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Omigod, I agree with Dave Simms!
says Stewart Roberts, editor of The Ice Hockey Annual.
…Well, up to a point. What about? Read on and all will be revealed.
The season is only a couple of weeks old (for most teams, barely a week) but there's already plenty of controversy.
Let's start with Sky Sports. Good, isn't it? No more watching a game that was played a week ago and probably doesn't involve your team. Now it's a live game once a month - the first since the Benson & Hedges days a decade ago - and regular highlights shows with expert commentaries, hosted by David (not Mr Steelers any more) Simms.
Yes, our Simmsy has really taken to the box, and equally important, the box has taken to him. With his smooth new hair-do and well cut suit…careful, Dave, you're turning into Nick Rothwell.
Seriously, I'm enjoying the match analyses, and as no Elite League games are played within a hundred miles of my south coast home, it's my only chance to watch the, er, top league.
Forgive me for quoting from the book of the bleedin' obvious, but the most important aspect of TV programmes is what they look like. While Rick Strachan, Simms & co are fine (you're a good talker, Meyers, but get your 'air cut, you 'orrible man, or are you taking up the violin?), it rather falls down when we go over to the rinks.
Now I know the clubs aren't in control of their own pads so I'm not blaming them for confusing or faded lines and impossible camera positions, but you'd think the rink owners would want their places to look pretty on the telly, wouldn't you?
Years ago, Freddie Meredith (the head of the old governing body, the BIHA) urged rinks to paint their ice white and ensure the hockey lines show clearly. As most of our rinks operate on tight budgets, this may not always be economic, but it would make that elusive puck easier to see, and once it's done it lasts a long time.
Talking of presentation, what were Nottingham Panthers thinking of, wearing the same dark shade of jerseys as their Belfast opponents? That schoolboy error ruined the sport's first live game for me.
Spoiling the second show was this merry little meeting on 4 September between Cardiff's Brad Voth and Sheffield's Neil Clark - www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5sgmi0fWpc
Actually, this is only part of the action. Sky screened, almost lovingly, and twice, the entire sequence of Clockwork Orange on Ice.
In case you missed it, Voth opened proceedings by skating 15 feet to crunch Clark so hard from behind that he must have left an impression in the Sheffield boards. The dazed Steeler bravely - or stupidly, some would say - went after Voth who was already waiting with gloves and helmet off. The fight then ensued. Please note the punches thrown by Voth after Clark falls to the ice. Then, as the YouTube clip shows, a laughing Voth exits, making derisory gestures indicating that Clark failed to remove his helmet.
What penalties would you assess for that lot? Checking from behind, that's two plus ten; fighting, five-minute major (Elite rules); continuing to fight after being ordered to stop, misconduct at least (Elite rules); gestures making a travesty of the game, add a third misconduct and make it a game.
What penalties appeared on the official score sheet (now online at www.eliteleague.co.uk/stats/schedule.php?season_id=2)? Two minutes each for roughing. (Big Brad was punished further, however, as he damaged a finger so badly in the fight that he's out of action for several weeks.)
About this time, I got hold of the Elite League's own rules. In case you've not seen them, they're here. There was no explanatory note but it seems they are the league's add-on to the International Ice Hockey Federation's rules (www.iihf.com/iihf-home/sport/iihf-rule-book.html). I say 'add-on' as fighting is a no-no under IIHF rules. Any player fighting is immediately thrown out of the game.
As Britain is a (founder) member of the IIHF, the world governing body, our leagues follow their rules - apart from our so-called top league. The Elite has devoted almost half (five of the nine pages) their rulebook to detail some of the ways you can fight and still play in the game. Nice.
There's nothing in any rulebook, though, that assesses only two minutes for all the antics that Clark and Voth got up to. I hate criticising refs but really, guys, what were you thinking? Please don't tell me the league has whispered that you should go easy on fighting penalties because the fans love a good punch-up. That can't be true, surely.
So where do I agree with Simmsy? He condemned the fight in his TV commentary, but only to the extent of murmuring 'that's not good to see' while the 6ft 5in Voth was pounding the prostrate Steeler. And he admitted in his Powerplay column, that he 'wasn't turned on' by players fighting before the game has even started, another bugbear of mine.
When Dave criticises his beloved Elite League in this way, they really have got something wrong.
The new edition of The Ice Hockey Annual will be published early next month.
website: www.graphyle.com/IHA
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| 12th March 2006 19:00 | ||
5-3 |
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4-5 |
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| 12th March 2006 19:00 | ||
1-4 |
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| 12th March 2006 19:00 | ||
4-4 |
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| 11th March 2006 19:00 | ||
2-4 |
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| 11th March 2006 19:00 | ||
| Club | GP | W | L | OL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|
5-8 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
5-1 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
4-1 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
5-2 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
3-7 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
1-1 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
| Club | GP | W | L | OL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|
- Adam Walker
- Alex Birch
- Andy Pierce
- Chris Gent
- Christopher Beal
- Craig Simpson
- Dave Simms
- Elliott Stanley
- Gareth Chalmers
- James Broughton
- James Gordon
- Katy Madgwick
- Luke Catterson
- Mark Briggs
- Mark Duell
- Mat Young
- Patrick Smyth
- Promotion
- Russ Morrell
- Seanna Murdock
- Stephen Dowson
- Stewart Roberts
- Tom Forster
- Vicki Smart
- William Lyon
