Now, in 2008, Hope is firmly back at the forefront as Director of Hockey at the Elite League’s Cardiff Devils. However, it was his GB international career spanning 5 world championships that cemented his relationship with British Hockey. I caught up with him to find out why.
“I had some fantastic times with the British team. I think it played a big role in bringing both players and fans together from all different teams and helped strengthen the hockey community. People coming together to support their country is the best thing about sport.”
Hope continues, “I definitely had a heightened respect for other players around the league by playing with them for GB. Hopefully the feeling was mutual. I’d also like to think when we got back to league games that some of the opposition fans, who used to hate me, thought ‘he’s not such a bad guy,” Hope jokes.
Hope has the ability to put people at ease regardless of how long he’s known you. He has a relaxed yet highly energetic demeanour. It’s these qualities which make him perfect for his new role at the Devils, but also I imagine why he was chosen to captain GB for 2 seasons.
“Being captain at two world championships was a huge honour. It doesn’t get better than that for a sportsman. My proudest moment as captain came in the last game of the 1995 World Championships. We’d been relegated to pool B the year before and needed to win our final game against
That season Hope’s captaincy was called upon off the ice as well. He explains, “One of my funniest memories is from the 1995 tournament in
Prior to the ‘95 world championships, Hope and GB had enjoyed a surge in success. Hope’s first championships saw team GB win the Pool C tournament in
“We won against all the odds in
That award went to the Chinese team, but they didn’t keep their prizes for long. “The Chinese guys each got watches worth £500! They were worth a lot more than our medals and to be honest we thought we should have probably focused a bit more on fair play than winning” jokes Hope. So, we managed to barter with them and got them down to £100 a watch. And kept our medals”
The following year, GB played in Pool A against the superpowers of world ice hockey. While they got relegated back to Pool B, they managed to beat
“Firstly, it was just an incredible experience for us to play at that level. That kind of opportunity is rare for most hockey players and we’d worked hard to get the chance. The last game against
“I had a fight with this huge Slovenian player. He came off the bench looking for a fight with someone and to be honest I had no intention of obliging. In the end he went after Steve Moria and I thought damn I’ve got to do something. Needless to say he learnt never to mess with the Shinedog!”
Hope is a real character of British Hockey, but he has also achieved more than most. He’s captained his adopted country, won championships, and his jersey has been retired by the Cardiff Devils. He, and others like him, is vital for the development of British Ice hockey.
With what appears to be a sustainable top-flight league and a clear vision for the national team under the guidance of key figures like Paul Thompson, Tony Hand and Rob Wilson, British Ice Hockey is beginning to build a strong base for growth.
“The ethos behind what Paul and the British set-up are doing is what we’re moving towards in
“By committing to introducing more kids to the game and developing young players, we’ll see benefits for both club teams and the national team. We need a strong league and national team to raise the profile of the game and breed success here. Junior hockey and developing talent is something I’m passionate about.”
“It’s fantastic that the Great Britain Supporters Club has celebrated 15 years and nights like the challenge game held on the 16th of August are a crucial part of developing British Hockey. If the hockey community continues to work together, I think we’ll go from strength to strength.”
Hope represented
Contact the author at Aled.Lloyd@prohockeynews.com.
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