EPL Roundup – Skene’s Spleen & My Op

SWINDON, UK – After the tear-along pace of the last few weeks mainly thanks to the Steeldogs, this update is almost pedestrian by comparison, so I thought I’d add details of my recent medical operation as an exciting in-fill.
 
But first, the hockey, for what there is of it.
 
The Flames started the week off with the announcement that D-man Joe Graham who represented Great Britain at Under-18 and Under-20 level and came away with a medal both times had signed up from the Phoenix. Coach Paul Dixon said of the 20-year-old: “From our perspective it never hurts to bring in younger players who we think can immediately step into a role.” Meanwhile the normally reticent Phoenix coach Tony Hand was positively waxing lyrical about his import situation when he declared the remaining imports would both be forwards with one being an all-out attacking player while the second would have more of a defensive role. And the names? ‘Fraid not.
 
Jozef Kohut, the Slovakian forward who was second highest points scorer for the Wildcats and led in assists last season, re-signed bringing their import total to four. Coach Ryan Aldridge said Kohut was, “the sort of player who could change a game for you in an instant.”
 
At the end of the week the Lightning re-signed British forward Michael Wales for his eighth season. Coach Nick Poole commented: “He is an annoying player to play against and I want him to stay that way”. This brings the Lightning roster to sixteen with still an import vacancy to fill, possibly by re-signing Finnish forward Andre Smulter with his 67 points last season.
 
A couple of interesting comments came from Bison players this week. D-man Rick Skene (GBR) felt British hockey would best be served by “One governing body in charge of all leagues to regulate teams, promotion/relegation, and better standard of consistent refereeing”. Sadly not a new lament and something many in the UK ice hockey world would like to see, having been much anguish and turmoil   for years, most recently with the forming of the Elite League in August 2003.
 
As things stand, if Skene’s is a majority opinion held by those outside the EIHL, where presumably most like things roughly the way they are, then it is hard to see this issue ever being resolved other than by a fairy godmother or a serious financial crises dictating circumstances for the future. The basic philosophies of the two bodies is such that common ground is er, not very common.
 
The EIHL has stated its aims to be a desire to see a high level of ice hockey played on British soil, and to develop British talent, all of which is admirable, of course, and the league believes to achieve this a high level of imported players is necessary, thereby, um, reducing what British talent they have. In fact, this season an even higher level of imported players is felt necessary to maintain this level due to what has been claimed is a lack of British talent, despite the recent success of the GB senior team consisting of Brits from the EIHL. So up goes the limit this year from ten to eleven, and even twelve for ‘weaker’ teams.
 
On the other hand, the EPL limits imports to a maximum of four per team on the bench for any given game and further imposes limits on the number of imports icing at any one time thereby claiming to be a true British player ‘development’ league with a structured support by foundations in the ENL and various youth development schemes.
 
There is also another major difference between the two bodies, this being the style of play. The EIHL is heavily dominated by North American players while in the EPL currently about thirty-per-cent of signed imports originate from this area with a US player a rarity. Now, if a proposal to make work permit rules more flexible which would enable the Elite league access to yet more North American players, from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), not only will this squeeze out British players further, but solidify this difference in style, making a bridgeable gap even more difficult.
 
While there is no doubt this top echelon benefits a small number British EPL players, six so far this summer so about two per cent of the total of last season’s players, thirteen have arrived from the EIHL which suggests over all EPL Brits are losing out. So, while it would be unfair to criticise this tiny minority for wanting to improve their game and career opportunities, you can’t help feeling Skene has a good point.
 
Now, also from the Bison camp British forward Ciaran Long said he felt the ‘delaying the game’ penalty for hitting the puck over the boards was wrong.
There are basically six criteria which can give rise to a potential delaying penalty call, for example unseating the goal frame or preventing the puck from being played by holding it against the boards, but Long is quite specific so clearly doesn’t have an issue with five of them and by extension of the interpretation you have to assume he has no argument with the deliberate delay call either as he said, ‘I personally don’t understand how it is delaying the game. Do we not have the clock stopped?’’  
 
So Long is referring to orbiting pucks which have been despatched over the boards unintentionally and, it has to be said, very, very infrequently I am sure, ‘accidentally’. In other words the vast majority of these incidents.    
 
While I am no advocate of the rule to which he refers, I always thought the intention of awarding two minutes in the box was to penalise a player first, foremost, totally and solely for having chosen to employ the delaying tactic intentionally for whatever reason, which of course is rarely the case these days now the rule it is in force, and secondly, having watched the imposition of the rule, to punish players because, well, they can.
 
Right, that’s the spleen sorted out, now let me tell you about my operation and how impressed I was when they showed me just what the scan found. Oh, darn! I’m out of space.
 
 
For more EPL facts, articles, figures and news try my website – www.iceman-epl.com
 
Contact the author Bill.Collins@Prohockeynews.com