EDINBURGH, UK –
1ST March, 2010. The hockey world, well the Canadian part anyway, is still basking in the warmth of their Overtime win against the USA in yesterday’s Olympic Final. I suspect that the cumulative effect on the sale of blood pressure medication increased greatly when the Americans got their equaliser and it could be seen that pulling the goalie actually works once in a while. Sidney Crosby star continues to rise on the playing front. Better than Gretzky? We’ll wait a while for that one.
Here in Scotland Edinburgh Capitals topsy-turvy season continues apace. Maybe they should have shot Alice In Wonderland in Murrayfield. Casting for the Mad Hatter and the Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee parts might have been tough though. Anyone trying to make a living by betting on Caps games this season will have found it very tough. They win in Coventry and Cardiff, they get pasted in Sheffield, and then win there, they lose in Overtime then they win. We have had it all when you throw in the fact that the first time Capitals had all 10 imports on the ice was February (and now 2 of those are out hurt) shows what a remarkable achievement that they still have a shout of finishing 5th. Sheffield is starting to find some results so the battle for 6th and even 7th is still a big issue.
At the weekend the ice in Belfast was deemed too dangerous after a “crevice” opened up and with just over 2 seconds of the second period to go the game will have to be replayed and is tentatively arranged for March 15th. Aside from the cost issues of another trip to Northern Ireland and the ensuing rushes to catch the last ferry Caps now face 6 games in 9 days just ahead of the Play-Offs. Fatigue will be a factor. Oh and who does pay the ferryman?
Meanwhile the other big news in this part of the Hockey world is a rumour, again I hear you sigh, of another Elite team emerging in Glasgow. As always cries, in both senses of the word, go up for Dundee Stars and Fife Flyers to join the league but the bridges to those teams seem to have been well burned. Indeed, the rumour has the owner of another Elite league team involved in this team. Let’s call them the Glasgow Panthers shall we? Shame we can’t do emoticons in these pieces.
As always time will tell. Whether the fixture jam will affect Caps Play-Off chances is the more important matter for Caps fans just now in any case. Many Caps and other team fans believe that Caps can go on a run if they hit form at that time. Like Crosby and Canada they’ll take an Overtime winner in the Play-Off final. After all Edinburgh is called the Athens of the North and Mount Olympus isn’t that far away.
Enjoy your hockey.
Contact the author Jim.Sneddon@Prohockeynews.com
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