"Too Many Men"

I pity the fans of the "lesser 6". I mean it's bad enough that their financial situation is poor as it is, and if you ever go to Hull you'll see that the crowds there are about as strong as Stephen Hawking, but they soldier on regardless!

And if it wasn't bad enough.. now their pride has been taken by the league.. who have decided that its better to "give them a hand" and change the rules. It's like being back at school when playing football and girls were involved.

"You can't tackle the girls in this game"

I wonder will that be a new rule? You can't check the young players.

This could be quite an entertaining off season if this sort of things continues. We're still under a month from the end of last season and we've had our first rule change. One a month should be just right.

May: "Multi-puck game to employed if no result after triple OT"

June: "Each team must ice at least one Over 50 year old player"

July: "For every goal, the opposing team must remove one article of clothing"

August: "Rush-Goalies"

That should do it.

Oh by the way, Leigh Jamieson is signing for Coventry.

Panthers looking for 'lottery funding'

Following the information from my colleague Derek White, I got a call from one of our sources in Nottingham. It appears Neil Black, the Panthers chairman has been spotted coming out of a local newsagents with 5 national lottery tickets in one hand and prayer beads in the other.

It's oh... so quiet...shhhhh....shhhhhh

ZZZZZzzzzzzz, ZZZZZZZZzzzzzz,

*prod prod*

ZZZZZZZzzzzzz, ZZZZZZZzzzzzz

*kick*

*cough* *splutter* Huh? What? Huh? Oh.. sorry, I dosed off there.

Yes things have gone awfully quiet on the old EIHL front.. I know that the Panthers have decided they are above the law, while, Reservoir Dogs reject, Mr Black is watching too much of the Apprentice, or reading Roman Abramovich’s auto biography, with his hiring and firing.

Mike Ellis has been the most successful Panthers coach since the turn of the century, winning two trophies in two seasons, so OF COURSE he should be fired you petty fools! He’s both too big for his boots AND bringing too much happiness to the folk of Nottingham.

In a city where gun crime is at an all time high, firing someone can mean an all matter of different things, but where will Mr Ellis (whose career path is naïvely misjudged, having now been successful with the Bees AND the Panthers… idiot) disappear too… The Plough has it on decent authority (not great.. just decent), that Mike will follow the bread crumb trail left from the NIC by his predecessor Mr Adey and travel to the Italian League. A league where being successful, and winning trophies is seen as a GOOD thing…?!

Those Italians and their crazy views on life eh!

Right, I’m off back to sleep.

The Animals Came In Two By Two...

There must be something in the air out there in Austria. I mean, How many kids did General Von Trapp need? And what killed Mrs Von Trapp? Having all those kids for sure!

Well it seems our friend Mr Thornton is bucking the trend with the Giants and has signed another Brit to a 2 year deal. This time it's Stevie Lyle. The Plough told you yesterday of the Great Welsh Masterplan, and it seems part one has been put in place.

As for Part 2?

Watch this space!

Princes of Wales

Seems the Belfast Giants are in the market for a “Welsh Dream Team” (you don’t see those words together often). Despite rumours to the contrary, it seems that Stevie Thornton is very keen to retain his former Cardiff Devils team mate and same-first-name-buddy Stevie Lyle as Giants backstop. But it don’t stop there ladies and gentlemen, oh no!

The Giants are looking to form their own Welsh Male Voice Choir by putting Nathan Craze by the door as his back-up. The difference with Nathan in goal is that Thornton doesn’t need to make a gentlemans agreement with other coachs to ensure the back-up doesn’t face anything more than wrist shots.

Harsh!

":thf:"

THF. Eh? What a forum, made up of “those who know”, “those who think they know” and “those who don’t have a bloody notion but will shout till they are heard”

I mean you look at some of the quite hilarious speculation on there and you’ll find some deep seeded opinions formed in some cold, damp Heineken league rink, as Barry Davis commentated on Rick Brebant scoring his 12^th of the game for the Durham Wasps….. it aint like the good ol’ days is it! These young whippersnappers!

The Plough loves THF be it only for the recurring nonsense and wide of the mark speculation. But mainly for its attempt to be a “brand”. Have you noticed that some people won’t type the letters “THF”. They feel the need to use the little logo? Just in case you weren’t sure what THF they were talking about. I mean you could be talking about Tetrahydrofuran, it’s an easy mistake to make… or you could mean ThirdForce plc. all very reasonable. But no.. there isn’t any doubt when you use the little “branding”.

Anyway… Roll on THF7…. Oh.

A Irony Bombshell from the Panthers dropped on us all

If you spend any time nerding it up on the hockey message boards all day long looking for some juicy off season gossip then you will probably have came across this little catch.

It leaked on the Devils forum at first then spread across the interweb quicker than some chain mail that promises true love within six weeks if you forward it to more than ten people.

At first the rumors were tame - player signings, who would be playing in the league next year (same as last year), and what the future was for a team potentially playing out of Dundalk one day. Then came this bombshell:

"Neil Black has told the other clubs that he will break the cap regardless so he can give his punters a better class of hockey."

Now take a moment to digest this and if your not quite sure who this is we're talking about - it's the Nottingham Panthers. If you’re not quite sure about the irony in this then let me inform you that the Panthers are the first to cry foul upon every signing any other team makes.

"Wage cap, wage cap" can be heard echoing across the East Midlands throughout the off-season and only a few days ago a new British record was smashed when after just a matter of days into the new off-season. The Belfast Giants signed Colin Shields to - in what Nottingham terms must have been - a £500K per year contract. The Giants in that one signing flew across the leagues wage cap quicker than Rod Stevens will fly across the Odyssey ice next season.

So back to this quote from Mr. Black. Did he actually say this? Surely not? Well if he did then he has either (a) exposed the wage cap for exactly what it is - a waste of time, or (b) shown a complete disregard for the rules. Where will it end? Will the Giants and Steelers match his spending spree? Ladies and Gentlemen - Welcome to the British Super League part deux.

Still, it's neither 'a' nor 'b' that I give a toss about - It's the shear irony of it all.

~Raoul

Hutchins signs in Edinburgh

Strike the story I was just beginning to write ... My phone has just went and it was the source back in Calgary. The guy has barely let me land after a long flight home before calling. Anyway, It seems that ex-Viper and ex-Giant, Jeff Hutchins has signed for the team North of the border - the Edinburgh Capitals. This isn't in the public domain yet but the story is legit. Hutchins will be teaming up with close friend and Capitals GM/Coach Doug Christiansen and will add a huge scoring touch and a physical element to the Capitals side for next season.

More to follow … Thanks for reading. I'm off to shower.

The Plough goes 2 for 2

If the Leafs had a powerplay as accurate as us they would still be playing hockey right now.

We promised a reliable service and already we're delivering. Of two rumours we brought you yesterday, both have eventually hit public domain and proved to be correct. Opening things up we informed you of Immelman's Immanent Masters victory with 5 holes to play then followed it up with breaking news of the Belfast Giants signing of Colin Shields to a two-year deal.

Always proving to be one day ahead, you heard it here yesterday and heard it in the mainstream media today.

Watch this space for more developing stories in UK hockey.

A freak meeting with an old friend of ours

Good morning and Good evening, Men, Woman, Children, Friends, Foes and Blaze fans. Firstly, a big thank you to my good friend and long term press associate Mr. Derek White for the invite to give my thoughts on British Hockey and even hockey further a-field.

How I came to be here all started just a few days ago when talking to Derek on the phone after a long flight away from the playoff weekend and away from that overcrowded and smelling press box in Nottingham area to Calgary to let my hair down, in the fresh air of the rocky mountains.

I was telling Derek a story about an interesting night out I had on what they call the 'Red Mile' in the centre of Calgary. When he heard the story he said it had to go online. I told him,

"By all means tell that story old friend, the masses will get a kick out of it, but beware a bitter few that you beat to the news may hunt you down like a dog. Remember some people do not like an unofficial breaking of any kind of story."

"I wont hear of it" he replied, "You tell the story. Let them hunt you down like a dog". And so, that’s how it came to pass that I sit here now in this two-star hotel room on the edge of Calgary on my dying laptop watching the Masters golf and telling you why I am here, why I am writing and how my coincidental meeting with a former Giants star lead us to our first source to what Mr.White decided would form the perfect website.

What is a man broken of money from a weekend in Nottingham to do with himself over a long week in Calgary other than hit the bar with a red hot visa card. It was on the way out of one gentleman’s club on the lookout for another, when a bruising man passed me on his way in. If I hadn't of had my head up like the hockey player within me I probably would have been ran over.

"Excuse Me," I said. But as he looked down at me ready to spew out a line of verbal trash, I realised who the bastard was that stood before me. Now normally I am not one for holding back on a persons name, but out of courtesy, respect and future information from this old friend of ours I will with-hold that name for now. Worry not though, I have him by the balls. No man should be seen in such a drunken state at such a venue as this. Wait . . . Have I just implemented myself?

Anyway. We went into the pub next door for a couple of beers and a bit of catch up. We talked about the old days of British hockey, the present days of British hockey, and then about the future. Boy this man still kept tabs on British hockey and he was full of information that other sources would die for.

It was then that a deal was struck and for now no more shall be said. I left that bar and wondered aimlessly for a while before waking up the following morning trying to remember everything I was told. Had this incident really taken place? At that moment I got onto the phone to Mr. White and so here we are, watching the final holes of the Masters golf and looking forward to another summer of off-season hockey.

If three's a crowd.. whats 4?

We all know that Hicks can't be trusted, and the Carsons whistle happy and that the EIHL fans can jump on refs backs as quick as billyo...

however what of the current chats going on with Simon Kirkham and Andy French that propose a 4 man reffing system? Surely the EIHL dont have the personnel?

We know that Mr Staniforth vows never to ref again and is back on the lines... while some lino's and refs are happy to do EIHA but not take the step up due to the EIHL being demanding without many rewards... so will this be another attempt to push a change that wont stick?

When will they ever learn?

All Celts Together?

Seems the proposed "Celtic/Northern League" may be gaining speed, a few of the EIHL teams are unhappy with the running of the league and are pressing for a northern based league that may invove the Stingrays and the Vipers.

The Scottish teams would be in.. but Belfast wish to hold in the EIHL as long as they can.

Shielded from the Sun!

GB Team are out in Austria enjoying the international scene. Word from the camp is that the Belfast Giants are about to announce the signing of Colin Shields on a 2 year deal.

But Mr Shields is not traveling alone. No No.

Seems his Vipers line-mate Mr Jackson is to cross the Irish sea alongside him.

Blame is on the Boogie!

Taylor Made?

First a Little Non-Hockey News, Our friend at the CBS Sports Desk says that Immelman was already being sized up for his Green Jacket before the first ball was hit.