Post by PW on Feb 20, 2005 2:17:12 GMT 1
I'm not sure where I should put this-but reading the Cage they've got a hockey nostalgia section, where people post their memories of trips, or seasons, gone by...could be a laugh for some of those newer fans to hear what went on in the first four years of the Coventry Blaze, or even earlier...I shall kick it off with the story of a Blaze game known only as 'that Dundee game' to those who were there. The date: Sunday, 29th December 2002. Dundee Stars 4, Coventry Blaze 6.
I remember (and indeed any archive will tell you) Blaze creamed Edinburgh 8-1 the night before, at the Skydome, on a rare Saturday night home game. The reason being that the long trip up to Dundee had to be made the following day-the Stars were still carrying all before them, but the Blaze were on fire, with Tait, Poirier and Chartrand ripping the scoring charts apart. So...I turn up to the Skydome around 6 a.m, with several friends whom no-one here will know, and Whiskey amongst them. We settle in for a hell of a long journey-which is mostly passed by me taking sips out of Whiskey's bottle of the spirit he's nicknamed after, watching the mountains of central Scotland pass by while myself, my object of romantic affection at the time and friends are being introduced to the delightful concept of monging by Keith and a few others (thankfully, no demonstrations were possible, but the talk did give rise to the 'see you on Tuesday' joke). After a trip which involved one passenger falling into the toilet and spending the Forth Bridge-Dundee leg with her head down it, we arrive at the DIA with the chant of 'Thommo's Barmy Army' echoing. The game begins, and the first two periods are a nightmare-Hand and Priestlay scoring in the first before Chartrand replies. Unfortunately, Hand and Wynne get one each, and it's looking like a long ride home as Blaze go in at the end of the second with the away crowd quiet and 4-1 down. Then the 'Miracle in Dundee' happens. Carpenter fires in a bullet from the blue-line for 4-2, and the flames of hope begin to burn again in the sky blue section. A minute later, Moborg prods in a rebound in a scramble for 4-3. Now the Stars are icing just two lines, the Blaze are rampant, and the noise is all coming from the small knot of Blaze fans. Up goes the puck off Murphy's pad as Poirier shoots, and Shudra swings his stick-he hasn't...he has! THE PUCK'S IN! Unfortunately, the goal is off its moorings, but the goal stands, and now there's bedlam in the away block. The Stars are visibly tiring, and the Blaze are snapping like wolves at their heels. Tasker finds space in the slot, fires one high, and Murphy doesn't even see it. The screams of joy are almost hysterical, and tinged with disbelief-this can't be happening to the Stars, can it? The next twenty seconds see Shudra break away, with a chance to seal it...he aims, and all I can remember of that shot are two sounds. These are they...
'CRACK........PING'
The puck ricochets back into play, and Wynne goes the other way-
'ZZZZZZRRIP....THUMP....SMACK'
He wrists into Jody's pads from about four feet away, and whacks his stick on the ice in frustration as he goes for a line-change. At that point, hope did spring eternal...
Final minute-Ratushny clears, Murphy goes for the bench, and Carpenter fires the length of the ice into the empty net. Blaze win, 6-4, with five goals in twenty minutes.
I can't remember the trip back...except for a few scattered fragments somewhere on the M6-I was too exhausted by what we'd seen, and the celebrations which followed. That was the night I began to believe that the BNL title could come to Coventry that year...
End of ramble...
Anyone else fancy posting memories?
I remember (and indeed any archive will tell you) Blaze creamed Edinburgh 8-1 the night before, at the Skydome, on a rare Saturday night home game. The reason being that the long trip up to Dundee had to be made the following day-the Stars were still carrying all before them, but the Blaze were on fire, with Tait, Poirier and Chartrand ripping the scoring charts apart. So...I turn up to the Skydome around 6 a.m, with several friends whom no-one here will know, and Whiskey amongst them. We settle in for a hell of a long journey-which is mostly passed by me taking sips out of Whiskey's bottle of the spirit he's nicknamed after, watching the mountains of central Scotland pass by while myself, my object of romantic affection at the time and friends are being introduced to the delightful concept of monging by Keith and a few others (thankfully, no demonstrations were possible, but the talk did give rise to the 'see you on Tuesday' joke). After a trip which involved one passenger falling into the toilet and spending the Forth Bridge-Dundee leg with her head down it, we arrive at the DIA with the chant of 'Thommo's Barmy Army' echoing. The game begins, and the first two periods are a nightmare-Hand and Priestlay scoring in the first before Chartrand replies. Unfortunately, Hand and Wynne get one each, and it's looking like a long ride home as Blaze go in at the end of the second with the away crowd quiet and 4-1 down. Then the 'Miracle in Dundee' happens. Carpenter fires in a bullet from the blue-line for 4-2, and the flames of hope begin to burn again in the sky blue section. A minute later, Moborg prods in a rebound in a scramble for 4-3. Now the Stars are icing just two lines, the Blaze are rampant, and the noise is all coming from the small knot of Blaze fans. Up goes the puck off Murphy's pad as Poirier shoots, and Shudra swings his stick-he hasn't...he has! THE PUCK'S IN! Unfortunately, the goal is off its moorings, but the goal stands, and now there's bedlam in the away block. The Stars are visibly tiring, and the Blaze are snapping like wolves at their heels. Tasker finds space in the slot, fires one high, and Murphy doesn't even see it. The screams of joy are almost hysterical, and tinged with disbelief-this can't be happening to the Stars, can it? The next twenty seconds see Shudra break away, with a chance to seal it...he aims, and all I can remember of that shot are two sounds. These are they...
'CRACK........PING'
The puck ricochets back into play, and Wynne goes the other way-
'ZZZZZZRRIP....THUMP....SMACK'
He wrists into Jody's pads from about four feet away, and whacks his stick on the ice in frustration as he goes for a line-change. At that point, hope did spring eternal...
Final minute-Ratushny clears, Murphy goes for the bench, and Carpenter fires the length of the ice into the empty net. Blaze win, 6-4, with five goals in twenty minutes.
I can't remember the trip back...except for a few scattered fragments somewhere on the M6-I was too exhausted by what we'd seen, and the celebrations which followed. That was the night I began to believe that the BNL title could come to Coventry that year...
End of ramble...
Anyone else fancy posting memories?
