A much anticipated Steelers away weekend in Belfast has left me learning many more than five things, but here are the best hockey related one’s:
1> Four Point Weekend – Oh what fun it is to see the Steelers win away. The Giants have been poor at the SSE this season (8th worst record at home iirc) but after their excellent run of 10 points from their last 12 over Xmas no-one expected us to demolish them twice. The fact that their back-up got MOM in third period relief tells you what the Giants thought of their out-skaters performance.
2> Too old for beach ball – Well we had to let the Giants win something didn’t we! I could blame the referee, or not getting the bounces, or the lack of team preparation as we were picked randomly pre-game in McCool’s – but despite Jared’s best efforts I think the buck stops with me. Sorry guys for Saturday’s first period break loss, but hopefully it gave you a bit of a laugh – I still ache!
3> Hockey Barns – I was lucky enough to chat to Robert Fitzpatrick the CEO of the Odyssey trust on Saturday, and he loves his hockey team. He described the SSE as a hockey barn that also plays concerts, and you can tell that by all of the promotional pictures and branding everywhere. I wish our Arena loved us too.
4> New Signing – Conny looked great on the Powerplay, instantly bossing the play and as cool as you like with the puck. Once our guys get on the same wave-length we might have a magic-man – although we may also need some younger legs to do his back-checking!
5> Podcasts – There was a live Belfast AVFTB recording on Saturday. This is something started by three fans, which has been picked up by the organisation, and included contributions from Shane Johnson, Colin Shields (two Steelers legends!), their owner, their match-night announcer, and their match-night commentator amongst others, all answering questions from the floor and those three fans. A club that supports its fans is exchange was beautiful to see.
Edit : Should mention that Mark Hitchcock @dontsayf was also on-stage - seemed quieter than expected - not sure if he was nervous, still sobering up, or worried that he might swear in front of the live audience. Also give @avftb a follow on twitter and a listen on itunes as although they feature the Giants they cover the whole EIHL. Next week's should make good listening for Steelers fans!!
I could go on telling you about the drinking in Rockies, the tourist bits across Belfast and the Antrim coast etc., but I’ll leave you with thanking the fans from both sides I shared time with over the weekend – you were all awesome, and don’t be shy to respond to anything you read.
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