BELFAST, UK – As I sit here waiting for my flight back to the mainland, it gives me time to think about what I have witnessed this weekend, because it is not every day you get a team from North America come over to play a game of Ice Hockey over in the UK, never mind a team of stature like the Boston Bruins roll into town.
Representing Pro Hockey News, I had the opportunity to see first hand, what an NHL team is all about. My only experience is watching the games on ESPN America so to see them in the flesh, and see how they operate, would be different to anything that I had ever experienced.
With this in mind, I came to Belfast very open minded about how the show was going to be ran. Todd Kelman has done a pretty good as General Manager of the Belfast Giants, but this would be the biggest gig he will have ever taken on. How would he handle the pressure of hosting such a well known hockey team?
Another big question was how the city of Belfast would handle the occasion. Everyone knows the history, but everyone also knows what they have done over the past ten years to rectify the history, and show a new image of Belfast, this was a fantastic opportunity to show the viewing world, what Belfast had to offer, what would the world say afterwards?
I and the group of friends I was in came into town on the Friday, and because of the hockey-apparel that we were wearing, the talk from the taxi driver was straight onto the Bruins game. He mentioned that around 60-70% of the pick ups from the airport were all over for this one-off game with the Bruins, and what also impressed him was the different locations that people had come from, ranging from Newcastle to Milton Keynes.
Walking around the city centre, there was a genuine buzz around the city, with a number of shirts from different clubs dotted around the city centre; it has created a carnival feel to the weekend, the kind of atmosphere that you would see at a major sporting event with a classic example of a massive banner outside the Odyssey complex welcome the Boston Bruins to Belfast
Going to the pre-game skate on the day of the event, it was fascinating to see how the Bruins prepare for a game, training sessions in the UK will have one coach running all the drills, with the Boston Bruins, we had 3-4 coaches with the head coach ensuring that everything was done as per his instructions. As we all know, the NHL is of a higher standard than normal, but it was an eye-opener to see the speed the players were putting into the session, trying to re-create the intensity you find during the game. With players still to be cut before the opening games against Phoenix, none of the players could afford slipping up in any session.
Leading up to the game, there was the opportunity to interview the head coach of the Bruins, Claude Julien, and the atmosphere was relaxed. Amongst the questions from the press across the pond, in relation to the way Boston have been playing during the pre-season games back in Boston, the British and Irish press asked about their stay in the UK. Julien could not hold back his praise of the hospitality of Belfast, saying that they had been treat like kings, and appreciated all the help that they had received, as they could tell that people had gone out of their way to give the Bruins what they wanted.
Everyone left the arena to get ready for the evening, and when walking to the rink, the numbers of jerseys that were around the city centre had increased, and so did the buzz. I spoke to some of the fans on my way and the excitement beyond anything I have ever imagined I would ever experience at a game at a UK arena/rink. The prospect of seeing a bona-fide NHL team in their own back yard was something plenty of people never thought would happen, but in moments it was about to.
In part two – we talk about the game itself – and the moment, Zdeno Chara led his NHL team, onto Elite League Ice.
Contact the author Dave.Grant@Prohockeynews.com
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