Welcome once more everyone to the Frozen Steel Blog Hockey Soapbox. On the panel this week are your Editor Mark plus contributions from Fay, Sarah, Eric and Nathan. It's, as they say, time to get on your soapboxes everyone.
1. Five words on Saturday
One could have been two
Great battle between big rivals
Best Game Of The Season
Great fight by two heavyweights
1
point better than 0
Big win away from home
Dundee Stars See Stars! (Ahem)
Too
much firepower for Dundee
Like
radio ice hockey commentary
Another win over Mr Pacha
3. How good does it feel to see a sign at the arena saying “Home Of The Sheffield Steelers”, but could more be done?
Eric: Well
firstly it does look good to see! FINALLY, a sign saying this is our
home, our barn etc. It has certainly took too many years for the SIV management
to appreciate the amount of money ploughed into their arena and recognise the
support that the Steelers organisation, it's fans and its income generation has
played in keeping the SIV and the arena afloat.
To
me this is a little kick in the teeth, if I'm honest, working on the amount of
money they spent on this sign is an insult. Pound for pound income going into
the arena each season plus us buying and giving them the Tron, this sign has
cost them nothing, nothing whatsoever. Also the whole side of the arena should be decked out and painted saying
this is the home of the Sheffield Steelers.
And
even then the SIV management would be quids in. Good? yes! Insult? yes!
However... it's a start, little late but a start...
Sarah: It's
great and is a stepping stone, although long overdue. Of course more could be
done but not just with the arena. 3 years ago I used to go to Meadowhall and
never knew that ice hockey existed, even now when ya walk through Sheffield
with your Steelers shirt on you get some weird looks. Outside of Sheffield is
even worse, no one knows there's ice hockey in the UK and without the media
coverage then it's never going to get known. I got hooked from the first game I
went to (it went to penalty shots and we lost). The whole sport needs media
coverage to attract new fans.
Mark: It certainly took some time didn't it? Perhaps the SIV new management will start to realise that hockey does have a place in the Arena calendar now and will stop messing our availability dates around. It's a decent beginning but I think there's much more they can do. This sign is small, blink and you'll probably walk past it. How about a few more signs on the exterior of the building too? That and stop treating us as second class citizens, because we have been for ages, would go a long way in healing some of the bad blood that has sprung up over time.
Fay: It’s been a long time coming. Should be over the main sign where it
says fly DSA arena so you can see it from the main road advertising is
everything! Look at the NIC for example...
Nathan: I
have to admit I never saw the sign and forgot all about it. Not really gonna
get excited about it either. "Camelot! Camelot!" "It's
only a picture." But I digress. It's good that it's up and yes lots more
can be done but it'll take time. Hopefully though this means we are headed in
the right direction.
4. Has there been a better fight in recent times than the Fitzgerald-Gagnon one?
Sarah: What
a fight that was!! Give both guys credit for it. They were in front of me at
the face off and Fitzy asked Gagnon to fight. I don't know how Fitzy got up
after that punch. I know some aren't into the fighting part but I love
it.
Mark: Wasn't there to watch it live as was away at a wedding reception but saw the footage and wow! Definitely one of the best fights in the EIHL I can say between two guys who know their role. Much better than some of the hugfests we have seen, Louis v Doty in Cardiff was terrible. Probably ranks after Colt King and Guillaume Lepine in my eyes, that was a real heavyweight clash. Hats off to Zack for getting up from that haymaker, that would have floored most!
Fay: Not that I can think of off the top of my head. Great
scrap.Nathan: Cracking scrap. #28 took a right old wallop on the chin but it didn't seem to phase him one bit. Got the crowd going and added to a pretty good night if hockey.
Eric: Not
in my lifetime watching ice hockey! How Fitzgerald just popped back up
from that huge right by the Panthers man I will never know...
Anyone
else would still be spark out... But not only did Fitzy get back up, (big
respect bud) he got angry, and vented that anger on his opponent. With a good
pint of Gagnon blood being sprayed over the arena ice. For
me, these two guys have both got loads of bottle. They do this for a living...
Mad! Barking mad!!! The
effect was to increased the highly charged arena atmosphere to a new level...
5. Should the Challenge Cup competition be
sacrificed for the play off competition and turned into more of a series than
knockout?
Nathan: Yes,
yes and yes. The Challenge Cup holds no interest for me but I can understand
the logistical problems in developing the play off structure further. Live
in hope, etc...
Eric: Get
rid of the Challenge Cup for me. It's a hindrance, a distraction, a
complication to the overall league and play offs which are the two main
competitions fought for in the EIHL. It makes it difficult to fit into the
overall season. Get rid of it, get rid at the end of this season.
Replace
those CC games by playing a play off series of 3,5 or 7. This would make the
play offs a more meaningful competition than in its current format. Really is a
sensible idea to do this than play for a meaningless egg cup that is the Challenge Cup.
Fay: No. However I do think the Challenge Cup should be a pre-season
tournament, out the way before league action commences. I love the playoff
weekend and can’t see it altering from what it is, but do think the quarters
could be stretched to a 3 game series.
Sarah: Yes
but I just can't see it happening any time soon. It'll make the playoffs much
more competitive but then would the league cup still be the ultimate prize? I
do like the play off weekend as it is now though, it's the only time I'll go to
Nottingham.
Mark: Of course it should. Who actually enjoys the Challenge Cup apart from the Bears? It's got to go or you streamline the competition (CC that is). Getting rid of it so we can have an enhanced play-off structure, leaving finals weekend unchanged however, would get a massive YES from me.
6. Kiss-Cam, is it cringeworthy or just
harmless fun and would you keep it or not explaining why you would retain/bin
off the feature?
Sarah: Not
as cringeworthy as it was last season but I'd still bin it. Dance cam would be
much better, it would entertain the crowd more and you could see my dance moves
ha! (We'll wait for this then Sarah - Mark)
Mark: It makes me squirm every time, and could be replaced by something more family orientated like Dance Cam like they have in the O or special giveaways. It has run it's course, time to find alternatives to fill gaps in play.
Eric: Would
I keep the Kiss Cam. No! No! and No!!!! Is it cringeworthy. Yes! Yes! and
Yes!!!! not only is it cringeworthy it's embarrassing for the people it
identifies. I see no point in it whatsoever... Other than embarrassment.
If
I'm honest the white house announcer making crude and objectionable jokes, for
example "your boxing above your weight sir!" Or "he didn't come
with her" only adds to the embarrassment and comes across as a
organisation being extremely unprofessional, making something they feel is
humorous, smutty and childish. I'm sure these poor individuals didn't
come to a ice hockey game to be made a mockery off. No!
No! I'm sure, that all though the arena announcer may think it's funny,
to the individuals it certainly doesn't seem it.... Cut it out!
Fay: I don’t like it, think it’s embarrassing. I am
not one for PDA! Just don’t think it has any relevance to the games at
all... Change it to dance cam, would get people on their feet enjoying the
experience especially children!
Nathan: It
needs putting in a big bin, sealing in a lead casket and dumping in a huge
landfill site on Mars. It's outdated, cringeworthy and I utterly despise it.
I'm sick of hearing the same old tired "You're punching above your
weight" claptrap from the estate agent as well. Come on Mr Smith surely we
can think of something better in this day and age???
And that's your soapbox for this week.
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