COVENTRY, UK – Coach Paul Thompson has yet to fill the goaltender slot on the roster and getting this right can be the difference between winning a championship and finishing the season empty handed. With the Continental Cup this season adding to the pressure it is vital to get a goalie who can handle the huge responsibility of playing for the UK Champions against Europe’s finest and contending with the rest of the UK EIHL who are desperate to knock Coventry off the top spot. There has been a rumour that Jody Lehman could return to Coventry but information has come to me that he is going back to Canada with his family to run his own business in the auto trade and is retiring from professional hockey. There is also speculation that Coach Thompson was in serious talks with another former Blaze goalie but these talks would appear to have stalled. So it looks like Blaze will have a new guy in between the pipes this season. Talking of D Blaze fans cannot but help notice that the #6 shirt is still left vacant, this has led to speculation that Neal Martin could be set to return to Coventry where he is adored by the fans. There is also speculation that Blaze have re-signed a veteran blue liner who had announced his retirement from hockey but it now appears that he has changed his mind. This guy is as tough as they come and will be a re-assuring presence for his team-mates as well as the fans; this guy is a firm favourite when he is on your side and a nightmare when he is not. Coventry Blaze will make the trip over the English Channel to France for the 2010/11 IIHF Continental Cup after Saturday’s draw in Budapest Hungary put the team in the third round at the home of the Rouen Dragons. 
This will be the fourth time Blaze have represented the UK in Europe and for the third season in a row, the UK team has been seeded straight through to the third round of the competition and one step away from the prestigious Super Final which will be held in Minsk, Belarus in January. This shows how UK hockey has come on over recent years and is a reflection of how well UK teams have competed against strong Continental competition. All Blaze fans remember that outstanding win over the mighty Red Bull Salzburg in Alborg Denmark in 2007 when Blaze came back from being 2-0 down with 5 minutes to go and winning 3-2 in overtime. Salzburg featured Stanley Cup champion Ric Jackman, along with former NHL players Reinhard Divis, Brad Fast, Doug Lynch & Josh Green in a star-studded roster. Indeed one of the Salzburg players was on more wages than the entire Coventry roster.They also had former NHL coach Pierre Page on the bench along with Stanley Cup winner Reijo Ruotsalainen. The third round group will see the Blaze take on the winner of the second round group being played in October in Tilburg, Netherlands, Latvian champions Liepajas Metalurgs and the hosts, Rouen from Friday 26th to Sunday 28th November. The group winners will progress to the Super Final. Rouen had former Blaze goalie Trevor Koenig playing for them last season and he played a huge part in getting them to the Continental Cup. Koenig has parted company with the French team for next season and ironically has been linked with a return to Coventry. Rouen will provide formidable opposition and two seasons ago, they hosted the Super Final and finished as eventual Continental Cup Runners Up. It is expected that hundreds of Coventry Blaze fans will make the trip over to France to support their team and those fans can and will be the sixth skater, the second goalie and the extra defender when Blaze are killing a penalty. Anything is possible, particularly success. It is still not yet known who Blaze Coach Paul Thompson will get to fill the goalie position, but even if it’s not Koenig then surely a few phone conversations with the championship winner from 2 successful seasons in Coventry will be in order so Thompson can get the low down on the Rouen team. Former Coventry Blaze captain Adam Calder has joined Coach Rob Wilson in Italy at Italian second division club HC Neumarkt. Calder has been snapped up by former Newcastle Vipers coach Wilson having seen what a goal scoring sensation he is at close quarters in the EIHL. It was thought that Calder was to join a EPL team in the North of England as a player/assistant coach but Wilson has obviously tempted him to move to Italy. Calder had also been offered the job as player/coach of the Braehead Clan, a new franchise in the EIHL but this fell through after last minute contractual problems. So after lifting another EIHL championship with Coventry Blaze Calder has had an unsettling time. He has now landed in Italy and all Blaze fans will wish him well over there. Contact the author Stephen.Williamson@prohockeynews.com
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