Elite League – Page 4

One on One with Olympic official Joy Tottman

Joy Tottman is a well-known name among British hockey circles. She’s been apart of Ice Hockey UK as well as the IIHF for over 15 years. What’s even better is she is a strong woman at the top of her game. The past Olympics in Sochi, Russia was her third consecutive time officiating the Winter Games and she held the honour of being selected to run the ice for the women’s gold medal game between Canada and the United States. I caught up with her to shed a little insight into what makes a strong woman referee and to give women here in Canada a chance at stepping into another part of the best sport on Earth.

March Hockey: How did you get involved in hockey? What made you head into the disciplinary part of the game?

Joy Tottman: I first started refereeing at the age of 12. I had wanted to learn how to skate and my dad had taken me to our local rink and given me the choice of playing hockey or figure skating and I chose hockey. I was playing under 10s and when we had games no officials were turning up. My dad was one of the only parents who could skate and so he took the referee course so that we could play our games. He would then have to stay on to referee the games after my game and so he got me to take the course too so I could stay on with him. I started to enjoy the refereeing and made the switch to just refereeing at a really young age. I guess it was a way for me to be involved in the game without the physical element of playing in a boy’s team.

MH: This past Olympics was your third. How do you prepare mentally and physically for an event of that size?

( Photo: Andre Ringuette / HHOF-IIHF Images)

JT: The physical preparation was a huge part of going to the Sochi Olympics. There was a pre-Olympic selection camp in August 2013 where we were tested on and off the ice. I had a trainer for off-ice who I saw 3 times a week and then did my own programme on the other days. Because I have a day job this meant training at 6am each morning. The mental preparation for me was all about getting game experience throughout the season and of course over the years. Making sure that I focused on each game and learned from the situations within it. It was about putting myself mentally in a place where I knew I was prepared and had done everything possible to be in the best shape and best frame of mind for the games. Continue reading “One on One with Olympic official Joy Tottman”

The development of hockey in the United Kingdom

A topic that has been hotly debated over the past couple weeks is the development of hockey in the United Kingdom. With former Coventry Blaze head honcho Paul Thompson relaying in an interview that the EIHL should just “drop the damn import limit”, there’s no wonder as to why the United Kingdom has struggled in the talent pool. I think Thompson has realized that his son will have nowhere to play real competitive hockey in the UK once he gets around draft age. Of course the sport of hockey is dealing with a set of countries that has its rooted firmly planted in the soccer pitch and cricket fields. The daunting task ahead is how to get the word out to everyone that hockey is an inferior sport. Here’s a brilliant look at Paul Wheeler’s take on the subject which you can read here.

I’ve become somewhat of a huge follower of the sport in the UK and with that being said, I’d like to take a look about a couple of things that I think are worth mentioning to help develop the sport. You can disagree with me and offer constructive criticism as of course, I don’t live anywhere near your beautiful nations of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland but I am going to do my best from this side of the pond to help and create awareness.

Right off the bat, the first thing that comes to mind is ice time. I’ve read through articles and noticed through tweets from some of my UK friends that they spend hours upon hours waiting to get their skates on the ice. (Especially women but that’s a whole other post). They don’t see it until midnight on some days. If you are wanting to grow your game, that is unacceptable. Solution?

Build more rinks. Continue reading “The development of hockey in the United Kingdom”

Twitter Takeover Q&A with @EIHLMEMES

Last Sunday before the Olympic gold medal game between Canada and Sweden, I took over the Twitter account of @EIHLMEMES and had the pleasure of answering some questions. At 5 o’clock in the morning I was half asleep but it was still tons of fun! Can’t wait to do it again. Here’s the transcript for anyone who missed it!

Make sure you give @EIHLMEMES a follow!

Ben Smith ‏@urbanbushmonkey 2m

@EIHLMEMES @MarchHockey Obviously Belfast were worthy champions, what do you think went wrong for Blaze?

A: Injuries is what screwed over the Blaze. Especially the timing of them. That and not playing as a team in the fall.

Frozen Steel Blog ‏@FrozenSteelBlog 1m

@EIHLMEMES @MarchHockey what got you into the EIHL?

A: Jeff Legue and I are from the same city so I kinda followed his career off and on. Really got into the EIHL this year.

Fi ‏@fionapm2001 3m

@EIHLMEMES do you think this year’s champs could beat last year’s?

A: Yes I most definitely do. Belfast is very strong offensively. I have yet to see another team in the league compete on their level.

Ben Smith ‏@urbanbushmonkey 5m

@EIHLMEMES do you think Blaze can/will win the playoffs?

A: I hate to say it but no. Their little turn around has come too far in the end of the season. They’re gonna get whipped. Continue reading “Twitter Takeover Q&A with @EIHLMEMES”

Why the Edinburgh Capitals are doing great things for UK hockey

While the Edinburgh Capitals have never really had a winning season, in my mind, they are doing wonders for the development of UK hockey and hockey in Scotland. This theory may not be a popular one for many but I feel it needs to be looked at.

Being in the Elite league for the past nine years, the Capitals have taken an odd route to their style of play compared to their club mates. Adopting a more European style, the club has very rarely used imports from North America. In fact, there may be only two or three on the roster from Canada right now. A few other imports have mostly come from the Czech Republic or Slovakia including an all Slovak coaching system.

The rest of the team is made up of all Scots. I think that is phenomenal. Edinburgh, whether they realize it or not, are developing Scottish and UK players more then their club mates. By focusing on building a truly European team, these players will be able to take their games to the next level; the international level. Again, whether they know it or not, I would love being a Scottish hockey player knowing I have a chance to make a team and that my job won’t be replaced by an import with a hockey resume that’s ten feet long.

To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best; a mantra I’ve said many times before. I wouldn’t be surprised if five years down the line the Capitals will be a force to be reckoned with. They are playing against teams whose rosters are mostly filled with imports who have an already established hockey background and have more often than not had the taste of victory. Yes, all of their top scorers are either Czech or Slovak but the skills and experience the rest of the team are going to get from them is nothing short of extraordinary.

By having more Europeans then North Americans on the team too forces the Scots and other UK players on the team to adopt more stick and puck handling skills. We all know North American hockey is more physical in play, the aforementioned skills is where they will eventually have the one up and will be able to make a decent stab at a living playing hockey in Europe.

Maybe it’s the fact that I like rooting for the underdog. Maybe my theory is a little blown up out of proportion. The Edinburgh Capitals are in the midst of turning this train around and building something worthwhile. Whether it’s in the Elite League for UK hockey, I think they’re doing something right.

Morale never been higher for Coventry Blaze

For the first time, I have never seen a team with more enthusiasm and grit then the Coventry Blaze this past week and a half.

Too bad it’s come at the end of the season.

I don’t know if it’s the fact the Soderstrom is out of the picture or if it’s Lefebvre’s ultimatum of the players having to play for their jobs but for the past two games, the Blaze have come out of the gates hungrier then ever. They say a change does you good and it certainly proves true with this club.

After another big win over the Braehead Clan, the focus now shifts to playing more as a unit. The defense needs to come together and help out goaltender Mike Zacharias or else they’ll be completely screwed come playoff weekend. Being able to control your emotions the way Ryan Ginand did with Chris Frank is a big attribute to have this late in the season. Frank suffered a three game suspension for his cheap shot, not a bright move.

Whether or not the Blaze are playing their hearts out is because of a change, one has to wonder if newly appointed head coach Marc Lefebvre has what it takes to lead this group past the end of playoff weekend. Will he do enough in this small amount of time to earn himself a complete full schedule next year? I’m not sure. I don’t know if the Blaze brass was looking at this as a short term solution or a long term investment.

However, whatever he’s did the past two games seem to be working. It could be fate that the powers that be will let this season end on a positive note. Lord knows it’s been nothing but bad news after bad news for the mighty blue. When the off season comes around, where do you start looking? What do you need to add to compliment your core players, that is if they even stick around?

The more moral may be at an all time high for the 2013/2014 season. The long term championship goal however seems light years away.

Coventry Blaze earn first win for new bench boss Marc Lefebvre

Who the heck is this team?!

Some kind of Blaze was lit underneath Coventry last night down in Wales. Coventry came out the gates hard and thumped the Cardiff Devils 7-3 all underneath the watchful eyes of new head coach Marc Lefebvre.

Earlier in the week Lefebvre had issued the ultimatum that the players were in fact playing for their jobs. It was time to man up and be held accountable for their actions. To say they answered that call is a bit of an understatement. This was not the same team we saw earlier in the year under the guidance of Matt Soderstrom. Lefebvre juggled some lines and brought Michael Henrich from defence up onto a offensive line and it worked wonders as he netted two goals. It will be interesting to see if Henrich stays in that position.

The unstoppable and beauty to watch Ryan Ginand continued his league leading ways adding his own two goals to the bunch

Granted, I know it’s only been one game and it was an away game at that. Most teams don’t feel the brunt of the pressure that’s on them until they are in front of their own fans in their own barn. That test will come this Sunday as the Braehead Clan come to town.

Marc Lefebvre, a native of Kanata, Ontario, started his career off spending three season in the Ontario Hockey League before heading across the pond. His crack at coaching didn’t come until 2011 when he was hired as GM and head coach of the now defunct 1000 Island Privateers of the Federal Hockey League. The next year, he was hired on by the Dayton Demonz.

I’ve heard numerous stories about Lefebvre surrounding his time in the FHL and most aren’t very good and very encouraging. However with this first game and win under his belt, the jitters are gone. The team is has responded and understood the message that’s been clearly sent.

You want to keep playing for Coventry, you need to Bleed Blue.

Coventry Blaze woes continue as season looms on

The Coventry Blaze weekend road trip to Braehead and Sheffield ended in losses with their second and third in 8 eight games. Those losses end up knocking them down a notch in the standings to 8^th position. As the sadness continues, fans have taken up arms to decide whose fault this is and why this season has been such a disastrous one.

If there’s one thing we can take out of this season is the Blaze’s ability to adapt to the situation when things take the down slope. I’ve seen teams come out way worse with the injuries and politics that Coventry have endured. That being said, where do you start pointing the finger? Do you point it behind the bench at Matt Soderstorm? Do you point it at the brass? Do you point it at the players themselves? It’s a combination of everything one would think.

However, I might be a little naïve but it’s only one season. The 2012-2013 season might have been under different circumstances but the Blaze did finish a very respectable 4^th in the league standings and ended up 3^rd in the playoffs. That’s not a shabby finish I’d say. So what if things have taken a bit of a downfall? After this season, there’s nothing to do but regroup, take a look at the good and bad while making the appropriate changes.

(Photo: Scott Wiggins. www.scottwiggins.co.uk) — (Photo: Scott Wiggins. http://www.scottwiggins.co.uk)

Do I think Matty Soderstorm is right for the job behind the bench? Given the hand he’s been dealt, I can’t really make a fair assumption. He’s doing what he can with what he’s got. It’s only his first season as Head Coach. Give him a bit of a break.

While I agree that there’s no reason why a team like the Coventry Blaze should be that far down in the standings in the 8^th spot, come next season, they’ll turn it around. You’re not the Edmonton Oilers for crying out loud.

Belfast Giants on the hunt to secure Regular Season Champ nods; rest of league in close

The Belfast Giants squad headed by Paul Adey has run away with it. His Giants lead league with an impressible 64 points; 19 ahead of the second place tied Sheffield Steelers and Dundee Stars. To say they have it in the bag it pretty much a lock in statement. It’s also safe to say they’ll be the 2013/2014 Erdhardt Conference champions for the second year in a row.

That being said, there’s a ridiculously close fight for second. The Sheffield Steelers and Dundee Stars are tied for 2^nd with 45 points. Following them are the Braehead Clan and Nottingham Panthers who are only a couple of points each away. The race to the top in these last few crucial weeks is going to play out for some exciting hockey.

England native, Craig Peacock lead the charge this past Sunday as he rallied for four points in the Giants win over the Sheffield Steelers. A bright hockey star from Peterborough, England, he has a bright future with the Giants or hell, the Elite league in general. A proud moment for a team that’s made half of its roster Canadian players.

Clearly, nobody is going to give the Giants a run for their money this late in the season. For the rest of the league, it’s time to battle down and start playing some offensive hockey. Personally, I see Sheffield taking aim at second and locking it in.

We are getting into the thick of it hockey fans. Now is where it’s going to get interesting.

Belfast are down in Wales tonight taking on the Cardiff Devils before the swing back home on Friday for a two night foray against the Hull Stingrays and Fife Flyers

Ryan Ginand’s performace should make Blaze brass think long and hard

The league’s leading scorer opened up the length of his domination this weekend after a Blaze dismantling of the Edinburgh Capitals and Nottingham Panthers. Now at 42 goals on the season with four coming this past weekend, brass of the Blaze now have to start looking at their prized possession seriously in order to keep him attached for next season.

The 27 year old American is in his first campaign in the Elite league and is proving to be a force. He spent last year floating around the East Coat and American leagues with the majority suiting up for the Orlando Solar Bears and Houston Aeroes. Of course there’s more of a competition in North America so he only registered 25 points. His Elite league totals now sit at 77.

With everything’s that happened with Coventry so far this season, it would be wise of them to think up a substantial offer to keep Ginand happy. Unless of course there’s family issues, or a desire for him to be back home in North America, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t. He has been a godsend for them this season through all the politics and injuries.

Ginand's impeccable penalty shot. Photo: Scott Wiggins. www.scottwiggins.co.uk — Ginand’s impeccable penalty shot. Photo: Scott Wiggins. http://www.scottwiggins.co.uk

He’s not the only Ginand out there with hockey skills. His brother, Phil Ginand, skated a bit in the New York Islanders system with the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers and spent some time down under with the Perth Thunder in the Austrailian Ice Hockey League.

This weekend the Blaze look to keep the momentum going as they head into Scotland to take on the Purple Army in the Braehead Clan. Saturday’s puck drop is at 7pm local time. The following Sunday they head to Sheffield to take on Jeff Legue and the Steelers.

The 2013/2014 Coventry Blaze and the Series of Unfortunate Events

Being a resident of North America, I have never had the chance to fully enthrall myself with the hockey of the EIHL. I knew it existed, players from my hometown have excelled there (I.E. Jeff Legue), and it’s one of the better leagues on the planet. Thanks to the power of modern technology, I have been able to catch a few of the Coventry Blaze home games. While most of what I watched is talented and entertaining hockey, a very frightening percentage of it was just god awful.

Now, I might go out on a limb here and say that this season is probably not a usual one for the Blaze. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong but I would like to think the Blaze ice a pretty competitive team. I also like to think a series of unfortunate events have led to their immediate downfall.

A 5 game losing streak at the beginning of the season may have attributed to goaltender Mike Zacharias and his ensuing Twitter scandal. May have been a lot on his mind. That being said, he has seemed to return to form but a lack of strong defence is what is keeping pucks in the net.

Shea Guthrie. (Photo: Scott Wiggins. www.scottwiggins.co.uk) — Shea Guthrie. (Photo: Scott Wiggins. http://www.scottwiggins.co.uk)

This is hockey and unfortunately injuries do happen. Sometimes they happen at the worst possible time as well which seems to be an unadulterated plague to the Blaze. Benn Olson missed 17 games with a broken finger. (Which has since forced him to drop the 2014 campaign). Gerome Giudice missed 8 games from what I can only assume was a concussion. However just when they seemed to be down and out, they emerge with the signing of fan favourites Mike Egener and Shea Guthrie. Finally, a ray of hope seemed to beckon down on the faceoff circle at the SkyDome.

Unfortunately that spot of sunshine didn’t last too long. Guthrie broke his own finger and at the time of writing is still a couple weeks away from return. Kevin Harvey also decided to give his notice and head back to his native Canada. A very untimely decision but sometimes the cards don’t fall the way you want them too. Upon taking all of this information in, you can just imagine the moral of the team and how that would affect statistics. Shockingly, goals for and goals against are neck and neck. On the other hand, it’s no surprise that the Blaze are the most penalized team in the league. Frustration mounts over time.

That being said, from here on in the Coventry Blaze need to start playing defensive hockey. Not that they haven’t been before but it’s time the defence core turned it up a notch and delivered. Yes, there’s a gap to fill with Olson gone but it’s possible with the caliber of defencemen on this team.

I’d like to say that the forwards need to step it up but they have. Ryan Ginand is the leading the league with 71 points. In fact, the Blaze have 3 scorers in the top 15. The only other team that matches that is the league leading Belfast Giants.

There’s plenty of time left to mount somewhat of a comeback and recapture the season. There’s not one person to blame for the plunging in the standings, so don’t even start to point fingers at Matt Soderstrom as he was dealt a lame hand. It’s a combination of things. Thus the Coventry Blaze and the Series of Unfortunate Events will enter a rink near you.