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Elite Ice Hockey League


Zanetti

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I was at the first leg of the Clan vs ull playoff. Hull defended very well all game. Braehead took a LOT of penalties, and ended up down 5 on 3 with 30 seconds to go, when Hull scored to get it back to 3-2. I new that would be costly.

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  • 2 months later...

Just noticed Braehead Clan are participating in the Champions Hockey League this year.

Could be an interesting match for a first timer (Me!)

Bit of advice, try get your tickets early :) They do sell pretty quickly.

Bit gutted for Hull but I'm guessing there wasn't much appetite for Hockey there given low attendance was cited as one of the reasons they've folded.

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Saddened to see Hull folding, not one of the better supported teams but feel for their loyal fans especially after the relative success of last season, they'll be gutted. Running a professional hockey team in this country isn't really a money making venture, it just shows how unsustainable this level of playing staff is for the smaller clubs without a wealthy benefactor behind the scenes. Hence why I'm always concerned the Caps owner decides to chuck it or runs out of cash!

All a bit whirlwind them being replaced with Manchester Storm, will need to go down and take a game in at some point this season.

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The Wards have done an amazing job with Dundee Stars but any one of Dundee, Edinburgh or Fife could be in Hull's shoes today. It really is hand to mouth existence.

Looks like rapid solicitors pulling out of sports sponsorship has hit them hard.

Manchester is an interesting one. They didn't exist until last week. Manchester Phoenix have been kicked out of the altrincham rink and now look set to play 50 miles away in North Wales. The altrincham owners are now running Manchester Storm and gambling that local fans would rather stay local and watch elite league.

Looks like a shoddy sticking plaster in the short term and don't see Manchester getting crowds above 300-400 in short term. Obviously the potential for an arena team is huge but it's really messy down there right now.

With rumours of a London team all set to go for 16/17 it means we need another team to make up the 12,presumably a Manchester team were being lined up to be on board for that expansion.

Potentially Aberdeen Lynx if they get a backer but more likely Milton Keynes.

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Potentially Aberdeen Lynx if they get a backer but more likely Milton Keynes.

Aberdeen would need a backer prepared to lose a lot of money unless they get a new rink built. What they have at the moment is unsuitable and unsustainable. One sided rinks are terrible for fans, I went to a Minsk derby game in a one sided rink and it's a very bizarre experience.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Aberdeen is an option but not without massive changes to their rink. Can the AECC take a hockey size ice pad? Might be a good solution and I'm sure the AECC would like a venue user for 27 nights a year.

Talk of Liverpool being the new team joining with London to keep the conference splits. Would give Manchester a local derby and further strengthen calls for Belfast to move to the Northern conference.

Edited by BallochSonsFan
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Anyone want to take a punt at predictions?

I think Braehead Dundee and Edinburgh have all made some great acquisitions. Fife don't seem to have got out of the blocks yet.

I'll say

Gardiner

Braehead

Dundee

Edinburgh

Fife

Manchester

Elite

Sheffield

Braehead

Belfast

Nottingham

Cardiff

Dundee

Coventry

Edinburgh

Fife

Manchester

Challenge Cup

Braehead

Playoffs

Belfast

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I think you could probably bump Fife up to third as they've signed Kyle Jones, so won't get many past them even if they aren't too sharp up front.

They've signed David Brown. Jones has retired.
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Brown could look genuinely solid on a few occasions but more often than not looked like a complete bomb scare.

Gardiner looking quite tight from 2nd to 4th this year. Manchester will finish 5th/10th. Beyond that, Chubak may well backstop the Caps to 8th overall/3rd in the conference at the expense of Fife. Stars should finish 2nd in the conference. Clan will win it and have a cracking shot of the league title too.

Losing Salters was a blow but we did well keeping Meyer, Keith, Fritsch and Aarsen. We've bagged an upgrade in goals, a stanley cup winning offensive D in Jackman, a solid hard hitting tough D in McIver, a couple of really good offensive options in Leavitt and Brooks and a tough forward in Bruton.

Brits let us down a bit - Cownie was a great pick up and keeping Sullivan, Haywood and Davis was good but I just don't rate Bari McKenzie. He had a break out year in Edinburgh then didn't progress. Better options in the EPL.

2 imports left to sign. Clan looking really good on paper. If it all comes together then we should be an excellent team this year. Cant wait for the Ingolstadt games either - wont predict a win but I will predict that they'll be close.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Gardner conference looks interesting this year, would expect Braehead to win it but from there back who knows.

Went to the Caps v Braehead Challenge Cup game and Edinburgh gave as good as they got and battered Clan for the first half of the match. In the end, Clan's extra bit of sharpness and quality in front of the net was decisive. Both goalies were outstanding.

Caps seem to have abandoned the continental style of Hockey favored by former manager and now Clan assistant manager Richard Hartmann so will be interesting to see how it pans out.

Hope Braehead can challenge for the overall title again this season, they were very impressive against Ingolstadt in the CHL.

Just as an aside, I'm going to the Koln Haie v Nurnberg Ice Tigers game at the end of October, anyone ever been to see a DEL game or know about the league? The arena is certainly very impressive!

arena_innen.jpg

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Just as an aside, I'm going to the Koln Haie v Nurnberg Ice Tigers game at the end of October, anyone ever been to see a DEL game or know about the league? The arena is certainly very impressive!

Yeah, I went to see Kolner Haie against DEG Metro Stars about ten years ago (time flies). I met the ERC Ingolstad team (including Marco Sturm) when hitchhiking, but they didn't let me on their team bus to go with them to Cologne, where they were playing that evening. Having eventually made my own way there, I was given a lift by a Haie fan who had been at the game, so from then Haie became my DEL team of favour and I've had a gripe about Ingolstad ever since.

Cologne and Dusseldorf have a huge rivalry and the game sells out quickly. The Kolner Haie staff were excellent though and actually phoned my work the day before tickets officially went on sale to make sure I got one, it arrived in the post two days later.

The league is a good standard, much stronger than the EIHL (you can ignore that CHL dead rubber the Germans played away from home). Unfortunately, like the EIHL a lot of the teams lack history and there's been plenty of financial trouble, so "purists" look down on it a bit compared to the likes of the Czech Extraliga and Finnish Liiga. They do produce a good day out though.

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