BELFAST, UK – Coventry Blaze and GB National Team Coach Paul Thompson and Cardiff Devils Coach Gerad Adams will join up with Giants Coach Doug Christiansen to assemble the Elite League All-Star Team that will take on the Boston Bruins on October 2nd. The best of the Elite League, playing under the name of the Belfast Giants Selects, will take on the full Bruins squad in October, in one of their final games before they kick off their season against the Phoenix Coyotes the following weekend. Giants GM Todd Kelman spoke about his coaching selections:
“I always had the plan to bring together the coaches from the top teams in the Elite League last season to assemble the best team possible to take on the Bruins. Paul Thompson has proven to be the most successful coach since the Elite League began, our own Doug Christiansen was nominated for Coach of the Year last season and Gerad Adams has consistently been able to find ways to win in big games over the years, a quality I have always admired about him. As a league, we are taking this game extremely serious and the players selected will understand that we are facing one of the best teams in the world in the lead up to the start of their season. These guys will want to show us they are the best in the world and we want to show them that we can compete.”
“I also have already spoken to Corey Neilson from the Nottingham Panthers and I asked him if he wanted to coach or play. I think that Corey is one of the top players in the league as well as an outstanding coach and I am happy to confirm that his intentions are to be on the ice against the Bruins on October 2nd. Although I do not know Ben Simon, the new coach in Sheffield, he would be a likely choice to represent the Steelers on the All-Star team, and I’m sure the coaching staff will be in touch with both Ben and Corey over the next week to get their opinions on how the squad will shape up.”
Giants Head Coach Doug Christiansen said: “The Elite League All-Stars will be made up of the best of the best. The intention is for the coach’s to meet in Belfast next week to short list the players we want to play together. I think we are all looking forward to this, we love putting teams together and with a list of some great returning players and new imports coming in, the team should have a good mix of players from throughout the League. We are going to have these guys prepared to face off against the Bruins, we want to put on a great show for the Elite League fans and hopefully, this is the first step to building a lasting relationship with the NHL.”
“We are hoping for an atmosphere similar to the Playoff Finals in Nottingham last April. We want every team’s fans to come together for an event to celebrate the sport we all love. This is a once in a lifetime event and the entire league is looking forward to seeing the Bruins hit the ice on Saturday, October 2nd.”
Tickets for the Giants Elite League Selects V the Boston Bruins are available by logging onto www.ticketmaster.ie or www.belfastgiants.com or by calling the Odyssey Box Office on 028 9073 9074.
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