British players at Coventry Blaze,

[covunistudent]

and in the elite league in general. (This is meant to be part of the subject but it only allows me to have a limited number of characters.)

There aren't that many. Most of the players looking at the roster list were born in either Canada, or America. A couple of players are from Slovakia. There is very few from Britain.

I realize that Blaze are top of the elite league, and in the challenge cup final so I am not complaining.

But is this harming the development of British Ice Hockey? How good are British players in general? I guess its to do with how the youth systems are, so players can develop by being with the club. And in general how many British players are at Sheffield, Nottingham, Cardiff etc. Can Britain challenge for a Winter Olympic gold medal, at the next Winter Olympic games, or is that light years away?

I suppose theres good points and bad points seeing players from the NHL youth teams. (I suppose they see the elite league in Britain as a step down from the NHL.) How does ice hockey in Britain in the elite league compare to leagues in other countries. (i.e. if the winners of each league in the world had a sort of ice hockey "champions league" (like in football) how good would the winners of the British Elite league be.)

And is having players from Canada and the USA good or bad for British ice hockey. I suppose its both really, but does one outweigh the other?

[Claret & Blue Army]

We had more regular Brits who got a shift last season, however the overall plan of the Elite league is to bring them up to scratch gradually.
Bearing in mind where we have come from in the old ISL situation the current approach is by far the best. If you force teams to have x amount of Brits then their price will shoot through the roof. No the current way is the best

By the way GB have already shelved plans for qualifying fir the next Olympics

[covunistudent]

Chief said:

By the way GB have already shelved plans for qualifying fir the next Olympics

Why? This makes no sense. If Ice Hockey is ever going to become popular in the UK, there has to be the opportunity for people to get involved in watching it. The Olympics is the ideal (and the best) way for this to be done.

[Carpo]

As much as it pains me to admit, we had next to no chance of qualfying for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games.

Even if we won our Preliminary Round, we'd have to through a quafying round, and that's £20k that IHUk doesn't have.

[Claret & Blue Army]

With little or no funding from the very top an Olympic attempt is wishful thinking

[Carpo]

And the reason why we don't get money from Sport England etc...

No unified league structure.

People who want to despute that, i suggest they check out cricinfo for the latest on the cricket funding from Sport England.... same problem lack of a unified structure.

[Claret & Blue Army]

But didn't cricket have one boring league foe aeons before splitting into two divisions to add a bit of excitement.



Besides how would funding affect crickets bid to have an Olympic team? ;D


Would a unified league really be this utopia with more major sponsorships, tv deals and government funding?
More to the point would the movers and shakers within the sport see it that way?

[Carpo]

It's not to do with two divisions, it's to do with having different parts of the sport that don't talk to each other!

The short answer is, a united league would get the governements attention, and you'd be able to get lottery funding etc.

I know you all hate me rambling on about Women's Hockey, but we have a unified league structure with a Premier and D1 and Promotion/Relegation. All controlled by a single governing body (the EIHA).

Guess what, we're eligable for lottery funding, just like the juniors are.

If your going to get funding and have the governent take you seriously, you need a unfied league from top to bottom.

End of story.

[Claret & Blue Army]

We will never have a proper unified league due to some of the power brokers involved.


Anyway back to the Brits,

British players I'd like to see at the Blaze would David Clarke who has always looked impressive as well as Leigh Jamieson who looked very solid on Sunday

Who would others have?

[Carpo]

Clarke definatly, especially as he's turned to skill instead of being a dirty player.

Very impressed with Wojajak (sp?) from Nottingham, cracking young player would love to see him in a blaze shirt.

[covunistudent]

Right thanks for all your replies.

I do think there needs to be a promotion and relegation system. Football is the best sport in the world, and basically ice hockey needs to copy it.

I also think its a bit silly that we play teams in the BNL such as Hull, Dundee etc.

If I had it my way I would have maybe 8 teams in the elite league, then the BNL, then the leagues could be regionalised i.e. English Premier League, Scottish Premier League etc.

If a team went bust and reformed, they would have to start at the bottom of the leagues. I don't think its right that Manchester will be allowed to be back into the elite league, after they quit for a season. Any place left by a team going bust could be filled from a highly placed team in the next league down.

Its a shame we haven't even entered the Olympics. Is it the best competition in the World for the Olympics or is there a better competition than the Olympics (in the same way that the FIFA World Cup is the best competition for football and not the Olympics.) For example is it the NHL, that is more important over in Canada (the main ice hockey country) or the Olympics. But one thing is certain if you don't enter you certainly won't win.

And in my original post on this topic I mentioned about the youth teams. How good is the system at Coventry Blaze? How many players in the 1st team have come from the youth team? How long would it take to get a load of players from the youth teams?

[covunistudent]

Chief said:

Bearing in mind where we have come from in the old ISL situation the current approach is by far the best.

I am not too clued up on the history of ice hockey in the UK, its quite a new sport for me.

I don't even know what ISL stands for although I guess L stands for league. What was the situation and what happened?

[Carpo]

The ISL produced the highest standard of hockey this country has seen post-war.

The problem was, in it's final seasons it had about 5-6 Brits playing in it in total!

The average team had 18 imports, predomindatly from North America playing a very fast, very physical style of hockey.

[Rich]

covunistudent said:

And in my original post on this topic I mentioned about the youth teams. How good is the system at Coventry Blaze? How many players in the 1st team have come from the youth team? How long would it take to get a load of players from the youth teams?

When Blaze first set up their junior system I seem to remember Thommo saying that it would take 10 years for any local players to make it through to the full team. Well Nathanel Williams who is still playing for the Under 19's has made it into the full team now, which is fantastic although it will be a good few years (if ever) before Blaze have a first line of local lads.

[Carpo]

PbP:

I do think there needs to be a promotion and relegation system. Football is the best sport in the world, and basically ice hockey needs to copy it. - No no no a thousand times no.

Why copy football? The only similarity with football is that both sports use nets and that's about it.

You think the gap between Premiership and D1 is huge? The gaps between the leagues, are massive in UK hockey. You simply can't promote a team up and except them, under what will probably be the same financial conditions as last year. With the greatest of respect to the BNL teams they've only won 20% of the games against EIHL opposition and if they were subjected to the intensity of it week in and out that would drop not increase IMO.

I also think its a bit silly that we play teams in the BNL such as Hull, Dundee etc. - Why? Playing Cardiff is great. Playing Cardiff 10/12/14 times a seasaon isn't. The BNL teams have added variety into the league and it's been excellent IMO.

The leagues are already regionlised, but you simply cannot put promo/rel between them. The gap between EIHL and BNL is huge, the gap between BNL and EPIHL is even greater.

If a team went bust and reformed, they would have to start at the bottom of the leagues. I don't think its right that Manchester will be allowed to be back into the elite league, after they quit for a season. Any place left by a team going bust could be filled from a highly placed team in the next league down. - Again why? Teams should play at a level that is financially sustainable. The thing you don't want to do is have an English National League team playing out of a multi-purpose arena. If a team can afford Elite Hockey they should be allowed to play it, simple as that. I don't think any of us begrudged Manchester Phoenix playing in the elite last year...


Olympics - Look.

1) Would we have won our Preliminary Group? Maybe. We could have done it, at a cost to IHUK of about £10,000.

but

2) Would we have then won the Qualification Group to qualify for the olympics? Up against teams like Switzerland, Latvia, Kazahstan? I don't think so and i'm sorry to say that, but we wouldn't have. It's another £20,000 and this sport doesn't have wads of cash to throw and pie in the sky projects like trying to qualify for the Olympics.

There are only 12 spots open at the Olympics. If you look at the groups can you honestly tell me that we're better than any of these nations:

Group A: (Switzerland, Italy (HOST), Germany, Finland, Czech Republic, Canada)

Group B: (USA, Sweden, Slovakia, Russia, Latvia, Kazakhstan)

Apart from Italy who are there as the host nation.

Finally:
How good is the system at Coventry Blaze?

Excellent, largest junior programme in the country.

How many players in the 1st team have come from the youth team?

One, Nathaniel 'BT' Williams.

How long would it take to get a load of players from the youth teams?

At least another 10 years, maybe more.