British ice hockey has come on far in recent years

NOTTINGHAM, UK – Having been to a few games at the NIC before and after Christmas watching the likes of Fife, Hull, Sheffield and Coventry all games have been very different, in a way that clearly states who has been spending the most money on quality and not just quantity. To me personally the closest game that went into O/T and that was end to end with lots of British players making an impact on the game was Panthers v Fife. Fife had 6 imports with many British players coming straight out the SNL, which is a semi pro league only practising twice a week and one game a weekend last year! The British guys in Fife will come on leaps and bounds this year taking that massive step to Elite League and they will repay there club with their efforts once they’ve gained a little more fitness and experience in the years to come. The goalie for Fife who faced something like 70 shots stood on his head which was amazing really but just goes to show one impact import that’s solid on his game can win a game on his own in this league, very similar to Craig Weller for Cardiff last term, Szwez for Belfast the year before and so on. The game at the NIC over the Christmas period versus the Steelers was a sell out crowd. A huge turning point again was with one import, Colt King, getting kicked out after 8 minutes gone in the first period. Steelers were never in it from this point and it was the right call by the referee. So again we have a situation where one import can make such a difference, so imagine if we had 6 impact imports instead of 11 mediocre ones. What stood out to me this game was Nottingham’s Matt Myers. He drives the net so hard it creates chances and fans see this and there’s a reaction. So fans don’t need to see a fight or a big hit to be entertained someone willing to get their nose dirty driving the net and being committed fans see and respect. I was in the bar after the game talking to fans and a couple of old sponsors I could see the fans waiting for players to come up and say hello show their face and just wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Only 2 players came up, were in there 5 minutes and left. This is what’s missing in ice hockey. We have to understand how much players mean to some fans out there especially the kids, seeing their idol after a game for a brief chat, maybe get their program signed, etc means so much.
 
The Coventry game again was different with the Panthers being down 3-0 after the first period. The fans frustration was there to see but not hear! Over 5 thousand fans in the NIC I was looking around and not one chant for the home team, which is key if you want your team to fight back. Get behind them! Lots of negative comments around me stating its Christmas again so the Panthers wheels have fell off. I guess on any given night the teams I’ve seen so far its always basics that win, the team that works harder will win, the team that concentrates for 60 minutes eliminating mistakes through the neutral zone and in the defensive zone will win the hockey game. This where I believe the sport has gone backwards. Teams having 1 or 2 decent impact imports can make all the difference and help win hockey games. So in this instance if the Elite League was to drop the import limit, bring in quality not quantity and keep things simple, ie giving British players more of a chance from the age of 16 to 21. Imagine where the sport would be in a few years time.
 

The Hull game was a boring game the first 2 periods. Panthers out shot Hull 42-9 in a one way traffic game seeing Jordan Fox, who is an excellent player, go end to end on 3 occasions is not my kind of hockey. I cant remember the last time I saw a player do this without getting hit or slashed but it stood out where there was only two players willing to do anything and they were 16 and 18yrs old both British respectively. They went down fighting both showing passion and will to go through a wall for their team. This I respect and those two kids will have a bright future with Hull with an attitude like that. Their two dancing partners were captain Danny Meyers and Marc Levers, again both British guys willing to drop their gloves and do their job and fighting in ice hockey is a very tough way to earn a living. These fights happened naturally through a couple of big hits, they wasn’t staged like we’ve seen off the first face off in previous years they also got the 4 thousand crowd on their feet and the biggest cheer of the night was when they came out the box after serving their roughing minors. The fans loved this and reacted by standing on their feet. This to me speaks volumes and I truly believe the fans in this country are starting to see that with being in a recession and times are hard out there that there eventually they are going to have to accept that to keep hockey stable and alive in this country the drop in import numbers will help prevent teams going into administration every summer and to that end it will also help to bring on the future British players by playing them more often.
 
On the game sheet you’re allowed to name 22 players, so why do I constantly see a short bench of say 14-16 why not bring 4-5 young kids up from the juniors who deserve to be there for experience? This also gives them a target to aim for and they’ve got their foot in the door and now’s its down to the individual. This also puts more bums on seats as these young Brits sitting on the bench for the seniors means so much to their family and friends. Trust me, I’ve been there and all their parents will be paying for a ticket along with friends etc.
 
As a business you cannot run on a debt, the banks are never ever going to give a hockey team in this country a lump sum. There’s clubs out there that are really struggling, as we’ve seen with Coventry who’ve shown what can happen if a sponsor falls through due to the recession for example. We have to be prepared for this as nothing is guaranteed right now and never will be regarding finances with the way the world is. We have to adjust to the current climate and think sensibly and if all players have to take a small cut in wage for the league to survive then so be it. Sponsors are crucial in ice hockey and right now are few and far between, it doesn’t matter if they’re putting in £5k or £50k, they should be treated with the same respect and be thought of, thanked and made welcome at any game they are attending. If there’s an injured player get him sat up in the boxes or with the fans in the crowd for a period to show respect. It means so much to these paying sponsors and fans. Its the little things that are always noted and I can see so many things that clubs used to do and don’t do now. Why? I’m not sure but if we want ice hockey to how it was all 10 clubs have to pull in the same direction and buy into a set of strict rules and guidelines and be policed. Strict fines should be put in place if any team breaks these rules to set a standard that’s fair whether your club is in a big arena or small arena. Lets make it fair.
 
The appointment of Tony Hand as GB Head Coach is a great move. Not only is Tony the most respected British player in the country, he’s been there at all levels and done it. His records are second to none and he’s an ambassador to the sport and every hockey fan, player and sponsor in this country should support him. It may take time but Tony sees more British players in the EPL than any other coach with his experience. It kind of helps the fact he was drafted by Edmonton Oilers and given an MBE. Now if this doesn’t give the younger players something to look up to as a role model nothing will. Tony has my 100% support and backing and just reading about his assistant, Doug Christiansen who has come on board, will give even more experience to the National Team as Doug knows the British game and British players very well.
 
These older British players we have and that we watch week in week out are getting older! Before we know they’ll be retired I can’t see right now players to replace them. There’s a huge gap and we need to act now and bring kids through. Fans will have to adjust, like all clubs will and lets not kid anyone the standard may have to drop a little by having less imports but I can guarantee you there’ll be more entertainment and for the future of British ice hockey its a decision that’s needs to be made now not later.
 
There’s another issue that I think is amateurish within the sport and that’s when there’s big news on a new player, sponsor or along these lines the club should be building up the positive news with their fans and make an announcement on the website or through their local paper. No disrespect to Dave Simms, he does a great job, but Dave tweeting all news before clubs and media get a chance is doing all clubs no favours at all. The media in ice hockey is limited it could be doubly better but they probably think that we get to hear the news 3rd hand as its already on a forum before it hits the paper. Lots to learn on this subject and all clubs need to have a go to guy for a local paper. Let the reporter be honest, speak his mind and learn from what he’s written.
 
I’d also like to see the playoffs in the Elite League be two groups of 4 like it used to be. Not only does this give each team 3 home games extra revenue but also the weaker teams a better chance by changing a couple of players could make a real go of it and even win like Newcastle Vipers did one year. Right now 2 games home and away is awful and is not working. The playoffs is the pinnacle part of any season as everyone remembers and talks about the playoffs and the last trophy to be won.
 
I’m always one for thinking positive and I look at all negatives as a positive and this is why I’ve got through what I have. There are a few positives that I see within the Elite League and firstly its the tough guys we have in the league. Lepine, King, Keefe and Voth etc can all play and that’s a big difference this year to previous years. This gives an entertainment side of the game for the fans but also polices the game so things don’t get out of hand so much. In a sense it does help the refs in a strange kind of way. The other positive I see is that players that have received injuries recently requiring surgery have been looked after. This to me is crucial within a contact sport, even though they may not be named on an insurance policy at least the clubs are providing medical treatment for injuries, so maybe the league are starting to think more of the safety aspect and a players health comes first. Another positive is that I’m watching a couple of kids I coached with the Nottingham juniors for 3 years in the form of young Rob Lachowiz of Nottingham and Robbie Farmer of Coventry. These two guys have been in the league now for 3 years and are just touching 21 and are real stars of the future of British ice hockey. Can you imagine if we had 30-40 of these young kids given a chance like Lachowiz and Farmer have had at the highest level then we would all see a totally different game in the future. We have to look forward not back, even the fans have to think forward and the new generation of players are always going to be more important than a Tommy Plommer, Rick Brebant, Doug Smail and Trent Kaese of this world. No disrespect to those guys who were once the legends and stars of the game but we do need to move forward and fully support the new kids coming through because in a few years time these new guys will be your new hero that’s how a team sport is.
 
I honestly think that we have something special here in Great Britain with ice hockey and the sport here is well known all over the world from the standard of players we’ve been lucky enough to see on these shores. So the old ISL and EIHL in it’s early days   has given the sport a good name but now in a sense we are hurting for it purely because there was too many imports at that level. But all the Ex NHL’rs have put us on the map and given us lots of experience. Lets learn from this and get the balance right and before you know it we could have one of the strongest leagues in Europe. This could be the leagues aim, to be the best in Europe, to have a reputation that is of a good standard, with development for the British kids, players being treated correctly during an injury and all officials being paid on time with no excuses. The hockey world is a very small one so one bad mistake to save a few quid could cost dearly down the line and I believe this is what’s happened far too often over the years.
 
We all have opinions and ideas on how to take the sport forward. There’s lots of talk right now regarding certain issues and problems within the sport like the standard of referees and linesman but I’m afraid nothing will change unless all 10 clubs in the Elite League are willing to let an independent governing body come in and give structure from grass roots up. I keep saying its not about 3-4 clubs its about 10 clubs. We need to listen to the fans to a degree because without the paying public there’s no sport. I hope to think that this summer there’s massive changes, there has to be. So that the fans and sponsors that watch the Elite League, that pump in good money week after week they get what they deserve and that’s honesty and a league that’s seen to be moving forward not back. For more info on Marc Twaite, please go to www.marc-twaite.co.uk/
Contact the author Pete.Lewis@Prohockeynews.com