It's been a while since I wrote my usual column, so with the season two weeks old then I thought I would return with some of my musings. Some you might agree with, some you might not but that's the beauty of having differing opinions. With that, let's see what is on mind this week.
Looking at the results so far I'm very pleased indeed with the start we have made. Two wins out of two in the much maligned Challenge Cup, and five points out of six in the EIHL. If you said to me that we would have this before the season started then I might have laughed a bit in your collective faces but it's not too bad. And it could have been better if it wasn't for that "freak" strike by Justin Faryna of Cardiff last Saturday. We're playing with confidence and the goals are being shared around which is a sign already that we have a very good team here this season. If one line doesn't chip in, others are stepping up to the plate as well which should please Thommo and Jerry no end.
Speaking of Jerry, I had the chance to meet his son Klas at the Cardiff home game. Like his father, Klas is a very knowledgeable hockey person so it was interesting to share some hockey perspectives with him. I think I kind of surprised him when I told him of my trips to watch HV71; he couldn't understand why at first that someone would go out on a whim to watch SHL hockey. When I explained why, a huge smile appeared. Thanks for the drinks also in the period break, I appreciated it. Big props to Paul for the introductions too.
I'm liking this seasons roster, it has a very good balance to it. Whilst we have had to cope with the injuries to Fitzy and Matt Marquardt; we seem to have found a resolve within the ranks to battle on when we are seemingly up against. Most people would have been worried when the Panthers took a 3-0 lead inside 10 minutes in the first regular season home game, I was, but the team didn't panic and just got their collective heads back on and staged a comeback. For Levi Nelson to score another game winning goal in a 6-5 felt surreal. At least this time Levi you didn't cause me to have a major nosebleed like you did after "that" goal in the Play-Off Final, I looked like Fitzy had rained a number of blows on me after that. But we had a laugh and a joke about it.
I'm also back on the hockey forum, and it never seem to surprise me that some people think players should be gassed and sat because they ain't doing what we expect them to be doing. It might be that those said players have been asked to do what their normal role is; a bit different so hold onto your hats. Not every single new arrival is going to set the world alight immediately, sometimes it takes a few games to settle into new environments, new systems etc. Everyone will chip in their own way so give them time instead of saying: "Player X should be dropped, he's not been too consistent" - you have to give them patience. That said, we must try something that keeps Finnish winger Juha Koivisto here. You can tell with his hockey IQ that he's played 300 plus games in the top division of Finnish hockey which is a higher standard than our own. Will be interesting how the lines fall when Marquardt returns..
I also like the new home jersey, which has split a few people's opinions. The blue on the shoulders sets it off well, and makes the sponsors stand out which is good for commercial exposure. The white road jersey, I ain't overly fussed with but the blue Challenge Cup jersey is decent especially with the retro logo in the middle. I quite liked this logo when we had back in t' day, and it is good to see it re-appear. Maybe one day we will go full circle and see it back on the home jersey too. Can't see us going completely full circle and reverting back to the original Steelers hockey colours with the teal involved; as orange is seemingly our identity which causes mirth around the rest of the league as they refer to us as traffic cones. I just laugh at those people. So what if it does, it's unique just like Braehead are with their purple and nobody has a dig at them for it. Jealousy gets you nowhere in life..
All things said I'm excited hockey-wise. I'll still be doing my trips to other rinks, Cardiff's already been done as me and the Big Man (shout out to you there Lee) went there for their CHL game against HC Davos which was an entertaining game to watch as a neutral. Kirsty, my favourite little Cardiff Devil, maintained I must have been a good luck charm to ensure Devils that night. I couldn't stop laughing when she said that. I can watch SHL and some NHL on a new channel on the telly box and what else do I need to get my fix? I got everything covered methinks. The season is going to be ultra-competitive as I think a lot of teams have again upgraded on their respective rosters from last seasons; Steelers definitely have.
I'll be back next week with more thoughts, don't know what I'll be talking about but I'm sure I'll find some subject matter.
M
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