Better late than never, here's April's history lesson.
Thank you to Robert for his contribution to FSB, All Credit for this piece goes to him so any queries you can contact Robert on Twitter @steelersstats
APRIL 1996 (20 years ago)
The Play-Offs were completed by March of this year but that did not stop people celebrating the win.
Steelermania brought Orchard Square in the city centre to a shuddering halt. Hundreds of ice hockey fans joined Sheffield
Lord Mayor Councillor David Heslop in saluting the Grand Slam champions
and Steelers Captain Ron Shudra and his men were swamped by
well-wishers and autograph hunters.
This was after Sheffield Steelers had returned from Wembley after completing the Grand Slam over arch rivals Nottingham Panthers.
Just a footnote: the season ended with Tony Hand scoring 180 points and Ken Priestlay scoring 88 goals, both feats are still records to this day.
APRIL 2001 (15 years ago)
Ice
Hockey's Superleague appears to be attempting to hasten Steelers plunge
into financial liquidation. The Grand Slam club was fined £50,000 by
Superleague because of “total mis-management” at board level. For only
the second time since the league's inception the Standards Committee
considered a charge of “bringing discredit or harm upon another club or
Superleague”.
Dave Simms the driving force behind Sheffield
Steelers for 10 years wants to step down from his job as team manager.
He has laid the ground for a return to the club for Mike O'Connor,
possibly as general manager, to properly run the club's commercial
affairs. The recruitment of O'Connor could be a significant boost to
Jenkinson and partner Andy Cook's bid to the Superleague to either buy
the franchise or continue it in its present form.
Martin
Jenkinson and Andy Cooke, supported by new general manager Mike
O'Connor were presenting their credentials to the Superleague board,
hoping to be awarded the ice hockey franchise. Sheffield
Steelers ice hockey was due to be shut down by a judge today, leaving a
long list of unpaid bills in its wake. The company, which lurched into
debts under owner Darren Brown, declined to contest a winding up order
brought by VAT officials. The firm is now expected to be liquidated,
with the franchise reverting back to the Superleague which wants to sell
it.
Fight for Steelers turns ugly, Martin
Jenkinson claimed he had “shaken hands” on a deal with the ISL and that
why he and fellow investors Andy Cooke and Martin Smith had ploughed
£180,000 into Steelers in the past few weeks.
And, not to leave you in suspense:
JUNE: 19th. Former Chesterfield owner Norton Lee has won the fight to run Superleague ice hockey in South Yorkshire. But the millionaire businessman and his Eye Group partners will have to fight for the right to use the name Sheffield Steelers.
Steelers’
die-hards turned out in their thousands to show support for the men who
saved their club this weekend. Around 2,200 made their point in the
sunshine outside Sheffield Arena at a rally called to back Andy Cooke and Martin Jenkinson and their plans to take a Steelers team into the British National League.
Steelers’ completed their four trophy Grand Slam by defeating the London Knights 2-1 in the Championship Final. It
was perhaps fitting that Scott Allison should get the game winning
goal was scored on the powerplay, after just returning from an eleven
match ban after his exploits in Nottingham in February. This was after
Kent Simpson had levelled the scores in the second period.
APRIL 2006 (10 years ago)
First order of the day was to win the new cup. Steelers took on Coventry in the second leg and in the second minute Mike Peron showed they meant business as he scored on the powerplay. Coventry
equalised in the thirty fifth minute and the no further scoring after
overtime. Then it was up to Mike Peron and Kent Simpson to score to lift
the cup for Sheffield.
Steelers progressed to Nottingham to face Cardiff
in the semi finals. The game was a grim three hour affair, not helped
by a long stoppage in the third after Brad Voth was ejected for
boarding. Steelers took the lead in the first minute but it was left to
Ron Shudra to decide the game with a winning penalty shot. The final was
a defensive affair with Steelers fancying their chances against Newcastle. But it was not to be as David Longstaff gave Newcastle the victory.
APRIL 2011 (5 years ago)
In a game worthy of the final Steelers dominated the first part of the semi final racing into a two goal lead.
But Nottingham
came back and took the lead only for Ben Simon to take the game to
overtime. However, inside two minutes Robert Lachowicz scored the game
winner to end a disappointing post season for Steelers.
Ben Simon has quit Sheffield
Steelers two days after the end of a glorious season in which he
delivered the Elite League title. The highly principled player coach
felt the new salary offered to him the biggest single slice in a reduced
overall player's budget left too little room for the rest of his
players. Club owner Paul Regan insists the club must not bust the wage
cap, as it had done at the beginning of the season, to accommodate him.
Simon could not be a “special case” he said.
They
then went on to sign Ryan Finnerty as their new player coach, the
lighting fast appointment coming just two days after Ben Simon quit.
Finnerty comes from the club owner Paul Regan's other club, Cardiff Devils although he was a fan's favourite in Sheffield for two and a half years.
Ryan
Finnerty believes his best chance of success as new Sheffield Steelers
player coach is in retaining his top British players, yet he's been hit
with an early setback over want away Rob Dowd. Dowd appears to have agreed terms with Belfast Giants.
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