Giants bulk up

BELFAST U.K.- Belfast Giants General Manager, Todd Kelman, said that the Giants ‘lacked toughness’, and he wanted to fix this. Which they have with the announcment of 5’11” 205lb tough guy, Jason Rushton. Rushton joins the Giants after spending majority of his career between the UK leagues and the LNAH which is more commonly known as ‘The Goon League’, where he amassed 135 fights and sat in the penalty box for over 1200 minutes. “I’m not going to lie to you, this guy has been brought in to add toughness to our team and to drop the gloves with the other tough guys around the league,” Todd Kelman said  “We have a very skilled team, and I think we have built a fast, exciting team to watch but if there is one area we might have screwed up, it was not bringing in that special player that gets under the skin of other teams, that entertains the crowd, that gets the people up and out of their seats night in and night out.” The Giants brought in Malcolm MacMillan and Bobby Robins to use their size and toughness this season, but with MacMillan injuring his hand early in the season, and reinjuring it recently his fighting has had to be kept to a minimum to avoid further injury. Robins has been putting up good numbers all year and would be silly of him to take five minute fighting majors with lesser hockey skilled opponents. Rushton is no stranger to the UK , having made his UK debut in 2001-02 when he played for the Romford Raiders in the English Premier League. Rushton racked up 41 points from 11 games, including 96 penalty minutes- making him the third highest scorer in the team for the season.  The 2002-03 season saw Rushton play in Romford once again, as well as the Ayr Scottish Eagles (which also folded that season), the Cardiff Devils and the Bracknell Bees. Rushton then made his move to the LNAH and was there until he returned to Britain to once again ice for the Bees in 2006-07, where he scored 17 goals, assisted on 14 more, in only 13 games proving he can put up the points in the UK . The Giants will be Rushton’s forth team this season, with the other three being LNAH teams. “When I spoke to Steve Thornton and Todd Kelman, they said they were looking for someone to lift their crowds out of their seats, and I thought I’m your man, they said they wanted someone to protect their skilled guys and add toughness to the lineup, and I thought I’m your man,” Rushton said “W hen they said that if I came in and did the job they know I can do, this could become a long-term arrangement in Belfast, I said ‘I’m definitely your man.” Rushton will make his Giants debut against the Sheffield Steelers on January 21, in the Odyssey Arena, Belfast . Contact the author at Aaron.stewart@prohockeynews.com