans will come to expect rather than arrogance driving a constant need to win. That doesn't mean that doesn't grow as fans get used to it tho ;)

I find this interesting-I remember the first BNL season in Coventry, where the team started like an absolute house on fire and Coventry as a city went mad-after all, it's not like we as a sports city have a history of winning, unless you watch speedway...However, when it all went wrong due to injuries, there wasn't anywhere near the reaction that occurs today if things go off course slightly...or indeed in the season after the treble year...So can we say that winning breeds arrogance, money is to blame or is it just healthy expectation rather than the more negative emotion of arrogance?

This issue was further brought into sharp focus by the news that Sheffield have placed their entire team on two week's notice, despite having a season which many teams in the league would kill for (second in the league, Challenge Cup finalists, etc, etc). The Steelers fans are also criticising their team to a seemingly ludicrous degree on forums recently. Sheffield has always been a demanding place to play thanks to the standards set by the powerhouse teams of the late 90's and early 00's, but even so, chopping or attacking a team for being second best in Britain seems a little harsh even for them...

Compare this with Basingstoke fans, who are proud of their team and their effort despite the problems this season, or Cardiff fans-who still roar their team on whatever the result, or even the injuries. Or Isle of Wight Raiders fans, who turn up despite their side likely suffering defeat against far superior budgets and players in the EPL every week.

Admittedly, of the above teams you could argue that only Cardiff have a genuine history (recently at least) of success, but even so...all teams apart from Coventry (in the Skydome era) have suffered some hardship-does this mean that the only way for the Coventry (or Sheffield, or any) crowd to truly appreciate the successes of their team is to suffer catastrophic failure in the future?

I know I'm only asking questions rather than coming up with constructive answers-but I'd love to know whether there genuinely is a divide between "big budget" and "small budget" teams, not just on the ice (which is fairly obvious at times, although thankfully it's getting smaller in the EIHL) but on the ice, in the way their fans are perceived. Are Coventry, Sheffield, Nottingham fanbases arrogant for expecting their big budgets to carry the day? If you're a fan of a smaller club, do you feel bigger clubs look down upon you? Certainly this was a complaint of Newcastle as they sped to the playoff title in the first EIHL season...

Food for thought as you munch on your period-break hot-dog...I have a feeling that thinking about this will leave me with more to say on this subject....

...perhaps even tomorrow. :)

Keep checking back, keep making those insightful and thought-provoking comments, and keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Hate to Say...

"I told you so"...Cole Byers is now done for the season, according to Hull media sources. Hardly a surprise, really-going on the ice with a quarter of your knee missing is possibly not the best idea, as I said at the time...my comment on his decision was...

"Brave, brave man...especially as, if he gets another whack on that knee, his career could be over at the frighteningly young age of 24. And all this in an attempt to save the Stingrays from finishing bottom? Many will be asking themselves "is it worth it?" Cole Byers, the Breakaway salutes you...and hopes that you don't live to regret that decision..."

It appears that he will do, at least for the time it takes to rehab that knee...

Meanwhile, back in the league...How about those KO Cup results? There's potential at the moment for three out of four semi-finalists to be from the bottom half of the EIHL. Basingstoke are definitely through after tanking Cardiff-who have now lost Gerard Adams on top of all their other injuries. Edinburgh are also through after beating Newcastle...the Vipers must really be wondering where the light at the end of the tunnel is, or whether, when it comes, it'll just be an oncoming train.
Hull vs Manchester will guarantee a bottom-halfer in the draw..so the only real question is whether it'll be Coventry or Sheffield who go forward to play in the semis of the league's least-loved competition. Judging by the performance on Sunday night, it'll be Sheffield-don't be fooled by the 2-1 scoreline in favour of Coventry. The Blaze were simply awful at times-while Sheffield were little more than workmanlike.

New Year Blues: It appears that the New Year has affected us all differently..I got the address right for the Belfast webcast but not the game. You'd think such an experienced hockey journalist as me would have remembered to double-check the fixture list, now, wouldn't you? Two minutes for stupidity for Mr Wheeler...In the words of Slapshot's Denis Lemieux "I go to the penalty box and I feel SHAME!".

Mi Cabana es su Cabana: Paul Cabana could be making a quick return to the UK after leaving Hull, apparently-with Sheffield the destination after the Steelers were all put on two weeks' notice. Things clearly need to change in Steelerville, what with them reaching the lowly heights of second in the league and the Challenge Cup Final with the current corps of players........



....OK, I can't see the reason for it either. But maybe that's why I don't own an EIHL team. Unless this is a cunning way for Bob Phillips to ship players from one of his teams to the other (Cardiff) while getting around the whole "conflict of interest" problem...Still-at least Cabana will find out what it's like to have other goalscorers around him...and no, Hull fans, Jeff Glowa doesn't count.

Meanwhile...Hull have moved quickly to pick up their goalscoring problems with the capture of Troy Neumeier, that well-known...stay-at-home d-man. I don't even have a joke here. Although the Stingrays have been electroshocked into some sort of life recently. Now, if they could just do the same with their coach...

That's your lot for now...I apologise for the disjointedness of the blog recently, but the trouble with real life is that it isn't as simple as hockey...

More to come tomorrow as we return to the twin themes of arrogance and money...

Belfast Webcast...

Round the Rinks will appear properly around 6 this evening, work etc allowing, but given that Belfast play Nottingham at the Odyssey this evening I just thought I'd remind you all that the game, as with any Giants home game, can be found on the web courtesy of the Belfast webcast team should you be wanting to start your weekend with a bit of live EIHL action-the commentary is audio with video highlights for the first two periods and live video for the third, streamed over the interweb...not bad for three quid, really. Certainly cheaper than paying far too much in subscription for the dubious privilege of listening to Dave Simms on Sky of a Friday evening for a game that ain't even live-especially when Nottingham v Belfast promises to be a far tastier prospect than Coventry v Edinburgh (the game this week).

The webcast details can be found by clicking on the webcast link from the Giants site at http://www.belfastgiants.com/, or directly:

www.belfastgiants.com/webcast.aspx

David Lowry and his team do a good job with very little, so ignore the rants of Blaze fans on the forums and try it out for yourself...

Check back later today for Round the Rinks, and keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Double Overtime Holiday Special

Firstly, in order to get it out of the way and with no interference from jammed mobile networks-happy new year to everyone who reads regularly, occasionally or even if you've just stumbled on here by mistake...:)

Now, as promised-a review of the holiday period now that the last glass of mulled wine has been drunk, the last turkey sandwich eaten and the last Alka-Seltzer popped to cure the New Year hangover...

Basingstoke: The Bison have very much stuck to "same old, same old" as far as the form-book goes-wins and losses alternating...although considering the injury bug bit hard over the period, with the team reduced to ten skaters at one point, a perfect Christmas is perhaps just a little unrealistic. Picking up points against Manchester and Hull will have helped in the battle for the last playoff place, and there's no disgrace in losing to the Steelers while short-benched. With players fast recovering and another to come in shortly according to owner Tomas Enerston, 2008 looks like getting off to a decent start in Hampshire...
Grade: B

Belfast: The Giants had a perfect festive period, only conceding one point to their opponents as they needed overtime to beat Newcastle on the 23rd, so it appears that all is well in Northern Ireland, not least thanks to a double-header win over Cardiff last weekend. The league title is realistically out of the Giants' reach unless they go on a Cardiffesque winning streak, but playoff glory is definitely a possibility if the team can continue this recent trend of self-belief and playing hard behind the goals of Ed Courtenay and Peter Campbell through the coldest months of the year and into spring. Much as this should pain me, being a Blaze fan, a perfect record deserves nothing less than...
Grade: A+

Cardiff: Ouch. Poor Devils. Phil Osaer injures himself just in time for the busiest period of the season, and with the revolving door of British fill-ins such as Mike Brabon and Gregg Rockman has come a lean period for the South Wales side..no festive cheer here aside from the seven-four win in Manchester on the 23rd. Despite this the Devils have continued to fire pretty well on offence, and if they can get Osaer back then perhaps they can get back into the title race. However, at the moment, it looks like a tough few weeks ahead at the Big Blue Tent...
Grade: D

Coventry: Festive wobbles hit the Midlanders on Boxing Day in Nottingham, but aside from that and the overtime loss in Belfast the Blaze have kept rolling on with the fire that has kept their fans warmed up and roasted opposition teams all season. With Curtis Huppe and Sylvain Cloutier now back from injury, Blaze fans will be hoping the only changes occuring at the Skydome will be on the calendars...
Grade: B-

Edinburgh: Two wins against Hull were a timely Christmas present for the Caps as they've now cut the gap to just four points at the bottom. This was followed up by a Hogmanay special 7-3 mauling of Newcastle-a result which few would have even dared mention in September for fear of being hauled to the hockey asylum. A friend was suggesting the other day that the Scots have the ingredients for success-all that is needed is a re-jig of the lines, with Christiansen playing with Hemingway and Wires and Stutzel-Cingel-Garside forming the second line. I can't see it myself-but the win against the Vipers shows the talent is there, and when all else fails...
Three wins out of six earn the Scots...
Grade: C+

Hull: New Year, same hopeless Stingrays. You can talk all you like about grit, effort and even Rick Strachan's way with words as he bores us all with more platitudes in press releases, but on the scoreboard, as ever, the Humbersiders just aren't getting it done this season. With Troy Neumeier coming in in order to shore up the defence, maybe the flood of shots will slow slightly, but 2008 has to be better than last year for the Stingers because there's no way it can get worse...is there?
Grade: F

Manchester: The Phoenix are cruising along as they chase a playoff place in the lower reaches of mid-table, winning three out of six including a double victory against Newcastle over Christmas which sees them settled in seventh, five points ahead of their nearest rival but eight points behind the teams above them. This team won't set the world alight, but if the season continues the same way it has up until now there'll be postseason hockey in Altrincham, and at the end of the day, that's what every team wants as a minimum out of the league season. The grade this time is....
Grade: C+

Newcastle: "Don't panic! DON'T PANIC!" The words of Corporal Jones are ringing loudly in the ears in the North East-two points from a possible eight, and even those thanks to Hull, mean that life at the MRA is not as rosy as the league position would suggest, not least because the Vipers are only 6th thanks to an eight-point cushion over Manchester, and are in danger of being isolated from both the teams above them and those below. The grade reflects the poor return over Christmas, though...
Grade: E

Nottingham: Two losses, including one in overtime, balance a win against Coventry on Boxing Day for the Panthers as they cling on to the coat-tails of the leaders. The Panthers still need new blood before the end of January brings the transfer deadline...however, Christmas wasn't too bad, so they earn...
Grade: B-

Sheffield: And finally, the Steelers, who came within two points of the lead before being summarily destroyed by the Blaze on Sunday, coming out on the wrong end of a seven-one scoreline. With Ashley Tait still injured and likely to be a little tentative when he returns from concussion, the Steel City will be hoping his team-mates can pick up the slack and continue the good form shown over Christmas, which also included a win against deadly rivals Nottingham, and earns...
Grade: B+

And there you have it. Now on to 2008, with the first game of the year seeing Edinburgh take on Coventry in Murrayfield tomorrow (2nd January)...
Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Half-Term Reports

Given that I am off up to Sheffield for New Year tomorrow and may well not be posting until the second, now seems as good a time as any for the team-by-team review of the season thus far, as promised a few days ago...



Basingstoke: The Bison have settled well after having some major problems early in the season with money...at one point it was feared they'd go right out of business. Step forward Tomas Enerston, a straight-talking Swede who took the club off the hands of the Taylors in November and has brought a new optimism to Hampshire. Playing-wise the Herd are in their usual lower-mid-table position, but have been using the talents of the ageless Steve Thornton in order to win games they'd previously have lost. The league's "other" Danny Stewart and Derek Campbell have both been hugely impressive, Stewart in particular, while on defence Mikko Purontakanen is fast establishing himself as one of the league's premier d-men.The outlook is good for the Bison, as they can only continue to improve...



Belfast: Their start could only be described as nightmarish. But the Giants, like several other clubs in the league, have bounced back from a nightmare start to begin putting wins together. It's no coincidence that results began to improve after swapping the calamitous form of Phillippe deRouville for the steadiness of Stevie Lyle in goal, and the goals of Peter Campbell have been crucial in the Giant's return to form. Recent wins at the Skydome in particular have shown that the Northern Irish side, at least at home, are back to the tough proposition they always have been...



Cardiff: Like Belfast, the Devils started badly, then seemed to wake up and went on an unbelievable fourteen game winning streak (led by the rejeuvenated Sylvain Deschatelets, who was cut and reinstated in October) which saw them briefly go top before Phil Osaer and about half the rest of the squad suffered injuries at the same time, leading to the recent dry spell points wise which has seen the Devils slip to third. However, with Osaer back in January the Welsh dragons will hopefully be roaring again as the Devils continue the chase for honours.



Coventry: "Juggernauts" is the only word you can use to describe the Blaze so far this season-the Midlanders have seen their losses come few and far between, with the three-game losing streak seen recently the first time the club has faced any real adversity. That this streak coincided with the loss of captain Sylvain Cloutier to injury is no coincidence-the gritty centre has been the player of the season by a long way thus far, leading by example at both ends of the ice. Another unexpected gem has been the returning Matty Soderstrom, who has been immense in defence and gone from "d signed to save money" back to hero status among the Blaze faithful. The New Year should bring more of the same from many fans' tip to repeat their title...



Edinburgh: Hope was high for the Capitals at the beginning of the season, but this promise hasn't really materialised as the Scots sit bottom of the table, with only a shock win against Coventry at Murrayfield to liven the gloom. However, the indomitable Scots will keep pushing, and may, given luck and the failiures of others, still have a chance of a playoff place as long as Colin Hemingway keeps scoring...



Hull: Oh, dear. The chimes of Big Ben can't come soon enough on Humberside. This season has been nightmarish, both in terms of injury, mismanagement (at least on the coaching side) and dissatisfaction. The Stingrays are more like small fry in a league of sharks at the moment, with top scorer and one of the few bright spots of Hull's season, Paul Cabana, deciding he'd had enough in early December. I've already launched into the Stingrays at great length, so shall simply use that staple phrase of school reports...Must do better. Far, far better...



Manchester: Another steady campaign from the Phoenix, picking up points and dropping them as the mood takes them. Joe Tallari has been one of the finds of the season for them, along with the skill and grit of Omar Ennaffati on D...however, the Mancs still lack that one ingredient to truly take them from mid-table mediocrity to challenging for honours...although Luke Stauffacher looks like he could provide something judging by his recent form. Scott Fankhouser will need to improve a little, however, as the Manchester attack, apart from Tallari, is not the most prolific in the world, and this doesn't look like changing at the moment.

Newcastle: The Vipers are in something of a slump at the moment, and have been since November. Rob Wilson must regret his much quoted "we deserve to be where we are" statement with every puck that hits the back of Ryan MacDonald's net, despite the young Canadian's heroic efforts in goal. Vipers need something special in order to stop their slump, and will be hoping that the New Year brings a new attitude in the North East.

Nottingham: The Panthers are suffering their usual season of not reaching expectations, with PC Drouin and Rastislav Rovnianek already casualties of the thirst for success in the East Midlands. Tom Askey has been a major improvement in net, and recently the Panthers have been playing more like the team the fans hoped to see after the big money signings/re-signings of Johan Molin, Sean McAslan and Corey Neilson. With the Panthers also in the final of the Challenge Cup, perhaps this could be one of the better seasons of recent years after the playoff success last year set the trend...

Sheffield: And finally, the Steelers, who have quietly found their way into second place thanks to the fine play of Johnathan Phillips, Ashley Tait and Joey Talbot. They have an annoying way of cruising along un-noticed, having also made their way into the Challenge Cup Final while somewhat under the radar. And that's just fine with the team. Question is, can they keep it up?

And that's the end of the half-season review...more to come either tomorrow or Tuesday..

Keep keeping your eye on the puck..

Let the witch-hunt begin...

Just a very quick post following on from the Boxing Day Brad Voth incident...the video of the hit is now up on youtube here:

Brad Voth hits Ashley Tait

To me it looks nasty, but nothing like the attempt to kill some Steeler fans are calling it...the hit comes only half a second or so after the shot and thus, under the rules, it's not "late". However, it is high and very hard indeed-Voth makes no attempt to adjust for Tait being four inches shorter nor looking in the other direction.

Certainly it's not a lot worse than this classic...which is generally viewed as one of the best few hits of the past few years-the major issue is Tait looking the other way when the hit comes in....

And I notice Steelers have also been strangely silent about Jeremy Cornish sucker-punching Sylvain Deschatelets (right hand side on the last few seconds of the clip)-that DOES look nasty...

That's just my opinion, anyway...feel free to share yours-Steelers, Devils and neutrals alike.

For the record, Voth has received six games suspension...

On Arrogance and Money

I was going to produce the Breakaway Awards today as promised, but my Update Christmas Special produced this very interesting post from Mark in the comments...

We deserve to be were we are" is sounding more like a premonition than a proclamation. The Vipers need Wins and convincing wins. The vipers were always a club that worked its socks off on the ice and wore its heart on its sleeve which seems to be lacking this season. On paper it is the most skilled side we have had in years but the on ice product is lacking. This maybe because (up until now) we've always had a strong contingent of local Players, the like of Weaver Leach Trumbley come to mind. Petr Kratky must be looking over his shoulder with a smile looking at our last 5 games. Rumor has it former players are on there way back-Hinks and Robinson have been banded about the arena. Rob Wilson needs to look at his Hockey clipboard and start doing something with the circles and x's because it's just not working.

This set me thinking somewhat, as up until a few weeks ago the general tone on Blaze forums was similar to Wilson's comment-"we're just that damn good" was the general theme. However, the recent injuries and several losses have provoked a similar reaction on Blaze forums to the above view from the North East...Barrie Moore is coming in for some stick yet again, there was a several page thread on who should be cut appearing on the Dragon's Den forum.
This has set me thinking. Is there a culture in British hockey whereby failiure is an instant cause for panic, especially among clubs who might be used to winning? I've been comparing the reactions in Coventry and Newcastle to those from Manchester, as the Phoenix also started very well indeed but have slipped off somewhat, and there's simply not the same worries...the Phoenix fans appear to be far more tolerant of their teams' mishaps. So is it a question of fanbase expectations, or is it arrogance, or what? I'd be interested to hear views on this one...

And now for the money section...It appears I'm on my own as far as the Christmas shirts go-all the comments thus far in response to my questioning their value have been fully in support of these special shirts. All the points made have been perfectly valid-however, I can't get past the old saying of "familiarity breeds contempt"...

Anyway-that is enough for now...more to come tomorrow, I hope...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...