For F***s sake!

It never sodding rains, but it pours!

First off Spelda picks up a nasty infection in his ankle, which requires surgical intervention, putting him out of action for at least 6 weeks (just a guess). Fine, I can cope with that. Shit happens, and you move on.

Then Harabin (our other import D-man) takes a puck to the face in Guildford last night. Seriously? Are the Hockey Gods mocking us? Have we pissed them off that much? Something tells me we might be a little short of numbers on Sunday, making a tough game about 10 times bloody tougher.

And to top it all off some muppet Bracknell 'fan' (and I use the word 'fan' very loosely), decides to tweet the official Phoenix feed thusly:

@manc_phoenix harabin believe in karma?! Thinks its ok to knee the bracknell imports,well say hello to a puck to the face! KARMA BITCH

Nice, eh? Sometimes I despair. Our sport, nay any sport, has no place for morons like this. I know I can be a bit confrontational at times. Possitively aggressive even, but there is a line and this little piece of distended rectum corssed it. Especially with his repy to another Phoenix fan on Twitter:

hahaaa anymore fan mail? love that uv taken the time to send me your b******t many thanks douche's #loveyouall

Prick.

Ego boost!

I got called 'famous' on Saturday!

I didn't want to mention it in my earlier post, but, what the hell! It made me feel good, dammit!

Not that I consider myself 'famous', even within the social circle that is British Ice Hockey. Infamous perhaps, but not famous.

But still, it felt good....

That made a change.

So, thats the first Saturday night game of the season out of the way, and it was different (as Saturday games usually are). The crowd was healthy for a Saturday game, especially given the inclement weather and the opposition.  No offence to the Phantoms, but a Guildford or MK visit would have drawn a higher crowd. But those who were hardy enough to brave the almost constant drizzle made plenty of noise, and saw perhaps the sides finest performance so far this season.

Indeed, THs men made it look easy towards the end, after a short benched Phantoms line up held out bravely in the first period. Losing Glowa to the 'Accidental High Sticks + Blood = 5+Game' rule (which is bloody stupid as a deliberate High Sticks can be assesed a lesser penalty!), then Ricky Skene after he blocked a Spelda slap shot with his neck (ouchies) didn't exactly help either. And you ain't getting a full match report on here. It's hard enough writing one for the Programme, let alone a secondary one for here!

Other than that, the rink sound did improve as the game went on. Come the 3rd period I could almost hear all of the announcements. And I bought myself a coat. Not the most exciting purchase imaginable, granted, but I did need a new one, so...

Oh, and it was nice to see Ciaran Long back on the ice. Hopefully we will have a full line up out there soon (No Archer last night... groin strain apparently. Brenda offered to rub it better....).

Back in the saddle...

So, the season has finally begun. 4 points from the opening weekend was quite possibly the most perfect way to begin. Not to impressed with the officiating though. Some outrageously obvious calls were missed, which surely can not instill confidence in the officials, but only time will tell on that one.

Anyways, given the weather, it certainly does not feel like hockey season. 27c? In September? What the fuck is that about?

See you at the rink!