The Black and Gold Wire

The Panthers quickly kickstarted their plans for next season within a week of winning the Elite Series. Head coach Tim Wallace and director of hockey Guillaume Doucet will continue in their roles, whilst the Brit quota has began to take shape with Ollie Betteridge and Josh Tetlow being confirmed returnees. More surprisingly, experienced defenceman Steve Lee will return to the club after two years away.  It has been an enjoyable week and a bit to be a Panthers fan, with the Elite Series playoff victory and the sudden influx of signing announcements. Despite some debate over just how meaningful a four team tournament is, the 'Covid Cup' could certainly have an influence on how the Panthers roster comes together for 2021/22.  One example of how so, is the case that Jackson Whistle potentially makes to be the starting goaltender. Draft day drama meant that Ben Bowns was the blockbuster addition who surely could not be overtaken. Of course, a tournament centred around Great Britain...

Character and resilience is so important when you are on a bad run of form. The Panthers showed just that in last night's win against the Manchester Storm.  When we were 3-2 down in the third period, the article I had in mind was very different. Panthers had been chasing the game and were heading to the halfway point of the Elite Series at the bottom of the standings with just one win to their name.  Lewis Hook's equaliser felt significant though. For the third time in the game, Panthers had come back to tie it up. Despite being on the backfoot, there was a sense of determination in the side that had grown stronger as the game went on.  Our other two goals had come on the powerplay, which prior to this game was statistically the worst in the tournament. Panthers were moving the puck with purpose and confidence this time around though. A big reason for that was the phenomenal hockey IQ of Mark Matheson, who assisted both powerplay goals.  That's not to say I want to c...

The long awaited return of Panthers hockey is just days away. Despite it being in the form of a four team tournament behind closed doors, getting to watch the team I support after so long is certainly exciting.  The British player draft followed by the signing news overload that followed has certainly created a buzz. Like any EIHL season, it has summoned talking points and the odd PR disaster. Normal service has somewhat resumed, all things considered.  Do I think we have the strongest roster? No. I think Sheffield take that claim. They had the strongest protected Brits list, and their import signings look excellent, even if their Brit draft was not as strong as others.  Does that mean I am pessimistic about the Panthers? Also no. Regardless of results (to a reasonable degree), the aim of this tournament from the clubs perspective should be to have players we can add to next season's core. Winning a four team tournament is not exactly anything to shout about, but it is an...

The drama of an EIHL off season usually spans five months, but a large chunk of that was squeezed into one chaotic hour on Monday. In a season where everything is so condensed, the new and intriguing concept of a British player draft showed that to the extreme.  T he four participating teams were put on the spot on a Facebook livestream for all fans and players to see. Each club revealed their picks over 10 rounds, not long after revealing their 5 protected British players. This means that 60% of the players who will wear each team's jersey is now known, plus their reserve 'taxi squads'.  It was one hell of a spectacle that the league deserves a tonne of credit for. Building a buzz around a short tournament with only four teams was always going to be hard. However, in the challenging circumstances we find ourselves in, this draft added something different and interesting to it.  It makes sense to start with the biggest talking point, and the Panthers provided just th...

The implications of a certain worldwide pandemic mean that the Nottingham Panthers will not take to the ice for the first time since the 1979/80 season. The majority of Guillaume Doucet's promising core of players have now found club's elsewhere, and I thought it would be interesting to look at how they are fairing.  Kevin Carr - Colorado Eagles, AHL  The EIHL's shutout leader is the most recent player to have secured a move, when he recently returned to the Utah Grizzlies, the club he played for prior to joining the Panthers.  After icing just twice, Carr has received the second AHL call up of his career, joining the Colorado Eagles on loan. At the time of writing, he has not yet iced for them.  Jason Binkley - Jacksonville IceMen, ECHL Defeceman Jason Binkley was a late addition to last season's Panthers squad, playing six games, and proving to be reliable at the back.  In December, he returned to North America, signing for Jacksonville in the East Coast Leagu...

Let's face it. The 2020/21 Elite League season won't be going ahead, and rumours suggest confirmation of that is imminent. On the assumption that the lower leagues will probably be cancelled too, the only thing to look forward to regarding British ice hockey will be next years World Championships when GB begin their second straight campaign in the top division alongside the giants of international hockey, such as Canada, Sweden and Russia. Getting the consecutive gold medals in division 1B and 1A, to then go on and avoid relegation with a sensational comeback win over France is a remarkable feat for the sport in this country, but it seems like surviving again is a step too far in these circumstances, as if it wasn't already.  With no season, where will Brits play? Some have already signed abroad, in some decent leagues too. Robert Farmer is remaining with GB assistant coach Corey Neilson in Germany, which is very encouraging. Mike Hammond has signed in Slovakia, and I imagi...

As much as I've tried to weigh up the reasons both for and against the possibility of a 2020/21 EIHL season, I just can't see it happening with the ongoing coronavirus situation. It seems to me like there's simply too many factors affecting it that can't be ignored or combated at all. For a league that I feel has made a tone of progress in recent seasons, this will be a massive setback, possibly one not seen since the dramatic collapse of the BISL in 2002/03 which led to the formation of today's British top flight.  It's common knowledge that gate money is the main source of revenue for clubs, and without that, running the league just wouldn't be functional if we were to have games behind closed doors. British hockey absolutely needs crowds. This isn't like football, where teams continue to make obscene amounts through TV money, sponsorship and even merchandise in a sport which is a true global phenomena that hockey in this country will not come remotely...