Five All-time Favourite Blaze Players

[Rich]

I got this idea of a Coventry City Forum. Basically name your five all-time favourite players for Coventry Blaze. It is hard because you can only name five. You don't have to name who you think are our five best ever (if that was the case everyone would be naming current players). Just name your five favourite and they can be your favourite for any reason.

Mine would be in no particular order:
1.) Frenchie. Captained us to the BNL double, was with Blaze for most of his career and is also our record point/goal scorer.
2.) Ashley Tait. Has been great for us ever since he arrived, has scored a fair few goals and played a big part in our success. And to this day he is still doing a very good job for us now as captain.
3.) Steve Cooper. A Brit, was a great d-man over the years but what gets him into MY top five is his performance in one game. Guildford Flames in the 2002 Playoff semi final first leg. We were 2-0 and he near enough single handedly got us back into the game and won it for us.
4.) Michael Tasker. Wore his heart in his sleeve. So full of energy, always happy to mix it, scored his fair share of goals and he used to always salute Block 2 after games
5.) Kurt Irvine. A real entertainer, would drop his gloves with anyone even if they were twice his size. Spent a long time with Blaze too. Also he was always happy to do things for fans like sign autographs and have his photo taken with them.

I have missed so many players out who I am not going to name because I want to see if anybody else comes up with them. One or two because although I liked them I have reasons for not putting them in but most of the players I havn't put in my list are not in my list simply because I said only name five.

[Steph Cowley]

Mine, in no particular order are:
1) Shudra - Just a general fan of him, he was/is a good player
2) Shuggy - Always tried hard for us, shame he didn't score more often though
3) Russ Cowley - Very good player who has improved alot in the last few seasons.
4) Carps - Great in defence but could also score goals
5) Frenchie - Great player, captained us to the BNL double. Stuck with the Blaze through good and bad times.

[FrenchieForever]

This is in order.
1-Frenchie. Great player and great loyalty to the club
2-Irvine. The kind of equivilent to Payette these days. Really good player to watch
3-Jody. Great netminder and a great person to have around the club
4-Matty. I always loved how Matty played the game and his style
5-Task. Great player who always worked as hard as he could every shift of every game

[JP]

Irvine - Reason i got into hockey (always fighting) making me want to come week in week out.

Payette - As above, only he's a wee bit bigger than Irvine and i was WELL into hockey by the time he showed up. Very entertaining!

Tasker - Top class guy, on/off the ice (Legend)

Frenchie - A LEGEND (fullstop)

Belak - First EVER NHL player to sign with the Blaze, excellent player!

What a shame we can only pick five..

[King Rich]

Can't be bothered to explain them.
#7 Matty Soderstrom
#7 Andre Payette
#16 Kurt Irvine
#34 Jody Lehman
#54 Hilton Ruggles

[Rich]

Between 5 people, 14 players have been named. That tells you something about how hard it is to pick just five. And one player I nearly put on my list but then decided to choose Frenchie instead still aint been named.

[Claret & Blue Army]

1. Craig Chapman- Only here for a short while but my first Blaze fave player

2. Andre Payette- Superb entertainer and has made this season a joy

3. Steve Cooper- The best D-man we've had in the Coventry era? Disagree? Remember that play off semi at home versus Guildford for one

4. Jody Lehman- Quality keeper quality guy

5. Joel Poirier- Mr consistent and the reason we were so succesful in 2003

[Carpo]

Agree with B2P Steve except replace Payette with Tait.

[MADDOG]

I am fairly New to Hockey (this is my second season) so don't know some of the old players

Wasn't Luc Chabot one of the old time favourites? (the goal machine I Believe)

My 5 Favourite players have to be (in No Particular order)

1. Frenchie
2. Poirier
3. Schlender
4. Carlson
5. Belak

The quiet ones are always the ones to watch out for

[Rich]

Here is my bro's top five.

1.) Kurt Irvine
2.) Andreas Moborg
3.) Ashley Tait
4.) Steve Cooper
5.) Michael Tasker

[rocky]

I have followed Blaze and Solihull Barons since 1983.
Pre-Blaze favourites....

1. Frenchie - Best all round player, could have played at much higher level, but stuck with blaze through thick and thin. Legend. always said hello to my youngest daughter before every game. I think it was hello?

2. Chuck Taylor - First import I saw, coolness personified, best slapshot I have ever seen.

3. Perry Doyle - Never saw him lose a fight. hard as nails.

4. Rick Fera - Sharpshooter of highest quality, small but deadly

5. Steve Carpenter - great checker, defender and playmaker.

As Coventry Blaze

1. Jody Lehman - Best goaltender I have seen for Blaze or Barons

2. Neal Martin - What a player! Best player in EIHL, how didn't he make it in NHL?

3. Ashley Tait - Got to be in top 3 best ever british players, saw him against Blaze for Nottingham at Solihull.
He scored a brilliant hat-trick.

4. Wade Belak - NHL star, great with puck, bullies opponents and fights like no-one else.

5. Craig Chapman - Star turn. hard as nails. Brilliant

[Carpo]

rocky said:

2. Neal Martin - What a player! Best player in EIHL, how didn't he make it in NHL?

Back Injury early in his career. No NHL team would touch him after that... Shame really!

[Claret & Blue Army]

Their loss is our gain

[PW]

In no particular order:

Mats Samuelsson: The hardest shot I've seen, from anyone. Not even on a level with the standard in the Elite League, but boy, could he make that puck fly...

Dan Carlson: Speed, vision and grit. Awesome.

Chris McNamara: Puck-handles like he was born with a stick in his hands and a puck at his feet. Can also wallop the thing if needs be.

Steve O'Brien: 40 minutes a game-and never looked tired once.

Jozef Lukac: I can see the expressions of surprise on people's faces now...but he's come into a side which was pretty awesome, and improved it still further. Not bad for someone who Basingstoke were prepared to let go because he wasn't good enough-he's shoving that opinion down the Bison staff's throat on every shift.

[Claret & Blue Army]

Interesting choices PW but I see your reasoning with Jozef