Cooper helmets and a departed Chief

LONDON, UK – It doesn’t take much to amuse a couple of thirty-something hockey players, but when fully sober dressed in hockey kit at 1.30am it should really take more than a pair of thick brown knitted hockey socks.
 
Sadly, despite aspirations to grow up and lead a more sensible life, I am still tickled by the most immature aspects of life. For the childish streak that often engulfs my soul I lay the blame fully at ‘Hockey’s’ door.

Ever since squeezing into a retro Edmonton Oilers shirt (without logo) as a ten year old in the famous Durham ice rink, the sport has given me the most amusing aspects of my life. Had the player sporting the brown knitted hockey socks in Streatham a few weeks ago seen me back then, he could rightly have the last laugh. Wearing mostly second hand kit courtesy of my cousins, I finished the Soviet style look with blue furry socks knitted by my grandmother (in the legendary Durham blue of course).
Not that it mattered in the end. There was plenty of ammunition on all the kids, whether it was the guy wearing the plastic skates or the poor kid with the massive old style Cooper helmet who looked like he should be on a NASA moon landing mission. Mickey- taking has always had a place in hockey, whether it is amusing or unkind.
With this in mind I read with interest the minutes of the EIHA’s AGM held a few weeks ago. In section 8 outlined by Chief Referee Mohammed Ashraff was the following paragraph:
• Discipline relating to irresponsible/abusive/threatening postings on all types of social networking sites will be included in the updated ‘In House Rules’.
Now I may be missing a trick here or more likely I have got the wrong end of the stick, but this is going to open a whole can of worms. Threatening and abusive I can understand, but irresponsible? Has anyone met a hockey player who isn’t irresponsible? Facebook is full of status updates and pictures that highlight the point and who is to say what is or is not irresponsible.
Most ENL players are friends on social networking sites. It has brought the hockey community closer together than ever before and the banter flows every day during the season. Gone are the days where coaches hunted down telephone numbers to speak to prospective players, they simply look them up on Facebook and send them a message online. Nowadays the fans and players connect online, and it is not uncommon for two players to knock seven bells out of each other on the ice, only to chat or take the mickey out of each other underneath the tagged photo of the bout the next day. How can anyone make a judgement on context?
Maybe I am blowing this all out of proportion but I really hope that the EIHA clarify exactly what they constitute as irresponsible online posting. This will need to be comprehensive and crystal clear so it is not simply used as a weapon to satisfy grudges, personal or otherwise. They will also need to be clear who is monitoring these Social Networking sites, whose pages they have access to and how they will ensure consistency and fairness. Until then, I would suggest all registered players refrain from posting any traffic cone/streaking related pictures until clarification is forthcoming.
Anyway, back to the brown socks issue…
Hockey has its fashions just like any other aspect of life. Someone once told me that if you look good, you are 50% there. Quite where he meant wasn’t clear, but I give some credence to the theory and with trials starting across the ENL over the next few weeks, the coaches will have to be wary of choosing style over substance. Some players look fantastic during training and in warm up, but have no impact in games, and in the most extreme examples fall to pieces. Is it the pressure? I don’t really know.
On a more sombre note I received some sad news last week that former Sunderland Chiefs defenseman Rob Gilroy died suddenly at the age of 45. His obituary in the Sunderland Echo sadly made no mention of his hockey career.
Rob used to help out with the juniors at Sunderland and then went on to Coach Women’s hockey once he finished playing. He once told the kids that he played for Milan Devils in the Italian Premier League, but I have to say none of us believed him.
Whether he dazzled the Italians with his skills or not, he goes down in my eyes as a senior player who selflessly gave up his own time to come and help the kids. Only a handful of players do this whilst playing or after retirement and many do it for the cash. Rob would have been lucky to get a free portion of cheesy chips from the legendary Frostys Cafe in Sunderland Ice Rink as payment. He must have done it through enthusiasm for the game and that alone.
The EIHA have stated in the past that they want more former players to put something back into the sport through coaching or refereeing, but I am afraid only a tiny minority do. To those people and indeed Mr Gilroy, I think we should all raise a glass.
Contact the author: david.carr@prohockeynews.com