From The Editor's Chair - Edition 46

After a little bit of hiatus, the view from the Editor's chair returns and with it a few thoughts about the incident which caused so much debate and discussion.

Now the dust has apparently settled, I thought I’d write a special piece which details my opinions on the Fretter-Goulakos incident and all that. As I said, it’s my opinion and I don’t expect anyone to wholly agree with what I’ll say but this is just me being me. Got that?

The whole incident has certainly left an indelible mark on hockey over here. One that may take weeks or even longer to remove. I think it will still be talked about by some and they won’t let it lie especially if a Steelers player in the future throws a hit on an opposing player and the opposing fans are in uproar over it. It’s bound to happen, so let’s be realistic here. Mind you, could it be argued that us Steelers fans will feel equally aggrieved if one of our players is subject to something similar? No team it can be said is immune to it.

So onto the incident itself. Prior to it happening, Goulakos had already served a 2 plus 10 checking from behind penalty in the first period for a hit on Steelers winger Levi Nelson. What was missed then was a clear slash by the afore mentioned defenceman on the winger which could have got him in serious hot water if spotted. Fans spotted it, myself included, but the call on the night for that remained just the 2 plus 10. Early signs of a chippy game. Then after Zack Fitzgerald was ejected on 5 plus game misconduct for high sticking on Brendan Connolly, you just knew it was going to get worse unless referee Michael Hicks got a lid on it. Unfortunately, as we all know now, he failed in that respect and in my humble opinion here: that was a contributory factor to it all.

A minute before the “incident” Goulakos had shown the good side to his game, scoring an absolute howitzer of a strike over the glove of Ervins Mustukovs and into the top shelf. A goal that most NHL goalies would have struggled to keep out, it was a peach. Then it happened, Colton Fretter is sent flying into the boards by the Giants defenceman. A clear penalty, right? No, Mr Hicks plays on and allows it to go unpunished. Fretter picks himself up, and looks around for the call but realises it is not going to come so seeks personal retribution on the man who sent him flying. He travels at such speed that Goulakos never sees him coming, and contrary to some description, he (Fretter) didn’t leave the bench. Fretter’s stick is tossed away as he zooms in on his target, and he arrives on scene to dish personal punishment.

Let me make this clear already, in my opinion you can’t do what he (Fretter) did even if the official offered you no protection on a previous clash. Imagine being out on the town and somebody gets your red mist going under the nose of a policeman and nothing gets done, so you decide to take it out on your preparator – you would not expect the policeman to turn a blind eye to it all would you? You’d be arrested, wouldn’t you? That’s how you can possibly see a similarity with this. Anyway, I digress, as Fretter starts to wade into Goulakos, the defenceman’s skates suddenly rise and to me that is as dangerous as being punched if not more. Skate cuts if they pierce the skin can be life threatening, remember Clint Malarchuk in the NHL all those years. With the body position of both Goulakos and Fretter as they were, it could have seen a stray swish of a blade to pierce Fretter’s shorts and meet unprotected skin. Pierce that and you will see blood, and that could have been damaging if not dealt with immediately.

Anyway, after the melee had been brought under control, eventually, Fretter was given a 5 plus game misconduct for checking from behind for his part in the incident and Goulakos was assessed a match penalty for “kicking” but there didn’t seem to be any kicking motion. Dangerous play maybe with the skates in the air. I was convinced there would be more to come from it, and sure enough there was. The so-called Department of Player Safety ruled that Fretter’s part to be upgraded to a single game ban and for Goulakos a three-match suspension due to multiple incidents which had gone on in the game. Cue media meltdown with fans, current EIHL players and former players going mental. I was really surprised that the one game ban was issued, it deserved far much more. Cries of “Steelers run the league and DoPS” were all too often on social media from fans from other clubs which is, and has never been, true. Cardiff Devils GM Todd Kelman had hinted a year ago at a Devils fan forum, that DoPS was just one person (former league referee Simon Kirkham) but nobody knew if this was correct as the league was still not transparent enough to admit it.

The majority of the Steelers fan base were amazed at the decision, and had to field so much vitriol and at times, it felt like, pure hatred from the fans from around the country. Makes you wonder what kind of kick these people get from this, and certainly defies the logic of a hockey family sticking together. Steelers were public enemy even though the club had nothing to do with it, it was just a Molotov cocktail of Hicks, Fretter, Goulakos and DoPS as far as I was, and still am, concerned. Obviously with this outcry, the league had to act because the good name of the league was being besmirched through plenty of mudslinging. Thankfully, they did in 24 hours and organised an independent review which involved former NHL linesman Lyle Seltz. The outcome was greeted with relief but still contentious all the same, Fretter’s ban was upgraded to six games but Goulakos downgraded to two.

Whilst personally I welcomed the increase of Fretter’s ban, I can only feel that Goulakos can count himself a bit lucky with the downgrade of his suspension. For the independent opinion saying that Goulakos might have been concussed when he raised his skates, that’s something I ain’t buying. Sorry but I am not. There are rumoured reports that he was laughing and joking about at all with a team-mate post game, and if that’s right: you certainly don’t do that if you’re suffering from concussion type symptoms. Yet it is what it is now, and I hope that this whole sorry tale is now done and dusted bar some people on social media who seem hell bent on not letting it lie down quietly. The cynic in me just feels like that the blue touch paper has been lit now, and we could be witnesses to more controversy when the Steelers and Giants play each other next. There’s definitely a bit of bad blood going on, which makes for an interesting rivalry, but hopefully common sense will prevail. We can only wish and dream, can we?

Yours in hockey,

Mark

Thanks for reading guys. If you want to get involved please contact us on Twitter or find us on Facebook and like us and leave a comment:-

@FrozenSteelBlog
@FrozenSteelMNL
@FrozenSteelJr
@BTI_Podcast
@hockeybhoy
@Disgu15ed
@SedgyFergus
@georgefbarber

Check out Breaking The Ice Available to listen and download on iTunes and SoundCloud.
Or Email the team at Frozen Steel

You can also get involved in Steelers related discussions by joining the forums at Steel Talk

From The Editor's Chair - Edition 24

Well are we all happier than we were this time last week? Down in the dumps after being humbled twice on home ice against the Giants, we've bounced back this week with our own four point weekend. Time to cast my aspersions (that's my word of the week) on this and a few other things too..

One thing that has been remarkable over the last few weeks, even despite the bad results last weekend, is the form of a certain #67. Mr Fretter has been imperious, scoring some highlight reel goals that one can only stand up and applaud. He's probably playing at the top of his game, if he isn't then what other delights does he have ready for us, and when you have a player playing this damn good then it becomes a joy to watch. I've seen some players with dazzling skills, and Colton is certainly showing this. It's as if he has come back for a third year with a point to prove to himself after an injury hit campaign last year.

Would be it too cheeky to ask him to come back for a fourth season? Over to you Thommo on that one.

We've also now recruited Jesse Schultz's replacement. Welcome to Sheffield Geoff Walker! The guy is a scorer, so was Schultz before he got injured and tailed off sadly, but he's also a bit of a team player too. 32 assists to go with 20 goals in just 32 games for HC Fassa this season! That's a bit good isn't it?  He's got size too which will be useful and has dropped the mitts a few times in his career too. He looks therefore a proper all-round player, and one that could prove a masterstroke of a deal. Thanks for liking the tweet about your arrival too Geoff, top gadgey as Caps Banter Army would say.

As it stands, we look like we are going to be facing the Bears in the play-off quarter finals. Talk about a huge humdinger of a clash! If it happens, one of the two heavyweights will miss out on the final four showdown games on 8th and 9th of April. That's just like mind blowing isn't it? To avoid this, we need to somehow clamber into second (we're seven adrift of the Giants) or Fife overtake the Bears (one point between them after tonight but Bears have a game in hand). Regardless if we get there or not, I'll be in Nottingham for the weekend and yes Kirsty (my wee Cardiff Devil) I still remember the bet we've concocted between us. I'll never learn....

I'll close these thoughts with a HUGE thank you! As you know, Alan and myself relaunched the podcast this year with a new platform on Soundcloud and also getting it added on iTunes. As of yesterday, we're almost at 2,000 listens over the 25 episodes we've recorded this season which is an amazing feat that has astounded both of us. We're getting views all over the place, we've even had listens recorded from the US. Hopefully we can continue to grow and make even it better. The link to the podcast is at the bottom of the article, and the podcast has it's own Twitter contact on @BTI_Podcast so get it followed if you haven't done so already.  

Thanks for reading everybody. Remember if you want to be a part of Frozen Steel you can get into touch with us on Twitter or find us on our Facebook Page, remembering to like us and leave a comment. We will then get back in touch:

@FrozenSteelBlog

@FrozenSteelMNL

@hockeybhoy

@DISGU15ED

Don't forget to listen to our weekly podcast  Breaking The Ice

It's available on iTunes to listen and download, also on Soundcloud

Or drop us an email to Frozen Steel Blog

Glass half-full - Five things I learnt w/e 20 Nov

Like many others I went into the weekend hoping for four points, but telling myself that two would be fine. Now I’m on this side of the weekend I’m not so sure – and we're left with a bizarre case of winning the one we could have lost, and losing the one we should have won. Anyway,  here’s another five things I took away from those games.

1. Fretter's first Friday goal – Haven’t seen the replays but in my mind Desi turned over the puck in our zone, knocked it past their retreating Defence a couple of times, then lunged for a diving poke pass to a streaking Frets, who buried the biscuit on the break. Bravo - We can continue to re-live that goal until a better one turns up.
2. The second Fretter goal – The puck never left the end of Colton’s stick as he drove past three Devils spectators as from the side-boards to the blue-paint, where he deked past Ben Bowns for that beauty of a second. The best goal at the arena since his last one, sublime, and those two efforts deserved a better reward in terms of points return.
3. Anders & Davey– I wish I had more confidence in these two. I appreciate that it’s a team game, and others needs to help out, but weak play by Anders, and an enormous howler from Davey (instantly winning Hitchy’s ‘Mark Thomas Award’ for his outstanding contribution to the opposition) cost us points again. I can accept that from a British bottom two defenceman, but from an ECHL calibre import – no thanks.
4. Chuck the puck at the net – All four Devils goals were scored from close in - a couple of re-bounds, a dodgy bounce off the back-boards, and the one Davey wants to forget. We need a couple of those bounces at their end, and the less we cycle it around, and the more the puck gets sent to the net, the more chances we have. It worked on Sunday, which makes Friday's shot-shy experience even harder to fathom.
5. The Rutherford incident - Firstly we're glad he's OK, and now our concern can turn to the fate of Yared who suffered a cowardly checking to the head from the aforementioned midget. I hope there's no lasting injury to Hagos, and Desi's penalty is removed from his record. Rutherford however should suffer the full force of the DOPS 'magic eight ball' and keep his fingers crossed for a ban shorter than the number of games Yared misses. Would also be nice if he, and the league-wide Twitter kangeroo court, made some apologies too.

One last thing to leave you with is that Tony Smith has made it clear that he wants more bums-on-seats, and that mean more excitement, and that means more goals. We set our table during recruitment when we seemed to spend big up-front, seek out attack minded D, and compromise at the back. That combined with Moose not being the saviour we hoped for, and increasingly playing feet out of his crease, then I guess that means that no lead is safe, and a break-out, or collapse is equally likely at the end of every game – it’s going to be a roller-coaster of scoring and/or giving up leads because I’m not expecting a policy change anytime soon.

Cheers,

Tony.

Thanks for reading everybody. Remember if you want to be a part of Frozen Steel you can get into touch with us on Twitter or find us on our Facebook Page, remembering to like us and leave a comment. We will then get back in touch:

@FrozenSteelBlog

@FrozenSteelMNL

@hockeybhoy

@DISGU15ED

Don't forget to listen to our weekly podcast  Breaking The Ice

It's available on iTunes to listen and download, also on Soundcloud

Or drop us an email to Frozen Steel Blog

The View From Block 105: Don’t “Fret” – We’re R”Eddy”!

As the title suggests, the Sheffield Steelers have officially finished their recruitment campaign ready for the 2014-15 season

 It seems to have been worth the wait for these final 2 signings, a wait that has crippled a few of you out there!