SHEFFIELD-UK: WOW! what a week, there was I sat in the Audi dealership in Edinburgh having just flown in from Kirkwall on Orkney. I had been working up there after having what I thought was the best hockey weekend of my life. The previous Sunday, as I stood waiting to get on the ice for my team the Sheffield Blazers, Geoff Woolhouse comes limping off the ice; the Steelers had been training on the other pad and we had been watching them prior to getting changed for our session.
As he disappears in to a changing room a gruff Scottish accent shouts: āHow many goalies you got?ā
I knew the voice to be that of Steelers bench coach Neil Abel, a guy I have had the pleasure of playing with on the odd occasion he ices for the Blazers. There were only 2 of us that night but I had an idea what the next question was going to be so I just said āDo you need someone?ā
āCan you do the last 20 minutes with us?ā
COULD I???? Bloody right I could, I didnāt need asking twice let me tell you. And so I stepped on to the ice with the Steelers to be greeted with a loud voice shouting āYEAH! Now we got some action baby!ā
That, I later found out was Dommer (Jerramie Domish), a real character in every sense and a great guy.
I did the last 20 minutes and got slaughtered; I loved every single second of it. And it got better, at the end of the session I was asked if I could do the full session with them the following morning; It just didnāt get much better than that, or so I thought at the time. I did that session and walked off feeling 10 feet tall, sure, I had been mulered again and the energy expended had put me close to death but I loved it; I had skated with the Steelers and a dream had come true.
So there I am waiting for my car to come off the ramp in Edinburgh and the phone rings, itās Neil Abel. He thanks me again for helping out the previous weekend and asks what Iām up to this weekend. I had no major plans and was hoping to get to the game on Saturday but wasnāt sure at that point as my work can often interfere with my plans. I thought he was going to chuck a couple of tickets my way for helping out.
āI hope you will be at the game, we are short and wondered if you wanted to sign and dress as backup for the weekend?ā
ā¦ā¦Silenceā¦ā¦.
āNeil? You still there?ā
ā¦ā¦Silenceā¦ā¦.
I then started laughing, wouldnāt you? This was a wind-up right? I exchange a few choice expletives with Neil down the phone but he assured me this was not a wind-up, he did say they were still waiting for one more call to be returned but with time running out they needed to ensure they had cover and the paperwork was done. I was still convinced this was some sort of trick but I of course said yes. I then called just about every single person in my phonebook! And so, late Friday night at the arena I put pen to paper and signed for the Sheffield Steelers Elite League ice hockey team, the most successful team in modern British ice hockey history; I drove home in a bit of a daze, I still canāt get my head round it, the news had hit the forums and I could not believe how positive the response was despite the ridiculousness of the situation. I then found out that Jayboy (Jason Smith), known to many on the forums was responsible for putting my name forward and to him I will forever owe a great deal, he made my dreams come true.
I didnāt sleep at all Friday night; I was down at the arena by 9 just to make sure this was still happening and that the other guy had not been made available. My thinking was that even if that was now the case, I was to all intent and purpose still a Steeler, my playing registration was with the club and the Elite League. The guys were great, it was after all a bit of a ridiculous situation for a pro club to be in having to call in a Rec level goalie for an Elite level team, but not once was anything other than encouragement offered, even though there was also a hope I would not be needed in the games; Let me tell you, I shared that sentiment.
I donāt remember too much of the build up to the game on Saturday, it just seemed to pass in a blur. Andy Akers (Steelers Kit Manager) is an absolute legend in my eyes and the guy works his socks off for this team, he kept offering little bits of advice and help throughout the day and made sure I had whatever I felt I needed. When it came time to get changed and all the guys were in the dressing room it just felt completely surreal, it was like I was floating above it all observing from above or that any minute the joke was going to be called and I would be ushered out of the dressing room.
None of that happened though and so I got changed and went for a short run, I then set about getting ready, I had a chat with Ervins (Mustukovs, starting netminder) about what would happen but neither of us knew, it was his first time as well! Stepping out for the warm up was daunting, I was petrified that my legs wouldnāt work and I would go flat on my face, I got out though and decided to just coast around a bit to try and take it in. I canāt remember how many smiling faces I saw staring down at me but seeing people I knew looking so chuffed for me really helped settle the nerves. Ervins skated away from the goal and for a few seconds I forgot that that meant it was my turn, before I knew it I was turning to face the Steelers, in warm up, at the arena, in front of 4000; I will never in my life forget that moment.
I donāt think I stopped a single puck in that first little bit and as Ervins skated back over I felt relieved and overwhelmed. You are aware of the noise as you skate round but you canāt make anything out, I just remember feeling strange, I had watched this procedure from the stands a thousand times never in my life thinking that I would be doing it. I skated round nodding and smiling at the many faces I knew in the crowd and before I knew it Ash (Ashley Tait) was calling for me to get back in goal. I felt I did a little better in that second stint as I could feel more rubber hitting me and I seemed to settle in to āGoalie modeā a bit better, I was less aware of the people watching and the noise and was able to concentrate more on the job at hand; it was still all a bit of a haze though with all the noise combining in to one low hum and my legs felt like lead blocks.
I skated off from warm up and suddenly the nerves hit big time and the doubt began to set in. What if something happens to the Moose? (Ervins Mustukovs) What if I actually have to play? We are going to get hammered and it will all be my fault. I could hardly walk back down to the dressing room my heart was hammering that hard and my legs just would not co-operate and do as they were told, Munner (Steve Munn) must have seen this and immediately came over, tapped my pads and asked if I was OK, I donāt know how but just those few words settled the nerves and I just thought āWhatever happens, happensā there is nothing anyone can do about it now.
Ben Simon (Steelers coach) gave us his words in the dressing room and before I knew it we were getting the time warning and the lads began to replace warm-up shirts with game ones. I picked mine up and just stared at it.
āDo you know how to put it on?ā
I just laughed, I donāt know who that was but there is constant banter around the room especially today, this is day 1 of the new season and at one point the whole future of the club had been in doubt, I got the feeling that for most there was a subtle sense of relief that we were here at all. As we lined up to go out and with Sandstorm blasting out of the speakers I turned to Dommer who was behind me in line and asked him to give me plenty of time to get out on the ice, the last thing I wanted was to cause some sort of mass pile-up! Ervins gets called and steps out to a huge cheer ā here we goā¦..
āNumber 40, Neil Edwardsā
I step out and take one huge push off so I can coast across the ice, I am aware of the cheer that goes up and serenity settles in, I have never felt so calm in my whole life, it is as if my body knows what is happening and is determined to enjoy every second of it. I skate down and stand beside the Moose at the net. This is the first game of the year and we are going to be individually introduced up to the blue line; I get called and again am aware of a cheer, words cannot describe my feelings at that moment, 20 years of watching the Steelers do this every week and now I was there in the midst of it all, I started to choke but then something caught my eye and distracted my attention enough to stop the emotions. As the rest of the guys join us at the blue line Ash skates up next to me and gives my pads a tap, it was one of the proudest moments of my life. The anthem is sung but I am aware that I am stepping side to side constantly through nerves, I canāt help it, we break from the blue line and its game time; the nerves return.
The first 10 minutes are a blur; I remember cheering like I do in the stands when we scored. What a moment, the guys skate down the bench tapping gloved hands, including mine! As the game goes on I am getting more and more nervous that someone is going to run the Moose. I was more nervous toward the end of the game than at the start; only when there was less than a minute left did I start to relax.
The view of a game from down there, where you can hear everything that is going on puts a whole new perspective on everything. The constant banter and chatter between players and officials is something we donāt get much at Rec. Every incident is met with laughs, shock or anger.
As the game goes on and the first period ends the whole bench is on a high, we are in control of the game and we know it. Ben has a chat to us in the room but really just to tell us to keep the habit in the second. Guys then move around the room and offer advice to each other about situations they observed during the game. We get a 5-minute warning for time and start to put pads back on. The Moose is the quietest guy in the room, so focused you could cut yourself on the aura around him, the lads leave him be save for the odd ānice kicking Mooseā comment and tapping of pads.
We get up and line up in the tunnel and pads and gloves are tapped, it is evident that many of the guys have particular things they do in these few moments before going back on the ice. The second starts like the first and we score early, surely the game is ours now. I begin to relax just a little as it seems the Moose is secure and safe. I look away for a second to take in the crowd, I still canāt believe where I am. The second ends and we are back in the room, more words from Ben but we are the better team tonight ad we know it. Again the rituals as we go back out and the cheer sounds even louder this time. As the clock starts ticking away I start to get nervous again, what if we are far enough in front for me to get a couple of minutes?
Bloody hell! I donāt know if I would be able to skate out let alone do anything.
The game seems to end as soon as it started and we all skate on the ice, for the first time that day my legs offer no objections and do as I want them to do. The sound of the cheer as Moose get announced as MOM is incredible and as we skate round saluting the fans at the end the emotion returns and I am struggling to keep it all in. I must have had the biggest grin in the world on my face. We skate round tapping the glass and waving to the crowd, the kids love it and it is something that Ben had insisted on us doing; win lose or draw, you show your respect to the crowd, I like that.
I cannot begin to tell you how awesome the whole experience was, it is a weekend I will never forget, Ben and the guys were fantastic through the whole experience and I want to thank each and every one of them for making me feel so welcome. I will be getting a shirt with my actual number (94) and name on the back and it will be going in a frame with copies of the game sheets, registration sheet and anything else I can get my hands on! It was without doubt the best hockey weekend of my life, how many can say they have signed and dressed for the team they follow every week, and then retired with a 100% record!
A thank you to the crowd as well, many with no access to forums etc must have been thinking Neil Who? as I was introduced, but a cheer went up none the less. It has made my year. I know I am going to get the you know what ripped out of me back on my own team but Iām ready for them and I know they are made up for me.
The second part of this story will be on-line shortly: Road Trip.
Contact: neil.edwards@prohockeynews.com
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