Could the UK host a Winter Classic?

Today saw the KHL host its Russika Klassika, its version of the NHL’s winter classic. The game played in Kraysnoyarks comes just over a week since it was made official that the 2013 NHL winter classic will take place at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbour where the largest ever attendance is expected at The Big House for the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Outdoor hockey has become increasing popular with the NHL going to host it’s sixth edition and outdoor games have been played in the AHL, KHL, NCAA and ElitSerien creating massive exposure not only in ice hockey but in general sports as well. So perhaps now is the time for the Elite League to follow suit and host its own version.

There are some hurdles to get over but they are less than you might think. From a technical point of view an ice rink would be easy to construct at any location with temporary ice rinks now a common sight across the UK at Christmas in town centers.

A location is harder to pin down. There are many stadiums that are versatile enough to host such an event but soccer teams use these over the winter. However there is Murrayfield in Edinburgh, the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff and of course Wembley, although these grounds are probably a little bit big for an ice hockey game in this country.

But a ground could be picked depending on the teams being involved and in order to have a big interest and big attendance it could realistically only be the Sheffield Steelers and the Nottingham Panthers. Mainly because they both have fans that travel in numbers and the rivalry between has become electric. As for a location in Nottingham or Sheffield it is hard to see beyond Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield.

Don Valley is across the road from Ice Sheffield who could supply the rink, it is close to where the Sheffield Steelers already play and most importantly it will be available for sometime before the event with Rotherham United soccer team due to move out at the end of the current soccer season. This venue could lead to a longer event with a roses game between the Sheffield Steeldogs and the Manchester Phoenix preceding the main event.

The downside could be the Sheffield weather though. Whilst the temperature on say Boxing Day would be cold enough it might also be raining rather than snowing and this is the problem. The rain would provide a dangerous playing surface and could prove to make the game a wash out which would be terrible for the publicity.

The major snag however is the cost. Not only in hosting such an event but also in the profit the Steelers could lose out on by not having a full arena. It would be hoped that the later would be offset by the increased publicity leading to more fans but whom and how the hosting costs would be accounted for is a different matter.

Of course ticket prices would account for some of the price and hopefully sponsorship and advertising would also cover the costs but both rely on high amounts and maybe even a television deal as well.

There is no doubt that outdoor games have caught the imagination of hockey fans around the world. In many countries they have managed to recreate the atmosphere of cup final. It is true that in the UK as well there is a buzz around the NHL’s Winter Classic and as the UK has the capacity to host an outdoor game shouldn’t it be attempted.

Neil Tucker

www.bluelinehockeyblog.wordpress.com

Changes a Foot For British Ice Hockey

Following on from the news that 4 time Elite League winners Coventry have hit into money trouble their head coach Paul Thompson has now stepped down from his role as the Great Britain team head coach.

Thompson had taken charge of the national programme in 2007 and under his stewardship the national team rose up the IIHF ranking. The greatest achievement was probably the victory over the Ukraine in the 2011 World Championships when his side beat the home team live on Ukrainian television on their way to narrowly missing out on promotion to the full World Championship group.

Thompson added in a statement that he was leaving the post to concentrate on the crises at the Blaze and leaves Ice Hockey UK with a massive task of finding his replacement before the build up to the 2012 World Championships.

A successor however will be had to come by, as currently Thompson is the only British although Corey Nielsen of the Nottingham Panthers could be a frontrunner for the role. Nielsen although born in Canada did represent the Great Britain team in the last World Championships and his side currently sits second in the Elite League.

Another name could be Rob Wilson who has served as Paul Thompson’s assistant and has coached in the Elite League with Newcastle and is well known in the UK with fans and players. However Wilson is currently in charge of Italian side Neumarkt Egna that will make him an unlikely candidate.

Tony Hand’s name could also be on a shortlist. Hand has also been an assistant under Paul Thompson and has coached in the Elite League with Belfast, Edinburgh and Manchester. Like Wilson, Hand is extremely well known within the game and with the players and was also a member of the last Great Britain team to play in the World Championship group. However Hand is currently the player coach of the second tier Manchester Phoenix and like Wilson would find in difficult to watch the players enough times to be able to pick the best squad. 

Ice Hockey UK may opt for a foreign coach and that could open the door to Doug Christiansen of the Belfast Giants.

Two things are for certain. One is that this is a huge job to fill and is immensely difficult given the time with players and lack of funding. The second is that there is not a long list of candidates with the experience, knowledge, success and perseverance needed to kept the Great Britain team moving forward.

Neil Tucker

www.bluelinehockeyblog.wordpress.com

British Ice Hockey Could Get an Unexpected Windfall

A newspaper report earlier this week noted that the funding of Sport England could be under threat as the main beneficiaries of its funding are making millions in profit. Sport England is a government quango charged with distributing money from taxpayers and the lottery to sporting causes.

In the past this has benefited all sports including ice hockey and was a major part of the funding for Ice Sheffield, the dual ice pad arena in Sheffield. However the biggest winners in the past year were the Football Association and the Rugby Football Union (RFU) yet the RFU made £14.5m ($28m) in the last year and was in recent of around £9m ($15m) a year.

This has left many to wonder is it right at a time of tight fiscal planning for public money to be spent on essentially losing national teams whose players earn hundreds of thousands if not millions of pounds a year. Meanwhile a promising national team such as the Great Britain ice hockey team is left on a shoe string budget. 

Therefore if Sport England is to keep its level of funding surely it would be best to diversify to those sports where players are earning far less and profits are low if any. Ice hockey in the UK of course has some issues and hurdles to overcome. For a start it is a Great Britain national team but this should not be allowed to stop it from applying for this funding instead Ice Hockey Uk (the overseeing body) should be allowed to apply for funding from all the sports quango’s including Sport England and Sport Scotland as they represent all of those internationally.

The second issue is that of lottery funding. Ice hockey in the UK is prohibited from some lottery funding because the national team is not represent at the Olympics. This is inherently unfair on ice hockey as only 12 teams are represented at the games. Compare this to other sports where many more countries are represented. In swimming or athletics for example any individual making the qualifying time is eligible to be selected and therefore eligible for funding regardless of how poor their performance at the games maybe.  Even handball, a sport at which Great Britain is ranked one of the lowest in the world, received £1.4m in funding for its senior teams. If this was to change the Great Britain ice hockey team could access more funding for training camps for example and would make a difference at world championships and Olympic qualification.

By changing the rules and giving more funding to sports like ice hockey instead of rugby union and football the Great Britain ice hockey team would benefit massively and take the next step towards Olympic qualification and Sport England and Sport UK would keep its funding level. A win win as all parties would benefit and ultimately the youth side of sports would be able to develop further. Not only this but if that change were to happen soon an almost immediate return on that investment could be witnessed given the vast improvement in recent world championships of the Great Britain team.

Neil Tucker

www.bluelinehockeyblog.wordpress.com