COVENTRY, UK – Coventry Blaze will be rebranded as the CPP Coventry Blaze when they take to the ice in pre-season challenge games on August 27 and 28 after agreeing a sponsorship deal with a leading Coventry firm.      Coventry-based automotive engineering firm CPP has struck a deal to sponsor its hometown Elite League ice hockey club for the forthcoming 2011/12 campaign which will see the Blaze open the season at the Skydome Arena on Sunday 28 following the opening encounter in Hull on the 27 August against rivals and stablemate, Hull Stingrays.   The Stingrays are owned by the same directors who own Coventry Blaze, but that has led to meetings between these two teams becoming fierce battles, with the Stingrays coached by former Blaze championship captain Sylvain Cloutier CPP’s name will also feature on the new Blaze match jerseys alongside the club’s new-look logo. Caroline Lucy, Commercial Director of the Blaze said she is delighted that the club have secured the support of such a reputable local company. Lucy said: “It is fantastic that CPP has taken the opportunity to back the Blaze and we hope this is the start of a long and successful relationship for both parties. “It’s particularly positive that we will once again be partnering  with a Coventry firm, especially one that’s known around the world and whose profile propels the Blaze into a new and exciting market sector.”

Brendan O’Toole, founder and Managing Director of CPP, has continuously grown the business over the past 16 years and has seen it become a world-class British car building company with a workforce of 250. The company has experienced accelerated growth in the last two years, highlighted by its planned acquisition of Dutch luxury sports car company Spyker Cars N.V and Bowler Off-Road, the Derbyshire based manufacturer of all-terrain supercars. O’Toole can see no better way to share this success than with the local community. O’Toole said: “I have been following what the Blaze have been doing for a number of years now and like their style. “We have been lucky enough to build up an international reputation but we know where our roots lie and remain very much a Coventry company so felt that supporting the Blaze would be a good way to give back to the local community. “The city is clearly passionate about this team and we hope that by helping the Blaze, we can in turn help the city. We are also looking to expand in the next 12 months and see this as a good way to aid our recruitment drive.” Paul Thompson, Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations for the Blaze is about to lead the team for a record seventeenth consecutive season, looking to build on their status as the most successful team in the Elite League era. Thompson, who is also Head Coach of team GB the Great Britain national team, agrees that the support of local businesses is key. “It makes a major statement that as a Coventry club, we have a Coventry company as our major sponsor. Over the years, the Blaze have been fortunate to have been backed by both local and national Coventry based companies and we wouldn’t be where we are today without that support.  We are therefore naturally delighted that CPP have agreed to become out major sponsors.  “Despite having won the league four times in the last seven years we didn’t do as well as we would have liked last season. But we have a young and exciting team for the new season and hopefully this can be the start of us getting back to where we want to be.” Thompson said. Spyker sports cars are in huge demand around the world and craftsmen in Coventry have been making most of the precision components for the last few years. The car is now built in Coventry by CPP and they intend to expand the workforce in the city. The forthcoming weekend will be the first opportunity for Blaze fans to see the new players who have been recruited by Thompson to get the team back on the road to success; following a very disappointing season last year which saw the former EIHL champions ravaged by injuries. The new recruits are blue liners Jerramie Domish(USA) signed from the EIHL champions Sheffield Steelers, John Gordon(Canada) signed from the HYs The Hague, forward Shea Guthrie(Canada) signed from Utah Grizzles, blue liners David Phillips(GB) signed from Toledo Walleye, James Griffin(GB) signed from Swindon Wildcats, forwards Mike McLean(Canada) signed from Quad City Mallards, Bryan Jurynec(USA) signed from Kalamazoo Wings, and Matic Kralj(Slovenia) signed from Morzine-Avoriaz in France. These players are joined by goalie Peter Hirsch(Denmark) who has rejoined Blaze following his success with the Coventry team two seasons ago when he help the team to their last EIHL championship, and back-up goalie Brandon Stones(GB) who joins from the Sheffield Steelhawks of the ENL. This season promises to be the most competitive ever in the EIHL with 10 teams including four teams in Scotland providing fierce rivalry to the English teams, along with Belfast Giants from Northern Ireland and Cardiff Devils from Wales. Contact the author stephen.williamson@prohockeynews.com

COVENTRY, UK – Canadian forward Owen Fussey has warned Coventry Blaze must cut out their mistakes if they are to avoid further disappointment against Sheffield Steelers and Belfast Giants this weekend.
 
Blaze saw their eight-game winning run come to an end with a 5-2 home defeat by Cardiff Devils in the Challenge Cup last Sunday at the Skydome Arena, Coventry.
Blaze started the weekend well with a 7–2 road win against Cardiff. However, if the Blaze players thought that the return game at the Skydome Arena was going to be a stroll, the Devils had other ideas and after a determined, feisty performance they got sweet revenge with a 5–2 win over the Blaze.  
 
Now, Coventry are preparing for another tough weekend as they first head to Sheffield in the challenge cup before taking on Elite League leaders Belfast Giants at the Skydome on Sunday.
 
“We made too many mistakes against Cardiff and they capitalised. We put ourselves in bad situations, we have to be more disciplined. We have to learn from our mistakes. We had a good little run there and were building some confidence but we will work on a few things in practice this week. We must keep striving to get better and if we do that then I am sure we will have a bright future ahead of us,” said Fussey, the former Washington Capitals player.
 
Fussey came to the UK last year and had a prolific season with Edinburgh Capitals, where he posted 38 goals and 35 assists in 57 games. Those figures along with his great skills that were evident when he played against Blaze, were enough to convince Blaze Head Coach Paul Thompson to get Fussey on the Blaze roster for this season and Fussey is enjoying his first year in Coventry.
 
He has registered 21 points in 14 games with his 13-goal haul the joint-best in all competitions alongside Jon Pelle (Cardiff Devils) and David Clarke (Nottingham Panthers).
 
However, he missed out on the chance of breaking two 10-year-old club records during the loss to Cardiff at the Skydome.
 
Fussey, 27, had netted in eight successive home games, tying the club record with Blaze legend Steve Chartrand, and had scored in nine in a row, matching the achievement of Swedish defenceman Mats Samuelsson when he wore the Coventry shirt.
 
Despite his impressive points return so far, Fussey is more concerned with the team’s success.
 
He said, “I don’t focus too much on the points. Yes, they are nice but the main thing is to make sure the team is winning. If that is by scoring goals, blocking shots, penalty killing, you just want to do your bit to help the team. With Luke Fulghum and Dan Carlson we have got a good combination going. We can all put the puck in the net but we also work hard. But our other two lines are strong too.”
 
Blaze have an injury worry following the home defeat last Sunday with Canadian blue liner Jeff Smith picking up a knee injury in the game during a fight with Justin Sawyer. This battle between the two big guys was pretty even until Smith twisted his knee and fell to the ice which saw his opponent claim victory. At the time Blaze were losing 5-1 so the loss of Smith was not a factor in the defeat but it has left Thompson with a big hole in the defence.
 
Blaze are hopeful that Rusell Cowley will be fit following his four week absence from the ice due a knee injury picked up in an exhibition game against Telford Tigers. Cowley skated this week for the first time since getting injured and he came through a hard training session well. He is versatile and can play D very effectively so he will replace Smith on the blue line for the next three weeks or so.
 
Blaze must win in Sheffield if they are to control their own destiny in the challenge cup and then they play Belfast Giants Sunday 24 Oct at the Skydome. Both games will be huge challenges and will provide great hockey for the fans lucky enough to be there. Thompson has demanded that his players bring their A game this coming weekend after complacency had set in on Sunday against the Devils.  
If you cannot be at the Skydome for the Belfast game go to the Coventry Blaze website   http://www.coventryblaze.co.uk/index.php to see how you can watch the game live on the internet. Contact the author stephen@activcoventry.com

COVENTRY, UK – Coventry Blaze Head Coach Paul Thompson has snapped into place the final pieces of the team for the forthcoming EIHL campaign with the signing of a new blue liner and the re-signing of two Blaze veterans and fans favourites. The new guy is Canadian defenceman Jeff Smith who has spent the last two seasons with Nijmegen Devils in Holland where he was the Captain last season and led them to the league championship. The huge 6’6” Saskatchewan 29 year old knows how to win and his record in North America is impressive with a Calder Cup winners medal taking pride of place in his trophy cabinet which he won playing for AHL team Philadelphia Phantoms in the 2004/05 NHL lockout season. Prior to this Smith won the ECHL Kelly Cup with Trenton Titans in 2002/03 season so this guy is a winner. Smith has a history of being more that willing to drop the gloves and no doubt he will be mixing it up with some of the tough guys in the EIHL this season so fans across the UK are in for some dramatic hockey this season. He is a stay at home blue liner but can if required play as a forward and this give Coach Thompson some very useful flexibility. Thompson said “I’m delighted that Jeff will be joining us in Coventry, he’s a really huge man and throughout his career he’s used his size really well.  He’s played both as a forward and as a defenceman but it’s at the back that he’s really been able to make the most of his size.  He’s very much a stay at home defenceman, with a massive reach and with his size and presence he will add the toughness to compliment our back end.  He also has the advantage that if I feel I need to shuffle the pack and play him up front for certain games, he has the ability to do that.

“Everyone knows that I really like to bring players to Coventry who have a track record of winning and in Jeff we’ve brought in a player who has contributed to teams winning at every level he’s played at – junior, East Coast, American League and in Europe.  He also has tremendous leadership qualities and that was recognised in Holland last season where he captained the side.  I think he’s going to fit in very well to our line up next season.” Smith said “Signing with the Coventry Blaze is a fantastic opportunity for me and I can’t wait to play in the Elite League next season, having played in Europe for the last two years, I’ve obviously heard quite a lot about Coventry and the league and the added opportunity to take part in the Continental Cup next season means I’m really looking forward to the season. “I’m a big, stay at home defenceman and I compete hard every time I’m on the ice.  I’m joining to add a solid presence to the back end hopefully that will compliment the players that we have already.  The roster looks great for next season and I’m looking forward to helping the team continue the winning tradition it’s established in recent years.” Forward Dan Carlson and blueliner Matt Soderstrom have re-signed for Coventry Blaze for the forthcoming season. American Carlson has been with Blaze since the grand slam winning season when Blaze won the EIHL championship, the play-off finals and the Challenge Cup. Carlson formed his incredible partnership with Canadian team-mate Adam Calder and they became known as AC/DC with many t-shirts bearing that identity in Coventry referring to these two Blaze legends. This partnership was broken up in 2005/06 season when on the back of the incredible success of the previous season Carlson was tempted away to play in Germany and Calder went to play in Sweden. However they both returned to Coventry the following season and picked up where they left off and resumed their phenomenal partnership. Calder has left the Blaze after leading them to the EIHL championship last season which disappointed many Blaze fans but they will be delighted to see Carlson return. He has great skating skills and creates good scoring chances for his team mates as well as scoring great goals himself. Carlson has been in all four of the Blaze teams that have won the EIHL championships along with other major trophies. “I’m excited to be back for a sixth season with the Blaze,” said Carlson “The Blaze organisation has always been great to me and I know coming back, that the goal will be to challenge for more trophies.  Coventry’s been a supporting and welcoming home for my family and I over the years so as always we are thrilled to be returning once more.  With the added bonus of the Continental Cup and defending last season’s championship there is a lot to look forward to in the upcoming season. Swedish defender Soderstrom has been with Blaze since 1999 although he spent three seasons playing for other teams in the UK and Italy so his career with Blaze has not been continuous.   He returns to Blaze for another season and will be a dependable blueliner who can get forward and make a difference on offence. Soderstrom has played over 500 games for the Blaze and he gets another season to add to his tally. “I’m really glad to be back again, I love the club and as long as the Coach believes I can do a job for the team, I’ll be here.  I’m certainly not ready to retire yet ! We’ve brought in some great new players and I’m just as excited ahead of this season as I was when I first came over from Sweden.  Playing in the Continental Cup again is something else to really look forward to and I’m as determined as ever to help to club defend our league title.” Thompson is delighted to have the two Blaze stalwarts back in the team.  “Both Dan and Matty have been a huge part of the success that we have had since we came to Coventry and I’m really happy that they will both be back in the line up next season.  They are two of the hardest working and committed players around and with over eight hundred games for the club between them, they have the vast experience that is invaluable over the course of such a long and high pressure season. “Dan’s record speaks for itself.  He’s been a prolific point getter for us and I still believe he’s as good as any other two way centre in the country.  Matty is still one of the smartest and dependable defensive defencemen around and after his performances last season, he really deserves his new contract.  They are two players who know what it takes to win and if you look at their trophy cabinets, they both have been very good at doing just that.” So Coach Thompson has just about completed his roster for the new season and now it is just a matter of the team meeting up, training, drilling and getting to know each other. Coventry Blaze has a great tradition of integrating new players into the club and the city of Coventry, this is a vital part of the clubs continued success. Other bigger clubs in the EIHL have seen how Coventry do it and are trying to emulate the Blaze way of doing things. Imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Contact the author Stephen.Williamson@Prohockeynews.com

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

COVENTRY, UK – Coventry Blaze today announce the signing of forward Owen Fussey. The former NHL player joins the reigning EIHL champions after spending his first season in the UK with Edinburgh Capitals where he scored 35 goals in just 46 games.
Fussey played 4 games in the NHL for Washington Capitals in 2003 and won the Calder Cup with Hersey Bears in 2005/06. He has played over two hundred games in the high quality AHL for Portland Pirates, Hershey Bears and Toronto Marlies. He then moved to Italy to play for HC Fassa.
Fussey is aged 27 and was born in Winnipeg Canada to British parents. He is the holder of a British passport and may come into contention for international honours with Team GB. Fussey was named the Elite League Newcomer of the Season at the 2010 Elite League awards. There was a number of hockey clubs vying for his services both UK teams and overseas teams, so this signing is a major coup for Coventry Blaze.   

Fussey joins up with the Blaze’s other latest signings that has delighted Coach Paul Thompson. He now has awesome goal scoring potential with Luke Fulghum re-signing for 2 years and Greg Chambers also confirmed for the new season. Coventry have also announced this week the signing of 20 years old Aaron Nell on a full time contract after he spent last season on a 2 way contract. Nell played most of his hockey last season with his home town club Swindon Wildcats of the EPL where he scored 45 goals in 57 games. He also played 13 games for Coventry last season and scored 1 goal. The 6’3” forward spent four years playing junior hockey in North America including three years at the Okinagan Hockey Academy.
Nell said “I’m really excited about playing in Coventry full time this season,” I’ve been very fortunate in that I was able to spend a lot of time in and around the club last season which gave me the chance to see first-hand just what a great organisation it is to be part of. That made the decision so easy for me. There’s not a better team or organisation to play for in the UK.

“It’s a great opportunity for me to continue to learn from Coach Thopmson and the rest of the players in both training and games but of course, being a full time member of the team next season, I really want to do my bit to help the team carry on from the success of last season by winning the championship again.”
Coach Thompson said “This club is a great fit for Aaron and he’s a great fit for Coventry, The two way contract last season gave us the opportunity to have a really good look at him and everyone was impressed with this attitude, commitment and skill level.
“He made a big impression last season. He’d travel hundreds of miles just for the chance to train with the team or to play for the Blaze in any type of game. That showed everyone just how determined he is to make it as a player at the highest level. I have no doubt that he’s going to really develop next season and I’m looking forward to being able to work with him on a full time basis to help him establish himself as a genuine Elite League player.” Thompson still has not signed a goaltender for the new season with last season’s goalie Peter Hirsch on international duty with Denmark at the world championships and not wanting to negotiate at this time. Thompson will look elsewhere if EHIL netminder of the year Hirsch does not commit by the end of May, and it was interesting that former Blaze goalie Jody Lehman was at the recent Coventry Blaze cricket game and played for the Blaze in the game. Although this is a social occasion it was still interesting although Lehman was non-committal when asked if he was returning to the Blaze. Contact the author Comment@Prohockeynews.com

GLASGOW, UK – Adam Calder is looking for a new job after what must surely be the shortest tenure of any ice hockey coach in the UK. The championship winning former Coventry Blaze Captain has agreed by mutual consent with the Braehead Clan senior management to cancel his contract as player/coach of the brand new ice hockey franchise.
This is surely a highly embarrassing start for the new Braehead Clan and you can only wonder what the people of Glasgow will make of it. It is hardly good public relations and Calder would not have walked away lightly, he is a fierce competitor and a honourable sportsman. It was first reported on www.activcoventry.com   last week that all was not well with the Calder move into coaching after he had a major disagreement with the senior director of the Clan over direction, ambition and style of play.
Calder will not be short of offers to play but it remains to be seen if he is offered a coaching role in the Elite League. There is a player/coach vacancy at Edinburgh Capitals and this would be incredibly ironic if he was to take up that job. If that happened he would be the coach of Braehead Clans’ closest rivals. The cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh are extremely competitive with each other in all aspects, there is fierce rivalry.
However there is speculation that Calder is considering a playing role with an EPL team. There is no chance of him returning to Coventry Blaze because Head Coach Paul Thompson has signed his replacement, with Owen Fussey heavily tipped to be on his way to Coventry from Edinburgh Capitals. This is a great signing for Coventry with Fussey having played in the NHL for Washington Capitals and having vast experience in the AHL.
Paul Adey the former head coach of Nottingham Panthers, has been linked with the head coach vacancy at the Clan. Adey has been coaching Renon Ritten in Italy and the Montreal native would offer the Clan a vast amount of experience.
Further speculation surrounds Coventry Blaze new blue liner Brad Zanon being given shirt number 00. Is this because the #6 shirt that Zanon has worn for his previous teams is reserved in Coventry for a Blaze favourite and legend from the 2004/5 grand slam winning team who only left Coventry last year to play in Denmark?
Speculation has been rife that Neal Martin could return to Coventry after his appearance at the Coventry Blaze 10 year anniversary celebrations in January this year. On this occasion Paul Thompson stated that he would love to have Martin back and Martin still has a house that he owns in Coventry. Martin “owns” the Coventry #6 shirt and the fact that Zanon has not been granted it has fanned the Blaze rumour networks.   If this is the case then Coventry are looking short of fighters in D and the fans will be wondering who the enforcers for next season are going to be. It has to be remembered of course that Coventry are allowed 11 imports for next season so there is still plenty of scope for enforcers to be signed.
Contact the author Comment@Prohockeynews.com