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Question and Answers
Question 3: In the last 10 years, the face of British Ice Hockey has change radically. How would you summarise these changes, and in what way have these affected your role in the game?
The standard went way up during the Superleague era and then took a big dip the first year of the elite league. I think the last few seasons the standard has gotten better and better each year and is at the stage where financially teams can survive and the long term success of the game in the UK is more stable now. - Todd Kelman, Belfast Giants.
Not Applicable - Mike Hay, British Olympic Association - Olympic Performance Manager.
It has changed dramatically. Superleague was a fundamental business and sports development mistake. Although originally skeptical about the advent of the Elite League it has been a blessing. It has been more responsible for British talent development and progression than any other factor at the professional level over 5 years. British players can now earn a good living again; with good career opportunities and the standard and pathways to get involved at the top end are much more accessible than they were 10 years ago. - Brent Pope, Cardiff Devils.
The changes I’ve noticed is that the coaches of the EIHL and the EPL are using their Brits much more than when I was in the country. This is because the ownership is smartly putting the development of their local British talents ahead of the short term results – good job boys!!! - Chris McCsorely.
The Nynex Arena in Manchester (now MEN) changed British Ice Hockey. Admittedly we had Sheffield Arena before this but the management and structure of the Steelers management at the time played within the agreed rules (e.g. import and wage cap limits). When Manchester moved up after there first season and Nottingham moved into the NIC all bets were off. The ISL suffered from the misguided idea that more imports meant better hockey and were stupid enough to pay through the nose for North American under achievers. No proper business plan was in place to sustain the increased costs.
When the Sheffield has to keep up with Manchester and Nottingham had to keep up with Sheffield, John Hall at Newcastle just threw money in without a clue. Wage caps were bent and if the ISL (or then BIHA) threatened legal action regarding imports the clubs hid behind EU legislation. - Andy Smith, Fifth Line.
I think it has changed for the better on the British player front as over the last 6 years or so there are more opportunities for our home grown players to develop in the EPL, SPL and Elite level as the Super league did not develop any indigenous players but with the new league structures the Brits play a pivotal role. My role is to try and improve every player that plays for me so it’s not affected my role in that sense. - Paul Thomson, Coventry Blaze & GB Head Coach.
In many ways the game has changed for the better in terms of developing British talent and allowing a larger number of talented domestic players opportunities to play at the highest levels. When I was playing for the Flames in 1997 we had 12-13 non British trained players and the Superleague was nearly all foreign. We now have 4 foreign nationals, clearly opening space for British trained juniors to move to the senior level. Elite league clubs have also cut foreign player numbers from the Superleague days to create similar opportunities. - Kirk Humphreys, Guildford Flames.
Creation and collapse of the Superleague; loss of household name sponsors Heineken and Benson & Hedges. - Stewart Roberts, Ice Hockey Annual.
I’d question the commitment that some top level teams have shown towards junior development over the years. It seems to be improving of late. As a supporter, I have loved seeing the few home grown players make the ice…but opportunities are rare. - Clinton Cooper, Kingston Jets.
The game is more professional now and the affiliation of fans to the players is distant compared to previous years, I do feel the hockey would be adopted more in the UK if there were fewer imports and we were working towards a GB born GB team as well - Jon Kynaston, Peterborough Phantoms.
The demise of the Superleague has been a good thing for ice hockey in the UK. The Superleague was a great idea but it was not commercially feasible at the time. One of the most obvious benefits from this is the importance of British players. The Elite League has got a great blend of imports and British players. People want to watch star imports come over and ply their trade but also want the development of British players to continue to improve.
My role has changed in that I have gone from an import player to a Superleague player and now back to an import player. I still find it hard to believe that I cannot be classed as British as I only have a British passport, live here, have kids here. Maybe it’s my accent. - Steve Moria, Slough Jets.
I am primarily involved with universities ice hockey. Ten years ago there were only three universities ice hockey clubs. Today, there are 15 clubs, over 30 teams and 3 divisions of a national cup competition, in addition to 3 tiers of an annual national championships. The GBU team participated in the bi-annual FISU World University Games (Torino 2007) for the first time ever. - Simon Hopkins, University Hockey.