Pete Lewis writes for ProHockeyNews.Com
With the end of summer coming, it can only mean one thing - Ice hockey season starting! The sport of ice hockey is played weekly in the UK with the real hotbed in the south east with teams from places like Gillingham, Basingstoke, Isle of Wight, Slough, Milton Keynes and as far a field as Cardiff and Gosport. Ice hockey is prospering in the UK with teams starting in Streatham, Bristol and Chelmsford. Ok so it isn’t in its heyday like the 1980s-90s when it was featured regularly on BBC sport and was hugely popular, but it is solidifying and ready to move forward once again.
The sport prides itself on its family atmosphere, to the extent that there are next to no stewards, certainly no police in attendance and generally the fans are all happy to mix with the players in the bar after the game. Not only that, but in this ‘credit crunch’ some teams have cut prices with some teams charging as little as £5 for an evenings entertainment. The games last officially for 1hr, with a possibility of 5 mins over time, but with the breaks in play for goals, penalties, fights and intermissions they usually last in the region of 2-2.5hrs. Don’t worry though, there is still something going on to keep your mind occupied!
The fast paced, high octane action never stops with the puck going from one end of the rink to the other in as little as 2 seconds. The only thing that goes quicker is the players gloves to the ice as scraps and fights can break out at any moment! Don’t be fooled into thinking it is all mindless violence, it isn’t. On most occasions there is a good reason for it and there will always be handshakes after the game. It’s similar to the old saying “What goes on the ice, stays on the ice”. It is fair to say most players are friends off the ice, but when on it it is every team for itself.
If you like rough and tumble, as well as finesse combined in a gloriously controlled confusing manner then ice hockey is definitely the sport for you.
Here is a list of rinks/arenas that contain senior ice hockey (primarily men’s, but most also have women’s and junior ice hockey)
Basingstoke, Belfast, Blackburn, Bracknell, Bradford, Bristol, Cardiff, Chelmsford, Coventry, Edinburgh, Flintshire, Gillingham (Invicta), Gosport, Grimsby, Guildford, Haringey, Hull, Lee Valley, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Nottingham, Oxford, Peterborough, Romford, Sheffield, Slough, Solihull, Streatham, Sutton, Swindon, Telford and Whitley.
There are teams for everyone with plans to bring teams in from Rotherham, Leeds, Ipswich, Norwich and Carlisle.
For a full list of fixtures and more information, then check out www.eiha.co.uk or www.eliteleague.co.uk
The sport is growing, so why not come to a game and be a part of Britain’s best kept sporting secret!
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