The season is even closer

With the season edging ever closer and the snippets of ice hockey news of interest increasing in their frequency by the day I thought it was about time I started putting together something of a weekly blog with a few thoughts on the stories of the week gone by.

There is nowhere else to start this week but Humberside amid the unfolding in, out, shake it all about status of the Hull Stingrays as members of the EIHL. When Sue and Mike Pack, longstanding financial pillars on which the ‘Rays existence in the top flight was built, walked away it seemed as if we would start the season with only nine teams. At the 11^th hour, or perhaps even beyond if you consider the fact that the first month’s fixtures had already been rearranged, a rescue bid for the club was mounted by the owners of the Coventry Blaze, including Coach Paul Thomson.

Now I’m delighted Hull are back and fair play to anyone who thinks they can make it work over there however there is, to me, something wrong with the governance of the sport when we go into a season where, on six occasions, a guy will sit on, and run, one bench but have a financial interest on the fortunes of the other. That’s plain wrong. The thing that annoys me about the EIHL’s approach to governance, which can be described as slapdash and amateur at best, is that improvements don’t require huge financial investment, just a little thought and organisation. Will they turn things around in Hull? I don’t know. It’s a big ask and I personally think it’s a huge risk. I am not privy to the inner workings of the operation but some of the figures cited by the Packs as they reluctantly pulled the plug showed just how much of a shortfall there is in income. So it’s a warm welcome back to Hull and yet another question mark over the ability of the EIHL elders to run the league. Just another week in UK hockey.

As the rosters across the league come together it’s certainly shaping up to be an exciting season. The abundance of ‘toughness’ across the clubs is clear to see but there are also a good number of quality hockey players to look out for across all the rosters. I like the look of, amongst others, Tim Wedderburn of the Clan, a seasoned defencemen with more than credible experience; Jon Pelle of the Devils, a relatively young American forward who I think may turn out to be a gem; and the Hemmingway brothers over in Belfast, both experienced forwards who add a lot to a very strong looking Giants’ roster.

I don’t like making predictions before we’ve actually seen these rosters hit the ice however what I will say is that Belfast do look very very strong on paper. In Nottingham we are more than aware of the pitfalls of assuming quality on paper transfers to quality on the ice however I do feel Belfast have something a bit extra this term, especially on the blueline where they look almost impermeable.

It wouldn’t be the same without some sort of goings on in Sheffield and this week has been no different. There seems to be a power struggle going on in Sheffield between those that want to take control of the club and those that currently do have control; with information coming to light that several players are considering remaining in Canada after disputes over the finer points of their contracts and the ongoing uncertainty over what lies ahead for the club. These claims have been rejected via an unofficial forum (the same forum on which they were raised) but as yet there has been no official word from the club. Time will tell and there is not much of it left before Steelers either sink or swim. Paul Thomson stated this week that the league ‘needs the Sheffield Steelers more than any other club’. Now I know Thommo isn’t stupid, quite the opposite, so why he makes comments like this is beyond me. The league does not need any organisation that continually fails to learn from their mistakes and, worse, continue to screw over many decent hockey fans in the process.

And finally......

It seems that we are in for better TV coverage this season with 8 live games being screened by Sky Sports, starting with the opening night clash between Belfast and Nottingham at the NIC. This really is superb news and credit to those who have made it happen, no doubt Mr Simms has had a fair hand in it and personally I think the more time he can devote to the game across the board the better. There are reportedly going to be seven further regular season games, screened on Friday nights, and then live coverage of the league’s showpiece finale from the play off weekend in Nottingham. This type of media exposure is something that can only be good for the sport and I am hopeful that we may get to see some of the highlights finding their way onto Sky Sports News. Ice Hockey is affordable, accessible and above all else it is superb entertainment. The greater exposure we can get and the more people get the message the stronger the sport will become.

That’s all for this week. Less than fourteen days to go until the big face off and I can hardly wait. No pre-season games for me as I am committed to visiting family in the South East next weekend so anticipation will be at fever pitch by the time 4^th September arrives. Bring it on!

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