An Ice Hockey Fan Abroad: Rob Howe’s adventures

It had been quite a while since I’d travelled abroad to watch hockey.

By a while I mean going on 8 years.

And by abroad I mean Belfast.

To be honest, two NHL games in North America aside, I’m not that well-travelled in hockey terms.

But when the chance to travel once again to a foreign land to watch the Steelers came about I didn’t have to think twice. Having ensured my inoculations were up to date, I packed my passport, a phrase book and some extra thick thermals and headed north.

Up the M6.

My first encounter with a native of my intended destination was in a service station somewhere in the Lake District. The big burly Scottish guy standing behind me in the queue appeared to have little concept of personal space and it took me stepping back ‘accidentally’ and treading on his foot to make him realise I wasn’t exactly comfortable with him breathing down the back of my neck in such close proximity that I could tell what he’d had for breakfast.

Sadly though, and with hindsight, had the Braehead defence closed the Steelers’ forwards down as tightly as this guy had got me pinned to WHSmith’s counter, the evening’s result might have been a bit different. But as it was the Steelers ran out comfortable winners 7-2, albeit when Jade Galbraith scored an early second period powerplay goal for the Clan to bring the score back to 3-1 I had an awful flash-back to my last trip abroad when the Steelers threw away a 3-1 lead over the Giants and ended up losing 6-4.

But that goal was merely a blip on what was otherwise a dominant performance by the Steelers over what turned out to be a disappointing, at times lacklustre and ultimately short-handed Clan team. Whilst he wasn’t entirely blameless, Garrett Zemlak was hung out to dry by his defence time after time and even though Braehead’s forwards – Miller, Goldie, Galbraith and Haywood in particular – battled and laboured against a determined Steelers defence and a very much inform John DeCaro the result was never really in doubt.

This was shame for the big Saturday night crowd that had turned up to support the Clan, no doubt buoyed by last weekend’s win over Coventry. Instead it was the large contingent of Sheffield fans who returned to their hotels much the happier.

But I’ve got to say I was more than impressed with Braehead. It’s a great arena for EIHL hockey, a perfect location inside the shopping centre and nearby Xscape with all its bars and restaurants. And of course the fans obviously love their team and get behind them throughout the whole game.

Having then stayed to watch the somewhat bizarre charity hair cutting of Jade Galbraith’s mullet, I retired for the night to my prison cell (or well-known budget hotel room) to rest up for Part 2 of my foreign adventure and the short trip to Edinburgh…

* * * * *

…Ok, so it’s fair to say I had been pre-warned about the Murrayfield Ice Rink. But standing in the cold waiting to go in to the rink I found it hard to believe that it was going to be colder inside than it was outside. But it was. And then some.

For the first time in my life as a hockey fan I could actually see my breath during the game. OK, so I can see some of you hardened rink rats shaking your heads at this statement. But remember, I’m used to the more palatial surroundings of the Motorpoint Arena. Nevertheless I was still freezing cold, worsened by the fact that I was wedged into some kind of wooden implement of torture that passed as a seat.

Sadly it was too dark outside to really appreciate the art deco frontage of the ice rink that I’d seen on many photos, but looking round inside at the sadly now decrepit stands you could almost smell the history of this old building. At least I hope it was history that I could smell.

Anyway as the game started up and the Capitals came out much the better team, deservedly taking the lead in the first period, I noticed the enthusiastic dancing of the Capitals mascot at the other end of the rink. To be honest I wasn’t entirely sure who he was dancing for. However the longer the game wore on, and the colder I became courtesy of the regular gusts of cold air that drifted across the stand, the more I couldn’t help thinking that the guy inside the lion suit was merely dancing to keep warm and ward off the frostbite.

Both teams had played the night before, the Capitals getting hammered in Belfast, but you’d have been forgiven for thinking they’d had the night off so dominant were they in the first period. But the Steelers slowly clawed their way back into the game in the second period, only for Edinburgh to sneak ahead going into the third. Referee Tom Darnell wasn’t exactly endearing himself to the home fans, who were growing more and more enraged with his decisions, but when he gave the Steelers a 5 minute powerplay following Neil Hay’s collision with Danny Meyers he became public enemy no. 1. With boos reigning down from the stands, the Steelers scored twice in quick succession with Steven Goertzen getting the eventual winning goal to round off a terrific and productive 4-point weekend north of the border for the Sheffield Steelers.

Having thawed out and got myself back on the motorway I drove back through freezing fog, driving rain, howling winds and flooded roads to make it home well into the small hours. But it was worth it. And I didn’t have to use my phrase book once.