Round the Rinks, November 14th

It's weekend preview time! But first, a little digression or two to mop up some loose ends.

"So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye...": It's been a week for player departures in the EIHL, with Marek Ivan leaving Newcastle today (wow-we never saw that one coming), and Joe White and Curtiss Patrick leaving Basingstoke (clearly, the financial problems haven't finished biting down south...

"God, I'm glad that's over...": That's an actual quote from a member of the crowd after his team (Coventry) had just won 6-1 against Hull, and should tell you all you need to know about the game, really. So I'll leave it there.

"There's still hope!": Meanwhile, in Nottingham, the good Panthers turned up to beat Cardiff 4-1, knocking them out of the CC cup in the process. Amazingly, though, Hull can still qualify...and I'm sure we're all rooting for that to happen...

Reply and Musical Interlude:

"And all I (all I) Need to know (need to know) Is that I'm something you'll be missing"

Taking Back Sunday: "You're So Last Summer"

Perhaps this is worth a post on its own, but my all-Underrated team has raised a little comment, with Neil and Sally both commenting that perhaps Deschatelets is only under-rated because he plays on a team with Adam Calder and Dan Carlson. They may have a point-as at this level you could probably put a trained monkey (or, as it's known in the EIHL, "Andre Payette") on a line with those two and they'll put up good numbers.

However, I counter with the fact that, if you ask the average EIHL-watcher (ie those who just follow their teams, without watching the league as a whole, which is probably most of them, certainly in Coventry) to make a list of the top players in this league, Deschatelets would be way down it, undeservedly. After the two Dans (Carlson and Tessier) he's probably the best creator in this league, but is just never mentioned as being vital to a team-even in Cardiff he played in the shadow of Brad Voth and Jason Silverthorn.
The man is pure, grade A quality. And for some reason, he just never seems to get the coverage or praise for doing pretty much exactly the same as the "superstars" do night-in, night out. Whereas even Curtis Huppe was known throughout the league as a goalscorer...

To me, he is proof that "good on a bad team" is not the only definition of "underrated". Sometimes, being one of the crucial links on a great team but not getting praised for it is just as bad.

And on that note-on to the weekend preview. Let's go north-to-south by arena and back again this week...

SATURDAY:

We start on Humberside, where Hull face Cardiff in a game the Devils should win-both teams need to bounce back from midweek losses against tricky opposition, but I get the sense this game will not exactly be the most hotly-anticipated of the weekend...

Moving down to South Yorkshire, we have a game that just might have a few people looking forward to it...first plays second at the Hallam Arena as Sheffield take on Coventry. This is the kind of game even Dave Simms can't complain about-it's sure to have two teams at the top of their game facing each other with neither willing to give an inch. Fire up the hype machine...

...and kick it into overdrive as we travel just down the M1 to the NIC. In any other weekend Nottingham v Belfast would be a huge draw. Two of the best-skating teams in the league meet in a battle to gain some ground on the leading pair while at the same time stamp on the other team's fingers as they climb the ladder towards the top spot. This game will be worth watching. There is simply no question of it not being a good game in my eyes, and if this were next weekend, I'd likely consider making the trip to the NIC to watch it with the Blaze in Bolzano...

Finally, we end up in Hampshire for Basingstoke v Edinburgh. Although, unless you're Bison or a Capitals fan, you probably won't have travelled this far south on our hypothetical journey by choice...a state of affairs which is perhaps a little harsh on these two teams, but undeniable fact when you compare this game to the two big ones on offer...this one may pass in relative obscurity, but it could still provide some entertainment if you're down that way...

SUNDAY

On our journey back up north along the EIHL game trail this Sunday, we stop off first in South Wales for the interesting prospect of Cardiff v Sheffield, a game which has the potential for fireworks of both the goalscoring and glove-dropping varieties. Two teams who have a equal mix of skill and speed should provide a feast of fun at the Big Blue Tent...

...a prospect which, sadly, can't be said of our next stop-the Skydome. Coventry and Basingstoke meet in a game which, given the current relative status of the two clubs, will be seen by some as almost a warm-down after the Blaze's exertions in Sheffield the previous night. However, if you've ever seen a nature programme you'll know that Bison, when cornered, sometimes stop being easy prey for the lions and spring a shock or two themselves. And that's why the Blaze team and fans, like the lions, have learned to be cautious of the wounded Bison...

Travelling further north, we come to Altrincham, for the tantalising fixture that is Manchester v Belfast. This is the game of the night by some distance-with the Phoenix having, yet again, the chance to prove they belong among the top teams and the Giants looking to keep breathing down the necks of Coventry and Sheffield. The offensive talent on show, coupled with the battle between the two top British goalies, means that there are enough storylines in this game to keep even the best soap-opera jealous...

We then travel on to Tyneside, where Newcastle face Nottingham in a game chiefly notable for being Ed Courtenay's Vipers debut. Apart from that, there's not much you can say...it's certainly not the biggest draw this Sunday night, and even the star-power of the EIHL's Bergerac returning can't make it so...

Finally, we end up in the Scottish capital, for Edinburgh v Hull. It's fair to say that, once again, the last stop on our trip will have the least people staying with us for it...however, the few hardy souls that do shouldn't feel too bad-there's vital points in the basement to be won, and that means the game should be full-blooded if nothing else....

And there you go-that's the weekend previewed, once again, to within an inch of its life...

Midweek Musings

Welcome to another Midweek Musings! With yesterday being Remembrance Day, I did consider having a theme of remembering past glories, now-disappeared teams and epic moments of putting the team before yourself in the Elite League era (and trust me, anyone who was at the Skydome in 2004/04, the night that Jeff Burgoyne took a slapshot full in the unmentionables at point-blank range in order to prevent his Cardiff team conceding a goal, is now looking back with due respect, or, if they’re male, with their legs crossed). Then, I remembered two things:

This is the Elite League, where the vast majority of owners will stretch morals to breaking point, can’t even keep to a wage-cap they themselves have agreed and generally bitch and whine at each other in the press whenever they get the chance (see: Sheffield Steelers at Cardiff Devils).

Furthermore, British ice hockey has a long history of losing teams (to the point where this post would probably reach into several thousand words), dropping teams and two leagues where certain teams are run more with an eye on the “big-fish, small-pond” model of success rather than the “let’s give the fans the best level we can” model that professional teams should ideally be run on (see: Guildford, Slough, and historically Fife)

Hardly a shining beacon of togetherness, camaraderie and “doing the right thing”, now, is it? Plus, it just seems a little tacky.

And so, instead, and now that every team has played every team as far as I'm aware...it's time for the players that aren't stars and should be. Yes, it's the All-Under-rated All-Stars part 1....

GOALIE:
Stephen Murphy (Manchester): I know I wrote a whole post about just why Stephen Murphy wasn't an Elite League goalie back when he signed for Manchester, but I'll say this for the guy-he does have a knack for making the puck hit him, and the Phoenix's fine form is in no small part down to him...

DEFENCE
Josh Garbutt (Manchester): I picked Omar Ennafatti in this spot last year, but this time round, I'm confident that the Phoenix fans will actually agree with their d-man's inclusion. Quite frankly, if I could I'd stick the whole bunch of the Phoenix in here, since there's nothing to choose between Kenton Smith, Garbutt and Alex Dunn, but Garbutt just seemed to stand out a little more for me-whenever there was a forward loose in front of the net, it seemed to be Garbutt who'd get his stick in or deliver a perfectly-timed shove to move him...

Jason Stone (Cardiff): A British hockey legend, and a perennial UAS, even the Devils fans don't always notice their long-serving number ten mopping up on the blue-line. But he does, and he does it oh so well, too. What's more, he's so calm, you wonder sometimes if his heart is still beating...

FORWARDS

Sylvain Deschatelets (Coventry): Another return for my favourite Blaze player. Cardiff fans in particular may find it surprising that there have been calls to release him this season amongst the Blaze faithful, with vociferous debates going on over whether he's worth the position he's got. Interestingly, those same people are the ones praising Barrie Moore's recent return to form to the skies. Is it a coincidence that this has come since he's been paired with the quiet, unassuming, yet hawk-eyed French-Canadian with the hands of silk to feed Moore in the space to release his deadly wristshot? Somehow, I think not.

Matt Reynolds (Hull): If this guy were playing with a Dan Carlson or a Dan Tessier, then we'd probably be mentioning him in the same breath as David Beauregard and Adam Calder. He's outshone Rick Kozak by far with a tenth of the hype, and will definitely be a player I keep an eye on when the Stingrays come to town....

Danny Stewart (Basingstoke): This guy, along with Greg Chambers, has been carrying the Bison on his young shoulders for the greater part of this season. He appears to have formed something of an understanding with his linemates which has allowed him to lever himself into second in scoring on the team and one of only two players in double-figures for goals (although Matt Miller is scoring a goal a game since his arrival and could be worth keeping an eye on, especially since he and Trevor Read are combining after playing last season together in Amarillo)

Two Games in Two Minutes:
Let's get both One-Minute Previews out of the way in one go, shall we? There are two midweek games this week, as Coventry face Hull and Nottingham take on Cardiff

Blaze v Stingrays: The GB Bunch are back for the Blaze, and will be looking to prove that they are still vital to the team after they weren't hugely missed against Newcastle over the weekend, mainly thanks to an Adam Calder double on Saturday, and a pair of solid games from JF Perras. The Stingrays, meanwhile, are hoping to bounce back after a nightmare of a game on Saturday against the Capitals. If I'm honest, though, tomorrow night is not the night it's going to happen, at least not in my eyes-the Blaze may be run close by Rick Strachan's suffocating brand of trap hockey but will ultimately have too much class for the Humbersiders...

Nottingham v Cardiff: Thursday at the NIC should see a far more open game between the Panthers and the Devils, as one team looks to get going again off a break, and the Devils try and build up a head of steam for a push up the league. Winning in the NIC would be an ideal way to do this, and provide the Sky cameras with something of a story...however, anyone tuning in on Friday can be assured they'll get a decent show...

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

Double Overtime, 10th November

So here we go-GB’s great Olympic adventure is over for another year, the weekend as a whole didn’t suffer hugely due to missing players (although certain teams, Manchester especially, did) and there were even a few departures and returns. In true rambling style, let’s plunge into a review of the weekend, GB and all.

It’s not often an 11-1 win is described as “too little, too late” but in this case…: GB have finally made us proud. With nothing on the line they cut loose, played like tigers and found the net eleven times against a Romanian side who didn’t even have pride to play for, having already been tanked by Japan and Poland (two teams who, irrespective of the fact that the games against “our boys” were a lot closer and, if you’re of the rose-tinted opinion, “GB were unlucky to lose” beat GB too).
I can’t help feeling that the British national side have just about reached their level for the moment, at least until the current crop of youngsters (who in Rob Dowd, Ben O’Connor and others show some players who could actually become genuinely great British players, examples of which are, in my eyes, Tony Hand, the Coopers, possibly Ronnie Wood and…erm, that’s about it) mature properly, dual-nationals or no dual nationals. There has been much hand-wringing recently over the perceived lack of interest in GB from UK hockey fans. This is probably going to be an unpopular view-but with British hockey in the state it’s currently in, why should anyone seriously expect anything more than the “gallant losers” tag currently hanging over the team-the GB press office can keep churning out those optimistic press releases about how great the mood is and how happy people are to be involved until hell freezes over, but the results on the ice still see GB lose to teams who, realistically, have a similar hockey pedigree as far as their international teams go. even supposed “second-tier” European nations like France, Austria and Italy would, at the moment, slaughter our national side.
Aye well. At least they tried.

If you need a scapegoat, then an import you hyped to the skies is as good as any: Newcastle have released Tyler Willis after the Vipers’ double-header loss to Coventry this weekend. Which makes the person who picked him as MoM on Saturday look like they either have a spectacular sense of irony or, more likely, saw something in his huffing, puffing but consistently ineffective efforts to do something worthwhile and justify his hype that no-one else did.
The last time someone failed this spectacularly to do the job they were brought in for, the words “Northern Rock” or “One True Voice” (for you pop culture addicts) were involved…

Meanwhile, Rob Wilson’s attempts to annoy every single Viper fan before the end of the season continued as planned: And so, naturally, the Vipers have a replacement for Tyler Willis lined up. With the decision to release Willis already being heavily questioned, Rob Wilson adds to his signing of Ed Courtenay (a player known for not having the greatest attitude towards referees, and being hated by opposition fans for that almost as much as his scoring skills) by asking Jeff Hutchins to return (a player known for having something of a cocky attitude, being released by several coaches (including Wilson himself) because of it, and being hated by...erm, everybody. Good work, Rob.

And, just to confirm, I am now officially off the "Vipers can win the title" bandwagon. The wheels have come off it in a big way.

Somewhere, it's "one of those nights" every night, Rick: Rick Strachan has put Edinburgh's 6-1 thumping of his team on their home ice down to the fact that "it was just one of those nights" in the Hull Daily Mail. Which is perhaps a fair point, until you bear in mind that, whatever players he has in front of him, Rick Strachan teams seem to have more than their fair share of "those nights". On Wednesday they come to Coventry. We can but hope for yet another one of those "Strachan nights"...


Crash...: Kyle Bruce destroys Randy Dagenais at the end of Sheffield-Manchester on Sunday...

Bang...: While Brett Clouthier does the same to Andrew Sharp...

...and wallop:...and Brad Cruikshank also gets involved in a bit of a ruck at the end of the game. Who said the Wars of the Roses were history?

And yes, I still think the Phoenix are the real thing this season...

Disturbing Quote of the Week: From a mature, normal, intelligent lady (the mother of one of my friends, in fact) comes this absolute diamond of disturbia: "That Marek Ivan-he's quite hot, isn't he?" Yes. If you like cold, unfeeling zombies, maybe he is. I can guarantee there will not be a more mystifying comment in the Skydome this season...and if you stand listening to some of the stuff people who supposedly "know the game" post on forums or shout at their own players during the game, you'll know there's some competition for that honour...
But each to their own...

What's that rumbling noise?: It might be the Cardiff Devils finally waking up...demolishing Basingstoke away from home isn't going to set the league alight by a long shot, but it's like a rumble of thunder in a clear sky-you start wondering how long the storm will take to break.

What's Swiss French for "taking the piss?": Just to make Nottingham fans feel really good about losing to Geneva by some distance in their friendly (5-2), here's the last sentence of the Geneva match report...


"To note, the second Panther goal was scored into an empty net as the Eagles were practising their 6 on 5 playmaking!"


So, to get this straight, in the middle of a game against Nottingham, the Genevans felt so comfortably on top that they pulled their goalie on purpose while leading, just in order to practice playing 6 on 5? I'm sorry, but that just made me giggle. And should burst the bubbles of a Panthers fan or two...:)

There you go then-the weekend summarised in five minutes or less...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Weekend Thoughts and Round the Rinks, 7th November

A slightly different format to Round the Rinks this week...mainly because it'll go all stream-of-consciousness on you before the weekend preview:

Blaze Legend to Return?: Coventry are making much of the fact that, with GB nicking many of their defence this weekend, a Blaze legend is returning to play his final two games for the club against Newcastle before retiring. In other news, they've also announced that James Pease is lacing up his skates again to help out with the lack of bodies on D.

OK, OK, you can stop wincing now. I didn't mean it.

It will be nice to see the Blaze #2, or #4, or #22 (depending on how long you've been part of his Blaze career) play one more time in his second-skin of a Blaze shirt. Although I advise anyone coming to the Skydome on Saturday to brace themselves for the inevitable moronic yell from some Blaze fans of "shoot!" every time he gets the puck, including behind the goal at his own end. He doesn't score often, people. No need to make him a national hero because of it...just let the bloke do his job.

Having said that, if he does score, then I'll be going mad with the rest of 'em.

GB Pay the Penalty: Bad headline, I know. The game tonight wasn't bad though (I'm already hunting the internet for a Tomasz Proskiewicz Poland shirt, as he was superb for the home team) and if it hadn't been for a superb performance from Rafal Radzisziewski in goal (yes, I just like typing it) then we could be celebrating a GB penalty win. However, one point will do nicely going into the game against Japan, especially after Poland were leading with three minutes to go.

For the record, the scorers were:
David Clarke (GB, with a bolt from the blue-line)
Maciej Urbanowicz (Poland, with another beauty of a slapshot)
Kryszstof Zapala (Poland, with a huge assist from the skate of Dave Phillips to put it in)
Danny Meyers (GB-skated in from the blue and roofed it over Radzisziewski's left shoulder)

Penalties:
Phillips (GB) missed
Slabon (Poland) scored
Clarke (GB) missed
Proskiewicz (Poland) missed
Chambers (GB) missed

Poland win 3-2.

And now, with that out of the way, shall we consider the domestic action?

Double-header heaven!: Well, not quite, but there are two of them, involving first and third. Oh, and Sheffield too. Let's consider them individually...(italics are home team on Saturday)...

Manchester v Sheffield (Sheffield): There's been a bit of a hoo-ha this week, with Tony Hand bemoaning the loss of his starting goalie to GB duty and also the fact he can't bring in a replacement. Although, given that last time the replacement was Stephen Fone, who will be sat, no doubt, on the Coventry bench, you wonder just why this time it hasn't been allowed, especially as Belfast have got their games cancelled at short notice, which leaves a perfectly capable potential loanee in Nathan Craze sat kicking his heels in Northern Ireland. Still, Adam Summerfield will play against a Sheffield team missing several stars of their own on the forward lines. Does this even itself out? Maybe, maybe not. Certainly Sheffield are claiming it does. The War of the Roses could be even harder-fought than usual this weekend, but you have to pick Sheffield to win. Just...

Coventry v Newcastle (Coventry): Meanwhile, down south, it's outskaters that are the issue. The Blaze are missing three of their six d-men, and the Vipers are missing their captain in Dave Longstaff, as well as a few others...However, there's a few decent players left on both sides-the question is, can Andrew Verner hold off the Blaze attack long enough for the crashing and banging to have some effect? I reckon this could be a split, with both teams winning their home games.
I just hope Marek Ivan doesn't score...

Now for the other three games. For the record, I'm not considering Nottingham v Geneva as, basically, it's a friendly arranged so that Panthers can still get the money from a home game without losing any points, or an attempt to have your cake (ie Panthers play and thus get income) and eat it (while at the same time not having to ice a weakened team in league play). And thus not really of interest to the league as a whole. Sorry, Panthers fans, but that's the way I see it.

Basingstoke face Cardiff in what is shaping up to be a nice little rivalry this season, while the final Saturday game sees the battle of the improving basement-dwellers as Hull face Edinburgh. This could be a very good example out of making a silk purse out of a game involving two teams who've made a right pig's ear of things up until now. Will Pasi Raitanen (in a return to one of his old stomping-grounds) be enough to lift the Caps past a Hull team who, since Konstantin Kalmikov has arrived, appear to have learned how to score (Matt Reynolds being the main beneficiary of the Russian's arrival).

Sunday sees just the one game outside of the two double-headers, as Cardiff make one of the longest trips in British hockey-from Hampshire to Midlothian, and face Edinburgh. This should be arguably the least-anticipated game of the weekend (although Saturday in Hull will run it close), and thus the Devils will hope to complete a quietly efficient four-point weekend. With Pasi in goal, though, the Caps may have exactly the same ambition...either way, it could be a hidden gem of a game.

There you are, then...that's your weekend previewed to within an inch of its life...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

International Midweek Musings

"Leaving...on a jet plane..."



With GB heading off to Poland now for the pre-qualification for the Olympic qualifiers (well, no-one ever claimed we were a hockey nation) this Midweek Musings will completely ignore domestic hockey in favour of a quick guide to this weeks International action...



Firstly...where in the hell is Sanok?: It's a small town (38,000 or so inhabitants) in south-eastern Poland, down by the border with Hungary. And here is the arena. Whitley Bay on a bad day, anyone? Local attractions include the San River, Poland's largest bus company (Autosan) and a castello. So, a thriving metropolis, and the ideal place to hold an international ice-hockey tournament...no, really.


Who are the opponents?: Hockey superpowers all! GB will face Romania, Japan, who are mostly famous in ice-hockey for this moment....and Poland, the host nation. Who, by the way, have a commentator's nightmare of a roster. Let's look at the teams individually, shall we?



Romania: I can actually proudly boast of having seen the Romanians play in Britain, thanks to them facing the Coventry Blaze way back in the mists of time and drawing two-all at the Skydome. Their roster has changed a little since then, but their talisman, Jozsef Adorjan, is still playing for them at the age of 33, along with the even older Attila Borsos (35) and 36-year-old Levente Elekes. In Arpad Mihaly they have a geniunely dangerous power-forward who has spent time in the AHL and ECHL during his career (proper time, scoring 26 goals in 05/06, not just one game), and was top-scorer for Bolzano last season. Certainly they could trip GB up and should not be ignored...

Japan: Arguably the best team in the group, the Japanese players, with one exception (LA Kings goalie Yutaka Fukufuji) play domestically, and are probably the favourites to go through. If I were honest I'd tell you I have absolutely no idea who the star players are, apart from the obvious Fukufuji. However, GB have beaten Japan in the past, so this game is winnable...

Poland: And so, the host nation. And yes, these are real names, I haven't just leaned on my keyboard.
Starting at the back, the Poles have a giant in goal in the 6'4 Przemyslaw Odrobny, the 6'2 Adam Borzecki in front of him and 6'3, 212lb Tomasz Proszkiewicz pounding up the middle. This, then, is not a team built from speedsters. Apart from Borzecki they all play domestically. They also have the oldest player in the group in 37-year-old Sebastian Gonera, who is a year older than Polish national hockey hero Mariusz Czerkawski (you may know his name if you've seen any NHL in the past few years), who appears as the somewhat vaguely-defined "team leader". Their coach, however, is a Swede (and ex-Cardiff Devil) Peter Ekroth. This is the game GB need to win if they want to have any hope of progressing.

What about our boys?: It's the usual suspects in the GB team, although Rob Dowd is rewarded for a scorching start to the Elite League season by being included in the squad for the first time as the only "new" player in the squad-many of the others have been seen in a GB shirt before. Stevie Lyle and Stephen Murphy fight it out for the goalie spot, while Greg Owen returns from his French adventure to centre one of the lines. He is also the only member of the squad not to come from the Elite League this season...

Can GB qualify?: Yes. But they have to, in my opinion, win all three games. Do anything else and that group is so evenly matched that any one of the four combatants can go through.

Where can I find out what's going on?: BBC Coventry have live coverage of all three games on the Internet. All you need is to go to the Coventry and Warwickshire section of the BBC site.

That's all you need to know...apart from the first game (v Poland) is 6:30 tomorrow night.

Go on, Great Britain...

Double Overtime, 3rd November

It’s Double Overtime time again…and with shocks, shushing, tit-for-tat sniping between fans off the ice and troubled teams trouncing table-toppers on it this weekend, there’s a fair bit to consider…

This week’s entry to the “things you never saw coming” club: Belfast Giants 3, Hull Stingrays 6. Be honest-how many of you would have predicted that before the start of the weekend? I predicted that Hull would run them close, but that’s a fair bit better than that..

And from the “Muppet Awards”: Jade Galbraith, who, after scoring the second shot in the penalty shots competition in Coventry on Sunday to put his Nottingham team ahead, decided to skate in front of the whole Blaze bench (and the crowd behind, who are notorious for giving the opposition players a warm welcome) with his finger to his lips. Needless to say, Sylvain Deschatelets scored the next penalty (cue a few return “shush” gestures) and Adam Calder then proceeded to win the shootout after Tessier, Moore and Molin all missed. And did the Panthers winger get reminded of his cocky gesture moments earlier? Yes, by a few thousand people. Jade, not only do you have a silly name, not only do your own fans think you’re fat and slow, but you made yourself look a prize pillock as well. Congratulations, sir. Andre Payette couldn’t have done it any better.

“the chances are a million to one…yet still, they come”: With apologies to Jeff Wayne’s “War of the Worlds”…the Manchester Phoenix. Now up to third, three points off the lead, with two games in hand on second. True greatness is seldom noticed until it’s too late…

It’s the Cage Forum equivalent of “bread and circuses”: Surprise. The Panthers lose in Coventry, and rather than discuss the game (which wasn’t bad at all, by the way) the Cage Forum are pontificating about just what scumbags Coventry fans are in general, and how their delicate ears are offended by the voice of the Blaze’s pet DJ John Dalziel, with the usual suspects coming up with the usual bile about the city, the education system, the people and God only knows what else. Now, I freely admit that there’s a minority of the Blaze fanbase which gives us a slightly chequered history, and there are still people in the Skydome who don't exactly conduct themselves well (just like everywhere else) but good God, Nottingham, please give it a rest now. Or come to the Windmill pub on Spon Street before a game-the Panthers fans surrounded by Blaze fans in there seemed to be enjoying themselves perfectly well...or does that not fit the stereotype?
Complain to the club, loud and often, make them listen (as they do already, to be fair) rather than all being Monday morning stewards, and get over it.
Interestingly, this has even overshadowed discussion of their win against Manchester, which despite nicking them points showed more problems with their rearguard, the inconsistent Davis Parley in particular. But hey, as long as the masses can blame another fanbase for their troubles, it saves them acknowledging that Nottingham is perhaps not the hockey centre of the universe.

But then, I’m clearly just a scumbag chav who has only just learned to walk upright and can only speak spitting expletives at defenceless women and children supporting the opposition. I must be, because that’s what people on the Cage Forum think of Coventry fans, and they never generalise, do they?

If your team leaks goals, if no one else can help, and if you can find him, maybe you can hire…Pasi: The Finnish Bear has done it again up in Edinburgh...well, along with Jeff Hutchins. Only this time, he's not even playing. Coming in as backup to Michel Robinson, suddenly the beleagured Caps starter has earned himself two MoM performances in two days, first only being worn down in the last ten minutes against Sheffield for a scoreline which by all acounts was unfairly lopsided based on his play, and secondly leading the Caps to a 6-3 win against Newcastle.
Too little, too late, Michel...

Ill-Judged Fashion Statement of the Week: Johan Molin’s skates. Click the link, and it's the third pic on the top row. Proof that when it comes to making people question your sex-life while playing ice-hockey, the Swedes have no equal. After all, they did this too…which incidentally may be the greatest incidence of heckling ever, as well as the only time you'll see the words "dildo", "obscene banner" and "giant inflatable penis" in a hockey match report.

Well, unless you're reading the Cage Forum reporting on a Panthers/Blaze game at the Skydome, perhaps.

Hutchy Watch, or Oxymoron of the Week: Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Jeff Hutchins being described as modest. (it's about halfway down the page) In other news, hell has just frozen over.

Yes, I know it's a fairly short review, but so be it. After all, I didn't particularly want to kick the Bison when they're down...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Round the Rinks: Hallowe'en Special

And so it's the weekend where all the ghouls and ghosties come out, but will there be any teams suffering nightmares in the EIHL this weekend? Let's run swiftly through the news of the past few days in that Breakaway rambling style you've all come to know and (maybe) love...

Will the real Edinburgh Capitals please stand up?: Wednesday's game against Coventry was, quite frankly, a bit uncomfortable to watch. In fact, it was the hockey equivalent of watching any video of a particularly bad injury (such as Eduardo's for Arsenal last season, for all you football fans-Google it, but have a strong stomach first). Only, instead of a second of "Ohmigod!" revulsion, this was more the type of uncomfortable you get when listening to, oh, I don't know, Russell Brand make a phone-call to an ex's grandpa. As goal after goal went in and we watched Jacey Moore, Michel Robinson and Moore again have their confidence destroyed by the Blaze forwards and their defencemen, the overwhelming thought was something like "this just isn't fun"

Then Pasi Raitanen returns, and tonight they win 4-1 in Newcastle. I really don't know what to say now...so let's move to easier territory...

Hutchy Watch: Jeff Hutchins gave the Caps fans a taste of what to expect for the season-conceding a goal shorthanded on his first shift, going to minus two and then assisting both Caps goals, despite only playing about 25 minutes of the game (as in, only being on the bench for 25 minutes)...With Pasi now in too and the Caps winning four one, surely he can't fire the Caps up the table, can he? Speaking of signings...

Concorde is back!: Ed Courtenay signs for Newcastle. That could be interesting for the Vipers-and indeed the rest of the league, since when Courtenay is just playing and not making something of a hash of coaching, he's by far one of the best players ever to play in Britain. Sure, he's 40 now, but even so...

Oh yes, and he makes his debut, or is planned to, when the Vipers play Coventry. At the Skydome. As an enthusiast of the fine art of heckling (tastefully, naturally) I and many others simply can't believe our luck-Jeff Hutchins AND Ed Courtenay back in the EIHL and both making their debuts in Coventry? It's like a gift from the wind-up gods...

There we are then...on to the weekend preview now...

SATURDAY

First off this weekend, Basingstoke play Newcastle, in a battle which pits the underfunded against the underperforming.. Coming off contrasting fortunes (Basingstoke after their great win in Nottingham on Tuesday, Newcastle losing to Edinburgh on Thursday) you have to wonder which way this game will go. My money would (just) be on the Bison, believe it or not. And that hurts given that I tipped the Vipers to be among the top teams this year…

Belfast face Hull at the Odyssey in a game which, will of course be live on the web at the Giants Webcast here (which, by the way, has now become pay-per-view)…it may well be worth saving your shrapnel for this one, not so much for Hull as to see whether the Giants can cut loose against a team who, at least in the past week or two, look far happier now that they’ve jettisoned the millstones that were Rick Kozak and Jake Riddle…

Meanwhile, in South Wales it’s one of the most hotly-contested fixtures of the season, as Cardiff play Coventry. If you’re in South Wales, then nip along to the Big Blue Tent-with names like Prpich, Teplitsky, Calder and Weaver certain to be going at full-bore for the win (for pride as well as points) and a game which is known for the passionate but friendly rivalry between the two sets of fans, this game always has the potential to be a classic.

At the NIC is another game with “potential barn-burner” written all over it. Nottingham (struggling but skilful) face Manchester (skilful and flying). Goals are all but guaranteed, and so are busy goalies. With two pacesetters meeting, this game is arguably one of several highlights this weekend.

Finally is a game which, while not as attention-grabbing as the two above, could be worth following in its own right, mainly due to the fact that any one of four teams could contest it. Sheffield and Edinburgh are both teams with split personalities. With them you get good or awful-never just average. And for that reason alone, the sheer unpredictability of this game makes it worth a look…

Sunday only has four games, but two of them, like the above, could be beauties. Then there’s the Battle of Yorkshire. Let’s get the “other” game out of the way first...

It takes place at Murrayfield. Edinburgh play Newcastle with the Vipers seeking revenge for their loss on Thursday night, and the Caps hoping to give their home fans something to cheer on a cold night in Scotland. It may not hold other teams' attention but it'll certainly be keenly contested...

Moving south, we come next to Hull, who face Sheffield in the cross-Yorkshire rivalry which always produces a decent game. It's not a game you anticipate as a neutral, though...but as we travel further south, they appear...

Manchester face Cardiff in Altrincham, and are next on our trip down the country. What a game this could be if both teams are on fire...both Stephen Murphy and Peter Aubry will need to bring their A games to give their side a chance of winning-I can see this one being decided by one goal or a moment of individual genius...or madness.

Finally, we come to the Midlands, for Coventry vs Nottingham. The last time this fixture took place, we saw the Blaze win by the odd goal in eleven, and the evidence since then says that, if both teams are on their game, then a similar scoreline is a distinct possibility...that in itself is a reason why the Skydome's sure to be pretty damn full for this one...

There you are...once again there's your weekend previewed to within an inch of its life....and the amount of games worth watching this weekend alone is, quite frankly, scary. But then, what else would you expect on Hallowe'en weekend?

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Midweek Musings Three

It's now confirmed, everybody, despite the Caps webmaster denying it on THF even after people were effectively saying "you're lying"...

Jeff Hutchins is an Edinburgh Capital.

*laughs hysterically*.

If I were ridiculously cynical I'd say the Blaze themselves orchestrated this signing just in time for what would otherwise be a fairly poorly attended midweek game*...there will certainly be no shortage of Blaze fans (and Vipers, and Giants) willing to give him a "warm" welcome back to his old haunts...

*poor joke, people. Not a genuine theory.

Let's just see whether he'll last longer in Scotland than anywhere else, being mates with Doug Christiansen and all...

Midweek Musings Extra...

Just as an addendum to this morning's post...

Jeff Hutchins, that well-known beacon of sweetness and light and all-round good team guy (which he's proved in his four-season stint in the UK playing for Coventry. And Belfast. And Newcastle. And Bracknell for barely two months this season...clearly just too much of a "team guy" for some), has signed on a temporary contract with Edinburgh, and will ice tonight against Coventry. Or he hasn't, depending on who you believe on THF, but there is a rumour gathering pace. I really, really hope this is true...

*giggles*

As if the season couldn't get any worse for the Caps....

Midweek Musings: Shocks and Snow!

Hello all. I apologise for missing the preview of Tuesday's action, with an excuse that will likely be laughed at by anyone from...well, north of here-this might have had something to do with being turned into a human block of ice on the way home from work, thanks to Coventry being blanketed in an inch or so of the most evil slush/snow ever conceived by man. Our fair town looks like a bomb has exploded at the Skydome and showered the town in the ice/slush/insert epithet here that usually passes for the playing surface at the home of the Elite League Champions. In short, not that nice...

On the plus side, it does mean that I can post reaction to last night's events at the NIC as well as a preview of tomorrow's Coventry v Edinburgh game, as well as a quick look around the rest of the league, before heading off to the Skydome tonight...

On we go, then...

The Smiths would have written a song about this: First off, a quick tidbit from the Elite League forum, discussing the likelihood of Coventry qualifying for the next phase of the Challenge Cup...(bear with me here):

"can't see Nottingham losing twice (to Stingrays and Bison) which now seems the only way to knock us out. Bison not looking too great either atm, they might even fall to the Stingrays."

So, what was the score when Basingstoke faced Nottingham at the NIC last night?

Nottingham 4, Basingstoke 6.

Oh, hang on....

OK, this was a league game and not the Challenge Cup, but one thing this result proves is...well, form doesn't prove anything in the Elite League.

The Cage is not a happy place tonight, with everyone from Corey Neilson to Jade Galbraith to Davis Parley slated for the chop by various people. God only knows what'll happen if they lose to the Bison and the Stingrays when the Challenge Cup is on the line...which, by the way, will put the holders (Panthers) out too.

Yes, people. As Morrissey himself may have written, it's Panic in the Streets of Nottingham...

Flattery will get you everywhere: In what is perhaps the only time, ever, that my name and Chris McSorley will be mentioned in the same sentence, the Breakaway wins the Quote of the Weekend award on Five Minute Major for the praise of the Phoenix yesterday, and also the accolade of "one of your best posts" from Becky, which is all very nice...but I'm still confused as to what QFT stands for....:)

Nottingham Panthers: leading the way in player benefits: Nick Toneys. Not exactly a superstar among Elite League d-men, is he? He's been plying his trade steadily and unspectacularly in Nottingham this season. But now he is, unwittingly, proof that, if you're an import who plays in Nottingham, you get treated with that extra touch of class. And the Breakaway has photographic proof, courtesy of Toney's very own Facebook page (via the Cage Forum)

Yes, people, the whining about the Panthers breaking the wage cap can stop. It's not the money, but something far more important.

I give you, as an example of the high level of funding the Panthers commit to making their imports as comfortable as possible, and something that must be standard issue for all Panthers imports...Nick Toney's toilet. Check out the chrome toilet seat.

David Simms, the bar has just been raised...:)

One Minute Preview: Coventry v Edinburgh

Batten down the hatches, people. This could get ugly quickly. If Michel Robinson continues his nightmarish run of form (and quite frankly, if he does then by the sound of things new backup Jacey Moore won't do much to help-he may be a Victoria Hockey League star (nope, I've not heard of it either) but when your d is as bad as the Caps have been this season you need a miracle worker in goal), the puck will be hitting the net often. And as for the Blaze? They need to get back on a run after a shaky weekend (three points from four doesn't look bad, but then, 3-2 was a score that didn't just flatter the Blaze on Saturday, it had them reclining on a chaise-longue being fanned with palm leaves while beautiful virgins fed them grapes-I cannot overstate how worried I was during that game)-and a team with hardly any defence and a shaky goalie is just the kind of team you want to be facing to build the confidence.

Why Edinburgh will win: Seriously? Erm...ok. Mark Hurtubise and David Nimmo have been the bright spots in the Caps' blackout of a season. If they combine, and the young Scottish Line of Iain Bowie, Ross Dalgliesh and Mark Garside play out of their skins, then the Caps may run the Blaze close for a while, assuming the defence turn up...

Why Coventry will win: I just can't see a way past Edinburgh's defence here. Trouble is, everyone else can, or has so far this season. And when you've got forwards like Adam Calder, Dan Carlson and Sylvain Deschatelets facing a defence and goalie that's conceded 77 goals in 14 games (that's over six a game) you can't see anything other than the red light being lit more often than the one above the door of a Hillfields brothel (a little Coventry local joke in there).

Prediction: I rarely commit myself so absolutely, but in this case I will...a Blaze win. By several clear goals. And Carlyle Lewis and Adam Stefishen to drop 'em...yet again. That battle, at least, the Caps have a chance of winning.

There you go-there's your Midweek Musings..

Keep keeping your eye on the puck.

Double Overtime, 27th October

Before we start this week’s Double Overtime, and in a continuing quest to bring a bit of culture to the British hockey scene, a bit of poetry, dedicated to those who follow Basingstoke in particular. Cardiff fans (and indeed any Welsh readers in general) may particularly appreciate this one…

"...And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light".

“Do Not Go Gentle…” by Dylan Thomas (1914-53)

The fate of EIHL hockey in Basingstoke is decided, according to the Basingstoke Gazette, with rumours that this weekend could be their last, at least in their current form, rendered untrue by Planet Ice agreeing to take over the team until at least the end of the season. This doesn't mean that the doors could not be closing on the Silverdome, but it's not going to happen yet, at least for this season. The question is-what happens if the problems rear up again and even the stalwarts have had enough? I'll tell you-watch the scramble for Greg Chambers if they do so-that fight could be brutal, particularly as both Newcastle and Hull will almost certainly be involved.

And so, on we go…

Things we learned this weekend:

Bison fans like a party-even if they think it’s a wake: Basingstoke v Edinburgh on Saturday-a meeting of two teams who, since then, have both come out and said that they are in serious brown stuff financially, was supposedly one of the best games of the season for atmosphere. It probably helped that the home side won quite handsomely. Which brings me on to my next point…

Edinburgh have more pressing problems then their back-up: The season just gets worse for the Capitals. seven goals conceded to a Basingstoke team who themselves could have other things on their minds (and, by the way, lost eight-nil to Newcastle the followingf night) and another nine to Cardiff on Sunday. Scott Neil has publicly come out and all but said “the money just isn’t there”, the fans are now in open revolt on the forums, and the goals are just not coming. Oh, and their next game? Coventry, at the Skydome. This could be the hockey equivalent of a massacre…they should just call the DVD “the EIHL Killing Fields” now and get it over with.

And boy, do I hope I’m wrong.

Even in losing, you can prove a point: Manchester Phoenix-best team seen at the Skydome this season…despite losing 3-2.

A wounded dragon will always spit fire: After eight minutes on Saturday, the Phoenix were leading two-nothing, and David Beauregard had several chances to all but put the game out of Blaze’s reach. Uncharacteristically, he missed. And that was as close as the Phoenix got to an upset-despite fine team play and heroics from Stephen Murphy in goal, the Blaze dragged out a win, hanging around and hanging around in a way that the Phoenix have made their own, and finally breaking their hearts with two goals in the final period. The impact they made on Blaze fans can be summed up by a text I got from a friend afterward which simply said "(puck) me, that was close...where did they come from?"

And still they deny the Phoenix...

The KO Cup: Mickey Mouse personified (unless you're still in it): Belfast prevailed over Sheffield in the KO Cup. Just. Despite the much-debated pointlessness of the competition itself, it's nice to see that the two teams went hammer-and-tongs at it over the weekend, with Belfast eventually squeaking through by the odd goal in seventeen. Just imagine what the games would have been like if it had been a cup that everybody considered worthwhile...

Every dog has his day (or weekend) in the EIHL: Want proof? Jeff Glowa: six goals in a weekend. For comparison, his highest total in an EIHL season to date is....eighteen. I bet some of you forgot he was still in the EIHL...

A big win will make anything better: Saturday-Hull Stingrays 4, Newcastle 3. Panic in the streets of Newcastle. Sunday: Newcastle eight, Basingstoke 0. Suddenly, there's hope again...
Funny, that.

And on that note-that's your Double Overtime for another week...

Round the Rinks, October 24th

Before we start this week's weekend preview, a little side note for a few new British hockey blogs that have appeared recently...(we told you this stuff was beginning to get popular)...:)

Neil Chiplen covers the Elite League for Sky Sports (I'd post a link, normally, but I have a feeling you all know where Sky Sports are), and has now started up Elite Hockey Today...which is, I believe, the first British hockey blog on t'Interweb written by someone who...well, actually writes for a living. The link is also in the Recommended Reading bar on the side, should you wish to peruse it yourself. I would recommend doing so...after all, it ain't half bad...

The next blog has possibly the best name thus far, nicked from a throwaway reference on a forum to the Phoenix logo. Written by "coyotes_uk" who you may have seen posting a thoughtful comment or two on here or the Phoenix forum from time to time, it's the fantastically-named "The Angry Budgie". And yes, he's another Manchester fan. There must be "summat in t'water" up there...

Don't forget the Benchwarmer from Scott in Belfast, too, and of course the F Block Blog, whose weekend previews in particular are well worth reading if your team's up against the Stingrays...

Speaking of weekend previews...on with our own...believe it or not, the vast majority of this weekend's games are actually league games, with only the Sheffield/Belfast double-header descending into KO Cup silliness, and Nottingham playing Coventry on Sunday in the Challenge Cup.

Trust one to be awkward: There's always one double-header to mess up my carefully-constructed train-of-thought in taking it a day at a time (say what you like about the BNL, but the home/away double-headers for everyone almost every weekend at least made things simple) and this time, it's Sheffield-Belfast, who meet twice at the Hallam in the "quick, let's make up a filler competi...", sorry, British Knockout Cup. The games themselves have the potential, like the last meeting between these two sides, to be barn-burning festivals of hockey. Trouble is, the vast majority of the league won't actually care because it doesn't affect them at this stage...it's the hockey equivalent of the LDV Vans Trophy. PLEASE, EIHL, can we invite EPL teams to join in, play it midweek and restrict it to four imports? That way, you might get everyone to take it seriously as a competition rather than, secretly, thinking it's a bit of a wooden-spoon trophy.

And now to the league and proper cup games.

Saturday:

Hull v Newcastle is the game to watch this weekend if you like your hockey rough and ready...don't be too hopeful of any highlight-reel moments here, but settle in and rub your hands if you like your outright violence mixed with a bit of hockey rather than the other way around...

However, if you prefer the skill side of the game, you may wish to head for the Skydome, where I'm looking forward to Coventry v Manchester like this kid looked forward to getting a Nintendo 64 back in the late 90's. So, quite a bit. Don't worry, though...there will be no such hysterics from me at the Skydome...I'll be too busy admiring the skills of David Beauregard, Adam Calder and co.

Basingstoke v Edinburgh is the first half of Brad Cruikshank's farewell weekend, so there may be the odd lump in the throat in Hampshire. The game itself, however, looks intriguing after the last meeting between the two sides was only won by a Greg Chambers goal in overtime. And, of course, there's the latest instalment of the Bison soap opera to look forward to as well-who's playing, who isn't, and what does it all mean? The rate the Bison players are leaving, they could soon be skating out on the ice to this. Just to save time...

*cheap shot? maybe...

Sunday

Cardiff v Edinburgh looks an interesting one. Mainly because we'll get to see just how Tyson Teplitsky settles back into British hockey, particularly when the Caps will be skating at him from the off... Expect a close-fought meeting in South Wales...

Nottingham v Coventry makes for a hell of an early game, and a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon in the Lace City. Add the fact that, should Blaze lose, they're out, and bear in mind that the last time these two met saw a 6-5 thriller, and you can see why people could be panting like a dog in the desert over this one...

Manchester v Hull: Top and (near) bottom in the same weekend-talk about visiting both ends of the spectrum for the Phoenix...Depending on the result on Saturday this could either see the Phoenix go second or try to recover at least two points from the weekend...*

Newcastle v Basingstoke, on the other hand, is possibly not one of the glamour games of the weekend. Now that the Bison have, in fact, lost Brad Cruikshank even for this game, you have to wonder just how much chance they have, especially against a resurgent Vipers.

There you go...that's your weekend previewed to within an inch of its life. Now, let's play hockey....

*thank you, Kyle-it was indeed a schoolboy error of the worst kind...

Coming Soon...

Hi all...

Just a quick note to apologise for there being nothing new on here tonight-I'm working on the Round the Rinks for the weekend and have only had time to add a link or two to the Recommended Reading section (of which more in Round the Rinks tomorrow)...

However, this weekend is looking like a good 'un, so I'm thinking it deserves a good preview rather than some more ramblings for the sake of it. It should be up by tomorrow early afternoon if all is well.

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

Midweek Musings...

This one's very, very simple. It's me, firing off random thoughts about the week so far in hockey. That's it. No complicated disciplinary processes here-let's jump in....

Trade fever!: Rod Hinks has been released by Cardiff. Interestingly, the rumour mill hasn't exactly been slow in linking him with none other than Basingstoke, perhaps to replace Brad Cruikshank, who is on his way up north to Sheffield by all accounts. Or, slightly more left-field...

Danny Stewart becomes a Devil, Rod Hinks to Bison, Cruikshank to Steelers.

This makes sense, since Stewart is said to be on the verge of leaving Bison anyway and would fit in nicely as a second-line centre behind Mike Prpich. It would also add a bit of creativity to a Devils side which, in all honesty, drops off a little in it after the top line (but then, when you've got the league's dominant power forward in Brad Voth, that's perhaps not so much of an issue). The merry-go-round in Cardiff continues as (and I know I'm a bit late in mentioning this) Tyson Teplitsky returns to Cardiff for the injured Likit Andersson also...

Gallows humour is alive and well in the EIHL:...especially in Nottingham, it seems. Our fellow blogger Jono over at The Cat's Whiskers has responded to the rumours of Brad Cruikshank heading for Sheffield with this short-but-sweet beauty...

...and over at Five Minute Major...photographic proof, it seems, that Brett Clouthier is, in fact, a giant among men. Either that or the ceiling in Altrincham, at least in the foyer, is somewhat lower than intended...

And by the way...Cardiff have gone up in my estimation from mid-table to suddenly looking like they could be in the running for a trophy again. Yes, Voth and Teplitsky are that good.

Down in the basement, something stirs...but it could just be the last twitches of life in a dying team. Basingstoke beat Edinburgh 5-4 last night to leave the Capitals floundering in the mire and provide a spark of hope for their beleaguered fans. With rumours of players leaving the ship faster than Panthers fans leave Sheffield after a loss, though, you get the feeling that all someone needs to do to doom this team of Titanic battlers now is to deem them "unsinkable"...

Sometimes, even a 15-0 loss is a cause for pride: Remember my blog last week about women's hockey? I went to watch the Coventry Phoenix again this week (some unwise soul even gave me a microphone to announce with) and saw one of those performances you can't quite believe. The home side played pretty damn well, winning 15-0 (two players scoring hat-tricks) but their opposition, Oxford Uni, won the hearts of the (small but enthusiastic) crowd-mainly because they had just eight players. That's a goalie, a line and two over, for those of you who aren't that good at maths. Some evidence of how hard they worked can be gained from the fact that the second period break had to be extended "in case an Oxford player collapsed"
Needless to say, the shot count was something like 57 to 2 in favour of the Phoenix. But it was one of the gutsiest team displays I've seen, anywhere.
And no, contrary to earlier comments, I'm not even remotely connected to any of the Oxford players...:)

If this had happened in the EIHL, Dave Simms would have gone nuclear and wiped out half of South Yorkshire: And those EPL diehard fans say that the EIHL is a league where sportsmanship goes by the wayside?

My lord, I present as evidence Swindon vs Wightlink from two weeks ago. Watch the third fight (from 1:16) for something I still can't quite believe happens...then remember it's Gareth Endicott, Wightlink's coach. Classy, ain't it?

And people say Brad Voth is a thug...

There you go. I know it's short, but short things are, as the saying goes, very sweet...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Tuesday Thoughts

Hello again, all...

We go straight into a stream-of-consciousness ramble through the news currently passing through British ice-hockey, including a bit of effusive praise of the Phoenix, a belated One Minute Preview and, as promised, the topic of fans doing their media thing being first on the list...

If the TV companies won't do it, we will: One of the major gripes at any level of hockey in Britain is the lack of media attention it gets, particularly compared to other sports which are, supposedly, of a similar popularity, at least spectator-wise (when was the last time you met someone who, say, declared their biggest spectator-sport passion in life to be snooker? Or darts?). Up until now, this has simply been an accepted problem of following hockey...in Britain until a few months ago you had IH-update, the team websites, a few forums and that was about it if you wanted to see anyone talking about your sport.

Compare this to across the pond, where the hockey blog and other types of fan journalism has established itself as a massive part of the experience. It's got to the point now where the NHL have this page as a major part of their website. And celebrities writing for them. Long gone are the days when blogs were considered the haunt of friendless nerds...

And recently, in the UK, similar things have started to happen. You can see by the links page on the right of this very blog that there's a slowly-growing community of British fans who have thought "sod sitting waiting for the clubs to feed us opinion, sod bitching on a forum...we'll write our own". Becky over at Five Minute Major (one of the leaders in the British hockey blogosphere) says it far better than me in this post as to what's changed recently.

Well, now things have taken another step forward-someone is working to get all these sites in one place so there's no excuse for not knowing where they are. Born out of a post on the Phoenix Forum, FanMedia is intended as, if you like, a directory of the "new" voices in British ice-hockey...those of the fan-writers themselves. It's only in its early stages at the moment, but the fact that someone (well, two people, actually-Kate, posting on the Phoenix forum as Lifson, and Ben Knight who also does the Phoenix Podcast) and has managed to get one slowly up and running shows that, clearly, something is happening that perhaps the clubs would be wise to take note of sooner, rather than later.

Keep an eye on this one...it could get interesting...

It's not just me, then...You know that people are listening to you when people start sending "long-time reader"-type emails. Here's one from Kyle Green, who's a Manchester fan (the Breakaway seems to have quite a few readers up in Phoenixland, or maybe they're just the noisiest :)), commenting on yesterday's Double Overtime:

I've been reading your hockey blog for a while now and have noticed, like yourself, that Manchester Phoenix seem to be overlooked when it comes to a possible title push or even just nudging our way into the top 4. If I'm perfectly honest, i never would have expected Phoenix to be looking this good early in the season. I'm guessing the majority of the Blaze, Panthers, Giants and (of course) Steelers organisation and fans would be thinking the same..

Indeed. But the Steelers and Panthers at least, one feels, won't be thinking that any more...:)

...I believe i heard one Dave Simms point out on his friday evening South Yorkshire radio Steelers slot this past week, that Phoenix had 'no chance' of beating the Panthers (you'd think he would wish for EVERYONE to beat the Panthers?!) as Phoenix were a 'one line team'.

I didn't hear that myself-but can believe it coming from Simms. Then again, this is the same group of fans who are trying to pass Andrew Sharp off as a competent hockey player, so you do have to wonder what games they watch...And anyway-for a team that look half the attacking force they were last season now they're without Dan Tessier, that's a bit rich....

the second line (Kyle Bruce, Nathan Ward, Bruce Mulherin) has suddenly caught fire. i'm not getting to carried away however, it is early days of course. I believe that if Phoenix were to break into the top 4 and stay there or thereabouts for the remainder of the season that can only mean a good thing for the league.

Interestingly, Matt (another Phoenix fan and one of the two responsible for Five Minute Major) mentioned in pre-season, when I picked Bruce as a player to watch, that Luke Fulghum (who doesn't even get a mention alongside the Big Two of Beauregard and Hand) was far more worthy of the honour...it just goes to show that, sometimes, even people who disagree can both be right-Fulghum's not exactly a slouch himself...

If the Phoenix were to break into the top four and break the monopoly of the "big" teams, it would be fantastic for the league as a whole, in much the same way Coventry doing similar in the first EIHL season was...it proves to the EIHL detractors (and there are many) that their view of the league as continually dominated by the Arena teams (i.e those with supposedly the most money) is utterly flawed. It won't solve the problems of the EIHL at one shot, but it will at least prove that the top league is moving on from being a league of haves- and have-nots. Slowly.

All is not lost, the BBC (ice hockey rookies that they are) have recongnised the Phoenix potential by stating "Manchester Phoenix continued their Elite League title charge" - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/ice_hockey/7679741.stm

Realistically (at least at the moment) I can't see the Phoenix winning the title-there are still questions in my mind as to how the loss of Beauregard and/or Hand for a few games would affect them. I also, as mentioned earlier this summer, still have a question or two about Stephem Murphy. However, I will now come out and say this...

Manchester will win a trophy this season.

There. If everyone else outside of Phoenixland will still continue to ignore the revolution going on in Altrincham, then fair enough. But don't say I didn't warn you.

Fuel to the fire: According to reports from Edinburgh (the game is also being webcast live, by the way) Basingstoke have arrived with just eleven skaters, with Mark Richardson being unaccounted for through injury or suspension as far as people are aware. Brad Cruikshank is still a Bison player for now. With rumours of Danny Stewart going to Cardiff, though, in place of the underperforming Rod Hinks, you wonder how long this uncertainty will last...

...and bridges over troubled waters: The roles are reversed at EIHL Towers this week, with Cardiff putting in a query and asking for review of the Steelers' Joey Talbot's game penalty for spearing Jay Latulippe on Saturday. Interestingly, though, there's no mention of "vendettas", "dangerous play" or the like, unlike when the boot was on the other foot in an incident involving a certain Brad Voth. It's nice, sometimes, to read match reports where only one line is given to a piece of play that is generally agreed to be one of the ugliest penalties you can get in hockey. One thinks that if the spear had gone the other way, the wailing and gnashing of teeth would be keeping people up at night still...

That's your Tuesday round-up done for another week..tomorrow we'll look at events in Edinburgh as they take on Basingstoke tonight, and maybe even consider the NHL...

Double Overtime: 20th October

You know the drill by now...let's get back to the on-ice stuff...

Things We Learned This Weekend:

However you call a game, there are some things that are just too blatant to miss: And for proof, I present, sadly not from the Belfast webcast of the game v Coventry, but still, fairly clear...Number eight, Malcolm MacMillan: Game for third man in.

Anyone who seriously doesn't think this is a rivalry to rival Sheffield v Nottingham, just hasn't been paying attention: It got pretty tasty last season too...

The Phoenix enjoy being ignored: Everyone seems to be talking about the perceived problems of the big teams (well, Coventry and Sheffield). Meanwhile, Manchester have gone up to third. Oh, and they beat Nottingham in the NIC (4-1) to do it, before sticking seven past Edinburgh. I'm looking forward to Saturday's visit to the Skydome already...

Meanwhile, the Panthers are mortal: Two games, one point. 4-1 loss at the NIC, followed by a 1-0 loss in Cardiff, has somewhat halted the charge from the East Midlands. Now we shall see whether they're a "sing when you're winning" team or whether they have the grit to pick themselves up from a bad weekend.

And as for Sheffield...: Why the panicking? Three points from four isn't that bad a weekend. Except when, like the Steelers fans, you're used to a regular diet of four...

When you're in a slump, any crumb of comfort helps: The Stingrays lose their franchise player, play an import down, and contrary to the wailing and gnashing of teeth, beat Basingstoke on Sunday. After, that is, the Bison pull out a win on Saturday. Suddenly, for many, the future looks a whole lot brighter. Erm...sorry, lads (Basingstoke in particular) but two points a week won't get you that far up the table. It definitely won't pay the bills. And Stingrays fans...no matter how many points you get, you've still got Rick Strachan as coach.

Cardiff need Brad Voth: Well, we knew that already. But I reckon beating the Panthers proves it, because this is a game that they couldn't have hoped to win without someone to steam in and hit anything that moved, while also being able to play a bit. And whatever you think of him, there's no-one who can argue that Brad Voth doesn't do both of the above pretty damn well. When he doesn't have the Steelers, their fans, and anyone who has the remotest connection to anything teal and orange trying to lynch him, that is.

Wounded snakes still have venom: Need proof? Newcastle Vipers. From a laughing stock a week or two ago, to running Belfast all the way in the Odyssey on Saturday, and then beating Sheffield at home on the Sunday. Would you have predicted either result a week or two ago?

Somewhere in an attic in Altrincham, there's a picture of Tony Hand withering away: Hat-trick in Nottingham on Saturday, and heartbeat of his Manchester team. At the age of 41. Enough said.
If Oscar Wilde had been alive today, he'd have called this classic the Picture of Tony Hand instead.

There you go-that's your reflections on another weekend in British hockey...

Tomorrow will see musings on the rise of fan-media (following the excellent post on Five Minute Major) and what it means for hockey, and in case that's too boring for you, there's your usual randomness too...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Withdrawal Symptoms

So, we're halfway through the weekend, and the Blaze are already done until next week, which means no Elite League hockey at the Skydome this week. This meant that last night saw me at the Skydome, along with a few hundred other hardy souls, for a dose of hockey methadone in the shape of the ENL.

And, despite even the thought of only having an ENL game to watch at the Skydome only existing deep in my darkest nightmares even as recently as the summer, it wasn't that bad...

But that isn't the main point of this post. Yes, it's another "what the hell is going on in British hockey" post...which'll ramble through economics, psychology and perhaps even romance before we're done...

"I see....a bad moon rising.
I see...trouble on the way"
Creedence Clearwater Revival: Bad Moon Rising

Unless you've been under a rock for the past week or two, you can't have failed to notice that all is not well at the lower end of the EIHL table. Hull have lost their franchise player Rick Kozak (some say down to his reluctance to be "Strachanized", some say because he's an arrogant sod who threw a hissy fit at Jake Riddle being cut, and some claiming money issues-you can follow the reaction in Hull at the F-Block Blog) and we all know what's occurring at Basingstoke at the moment.

And of course, now the solutions are flying. The best one I've read thus far comes from Robb over at The Pyre-but the point he makes about some saying that everyone should drop to EPL level is relevant because, believe it or not, that's precisely the debate going on in Basingstoke at the moment, and it's got three camps.
The Bison will survive the season-sod discussing the future, let's get behind them (otherwise known as the Happy Bunch)
The Bison don't deserve (harsh view)/can't sustain (reasonable view) being in the EIHL any longer, and should drop for the good of themselves and the game (almost everyone else).
The Bison made their beds. Sod 'em. (Some EPL fans)

I find it amazing that any mention of a team dropping or climbing leagues, even when there's compelling arguments for them to do so (and in Basingstoke's case there certainly is) can provoke such an emotional response-even from people not remotely connected to them-on THF and other forums the third camp is extremely vocal, with their arguments being along the lines of "Why should the EPL accept Basingstoke anyway-they chose EIHL and we're fine without them"

I have one word for that argument...Bollocks. The essential fact is that no team in British hockey is guaranteed to be stable. The hard-line EPL fans seem to take great delight in the troubles of EIHL clubs, while conveniently forgetting that, this season alone, Telford were within 24 hours of death, Chelmsford have already gone (at least from the EPL) due to money issues, and Romford have their backs to the wall. That makes the fact that the EIHL only has one club in seeming real trouble look positively rosy, does it not?
Some are far more stable than others, but this season in particular is evidence that it only takes one or two events to push teams over the edge, business plan or no business plan.

Would reducing the number of imports make economic sense? Perhaps. But this is of course assuming that the standard dropping (and it will, at least in the short term) doesn't drive those who've only ever been used to a high level of hockey, or even those who can remember a high level of hockey (i.e the Scottish clubs, particularly Fife and Dundee) out of the door-which I don't think it will, at least for those who actually love the game rather than the simple fact that their team is always winning because it pays the most. So, we're agreed that dropping the level of imports isn't necessarily a bad thing. At least in pure economic terms. As long as the standard doesn't drop dramatically.

Now to part two-the psychology-this is the thing that's been causing most of the arguments-and indeed the problems.
People always like to think they're watching the best product available. EIHL fans claim it's theirs due to the higher quality (in general) of import attracted. EPL fans claim theirs, because the games are closer. However, both sets of fans are similar, in that they are now almost psychologically programmed with the mantra, beaten into them for many years by teams arguing why they want to play with as many imports as the budget and rules allow, of "less imports = worse hockey". This is particularly true among those fans who have perhaps never seen their team climb a league (or, to be fair) drop one since they've been watching. Which leads me to conclude thus...

The only thing holding back change in British hockey to a system that works for everyone, at least from the fans' side, is this:
Mass fear of the unknown.

I'm not saying that no fans want change. Quite clearly the opposite is true. But many only want change which will keep that which they already know and are used to, whether that be Sheffield playing Nottingham and hyping it up ridiculously five or six times a season, Guildford being one of the big fish in the EPL, or ENL and Scottish teams playing to only a few hundred people.

And that is an attitude which is eventually going to kill the sport.

Too many woes are placed squarely on the shoulders of the fragmented governmental structure of hockey in this country, or on the egos of a few owners. But while there is no doubt that these are issues, the main problems, and perhaps the reason that nothing substantial ever gets done, is because there are two few people such as Robb at the Pyre, who will stand up and say "actually, both parts of the current system are rubbish. What is needed is a way to bring them together. And if you don't want to commit to that, then clearly you have no interest in seeing the sport thrive in this country".

The moment the fans of British hockey, as a whole, stop dividing themselves into camps such as "EPL fans", "EIHL fans" or God only knows what else and simply say "we support British hockey, and we want it sorted NOW!" is the moment things will eventually start happening.

But, to be honest, I'm not holding my breath.

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Blood in the Water...or Round the Rinks

Tonight's Round the Rinks is, as expected, opened by the goings-on in Basingstoke. And then goes off on a patented Breakaway ramble...



Déja vu...of the worst kind: There's trouble down south again. Ryan Aldridge has resigned as Basingstoke coach following the Bison's nightmare start to the season, and suddenly there's blood in the water from all sides...the Bison fans are split between EPL-bound doom-merchants, happy-clappy "we'll survive fine" fans who seem just not to see the problems currently facing their team. Or won't (I mean, how obvious do the problems have to be, if having to buy a stick from the opposition for one of your own players (Danny Stewart, up in Manchester) isn't a problem. The talismanic Brad Cruikshank is supposedly heading for Sheffield according to a rapidly-growing rumour, now that Nathan Gillies has left the Steelers an import short with an unlucky season-ending injury. And Eric Braff is coaching.
A double header against Hull is probably the best way to welcome him to the job as well...win that and suddenly the clouds lift a little, if only briefly.
The door may be closing slowly on EIHL hockey in Basingstoke, if you believe the forums, but Braff and friends will try to prove this weekend that it ain't dead yet. Good luck to 'em.

If you want excitement, head for the Odyssey...as Belfast face Coventry (in progress now) and Newcastle tomorrow. One game is a meeting between two traditional EIHL rivals, and the other is a game given extra spice after the Steve Thronton-inspired melee of the last meeting between the two sides. Both games are live at http://www.giantslive.tv/ should you not be able to make it to Northern Ireland...

Manchester v Nottingham: game of the weekend?!: Easily. Tomorrow's meeting between the two sides could see some of the most open, fast-flowing hockey the EIHL has been treated to to date, as two skilful sides battle it out, one to keep their traditional status as one of the best teams in the league, and the other to prove that this season they well and truly belong in the same boat.

Powerhouses collide: Meanwhile, Sheffield v Cardiff is a meeting of two traditional British hockey powerhouses who have both started somewhat below their usual standards. Cardiff are unlucky enough to face Nottingham the following night so will want to take momentum into that game and need the points desperately. Oh, and Brad Voth is back, just to add a little extra spice to the meeting. Ryan Finnerty for one has been on the Steelers website claiming that he's not even on the Steelers radar as a threat, but you can bet that when he places his 6'5 frame in front of Jody Lehman, he'll appear on it in one big hurry...Sunday sees Cardiff meet Nottingham and Sheffield meet Newcastle, which also makes for a pair of games where just about anything could happen. And probably will. Pity Manchester and Edinburgh-their meeting on Sunday night will be the least-watched game of the weekend, at least outside of those two fanbases...

And there's your speedy preview of the weekend in hockey...all that remains now is for the puck to drop...

The Posting Crunch

Hi all.

Apologies for missing yesterday...but just to give you fair warning, set aside a few minutes to read the next one...it crunches the Basingstoke news of the past week, a bit of randomness and Round the Rinks into one long rambling post, which will hopefully be complete some time this evening for your literary delight...

Just to keep you confident that I haven't forgotten...:)

Phoenix Rising, or Here Come The Girls...

First of all on this Tuesday...a correction or two, since my shins are black and blue from kicking myself...

Rick Kozak, of course, was playing Nottingham at the weekend when he scored twice, rather than Sheffield, since he's a Hull Stingray, not a Belfast Giant...(thank you, Yotes, for pointing out my rookie error...)

Speaking of the Stingrays, they scored three on Sunday at the Skydome, not two. Since the third came twenty seconds from the end, my mind was perhaps already on the pub afterwards. Or playing hockey...

With those two duly corrected, and with a promise that tomorrow will see the news of Ryan Aldridge resigning as Basingstoke coach, and all the questions it rises about the future of hockey in Basingstoke, given the full attention it deserves rather than being tacked on in the bottom part of a post. Apart from anything else, things aren't exactly clear yet so I'd like to let the dust settle a little on various forums before writing. So on we go, changing the subject entirely...

"She's getting high on you
Watching you die gives her a thrill
...There is always more blood to spill..."

Arch Enemy: "Diva Satanica"

Come on. Given that this post is getting in touch with the feminine side, you had to expect a bit of balance, didn't you? It was either that or a quote from the Sugababes, for God's sake...:)

Anyway, the (very slight) relevance of today's random song-lyric is to what we're going to look at today...women playing hockey.

A few years ago, I got involved, through friends and circumstance, in the newly formed women's team in Coventry. Not knowing anything about women's hockey or the skill level, I went along to watch (kind of hard not to when you're the person announcing) and was left with a hugely positive impression of it compared to the lower levels of the "men's" game-the play was far more toward the "enthusiastic" end of the spectrum rather than the "skilful" end, but there wasn't the same nastiness as the men's game can have, you got the sense that everyone genuinely was playing for the love of the game and there were flashes of genuine skill. Apart from anything else it was nice to watch a game in which size played no part-you had players who barely reached five feet in skates lining up against people a foot taller, and not being thumped out of the game through sheer size. I genuinely enjoyed that season as much as any hockey I've ever watched. Then, I went to Germany for a year, and so I lost touch with the women's game...although I was somewhat aware that the team were rising through the ranks of the smaller nations almost as fast as the far-more-hyped men's team...weren't.

Last Saturday was the opening game of the women's season in Coventry, and I was invited along again, as a few people I knew (including one from that first season) were playing. And so I went along, with no idea what to expect...

Well...

The play was not for the purists (the Phoenix play in Division 1 South, which is apparently a bit of a step lower in terms of overall skill level than the WPL), but enthusiastic isn't the word...I've never heard so much yelling of encouragement between teams, never seen such desperate defending or hard-charging attacking play, and certainly can't really remember a time when I've seen a game in which two teams were so evenly matched.

I could waffle on all night, but given that brevity is the soul of wit, I'll simply say this for now.

If you have a women's team near you, and you fancy something different, go and watch them. It's a very pleasant and even exciting way to spend an hour or two at a hockey game...And, at least you can never complain about anyone on your side not putting the effort in.

I shall return to this theme at a later date, but something's come up down here in the sunny Midlands, and so I shall be off until tomorrow...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...