Rødovre Mighty Bulls of Denmark have signed contracts with Bobby Robins and Paul Deniset. Both were stars on the Giants team last year and leave a huge hole in the forward positions that Thornton must now try and fill. The move comes pretty early in the off-season so Thornton has plenty of time to make the right changes.

With the recent arrival of his new baby Paul Sample, 27 has decided to call it a career in hockey and get out into the real world to earn a steady living. Good luck to him and thanks for the service in 03/04 and 08/09.

The signings are coming thick and fast now by Steve Thornton with Canadian Pat Bateman being the latest to join up. He signs on as a player and also a student with the University of Ulster through the Giants Scholarship Programme. The 26-year old spent last season in the ECHL with Gwinnett Gladiators and is a product of the NCAA system with Michigan University.

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I say this each year when the Giants sign on Graeme Walton or one of the local players, but I cannot believe he is heading onto his 7th season. Back in 03-04 when he made his nerve filled debut for the Giants I barely expected him to see out that season never mind be here at the end of the decade. Wally has played 346 games for the Giants in his career now and that is good for 3rd in the all-time list. Amazing.

Also being announced was another new signing and another new British one at that. Goaltender Stephen Murphy. He replaces Stevie Lyle who last week chose to sign in Cardiff despite having a year left on his Giants contract . . . whether he was released or walked remains to be seen but the Giants were quick off the mark to replace him with a fellow Brit.

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Ah ha. For the first time since the days of Mel Angelstad the Giants will be starting with an out-and-out enforcer in the ranks. Sean McMorrow, the self declared new sheriff in town, has been recruited as the latest police man on the Giants squad and going by the size of the man and the penalty minutes he has racked up over a glittering career of pugilism, he could very well be as tough as they come. Suffice to say he racked up a meager 527 penalty minutes in one season alone a few years back.

There have been rumors of McMorrow signing for a few years now but it never came to pass but finally the Giants top brass have got their man. It should spell the end of the rumours of what will happen to Jason Rushton as I seriously cannot see him returning now that McMorrow is in the fold. The guy is loaded with minor league experience from the NHL’s top affiliate league the AHL to the fighting league of Quebec the LNAH. He even cracked the show for a single game on 22 March 2003.

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Tom Walsh’s dreams of cracking the NHL might be behind him now but for one lost dream stems the realisation of another . . . Tom Walsh will not only get to play for the Belfast Giants, but he will also be studying at the University of Ulster.

The 26-year old defenseman is the first import signing by Steve Thornton this off season. Here is what the G-Org had to say about it. . . . MORE»

With a new Brit signed up last week it was time to continue putting together the British core of the team and Thronton did that by bringing back his best two British players from last years team; Colin Shields and Dave Phillips. Signing on Shields was a formality given that last year he inked a two year deal, though with Lyle leaving his two year contract to sign in Cardiff this past weekend, nothing in British hockey is literally a formality.

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With Thornton back as coach and with Shields and Lyle on two year contracts all the was left to set the off season in full motion was some new players. A few days ago, we finally got one. Craig Peacock a 20-year old forward from the EPL will be joining up. A highly talented young player, Peacock will be looking to shine with the Giants after a short spell at the EIHL level with Basingstoke last year.

Steve Thornton today spoke to Sky Sports News about his plans for next season. As well as telling them that his new season has already begun he noted that he hopes to retain most of the players from last season though does seem confined to losing star player Paul Deniset to a team in Europe.

Claiming that he wants to keep the majority of players that helped the team win two trophies in his first year as a head-coach was interesting considering General Manager Todd Kelman recently said in an interview that he would like to see an overhaul of the side.

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What more can be said about Steelers coach Dave Matsos. In his first year at the helm last season he guided the Steelers to the Playoff championship and followed it up this year with a league title, and then this weekend, another playoff crown. Surely it can only be a matter of time before a bigger team from a bigger league comes calling for this promising young coach.

Congratulations to the Steelers on dominating the major trophies this year.

It’s that time of the year again. Normally at this time of the day at this time of the year I am sitting in a bar somewhere in Nottingham drinking back the 10th beer of the day, talking about the two games I had just seen and maybe even celebrating a win in the Grand National. For a lot of people nothing has changed this year but for me this is the first time since 2001 that I have missed the final-four playoffs weekend.

Still, the weekend goes on as normal and by normal I mean very normal in that the Giants aren’t even there so nothing has changed other than me not being there. Anyhow, here is how the semi-final games went this weekend.

Sheffield Steelers 5 v 2 Cardiff Devils

Coventry Blaze 2 v 6 Nottingham Panthers

So Sheffield play Nottingham in a crunch match final tomorrow. I’ll bring the result then.

Below are a couple of articles on the story below regarding the changes to the EIHL over the off-season. MORE»

If you read the message boards across the Elite League then it will come as no surprise to you that the EIHL looks set for major shake up’s this coming summer. It wouldn’t be an off-season in British Hockey without rumors, lack of answers, thoughts, theories and wild suggestions but this time the rumors seem strong and the possibility that we’ll be watching a six-team Elite League next season, down from a ten-team league this year, is very real.

Basingstoke is already gone and Manchester, Newcastle and Edinburgh look set to follow. Finances as always are the reason for the moves and with the credit crunch in full swing these four teams have clearly felt the pinch.

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It is no great surprise really that Paul Deniset walked away with the major trophies at this year’s end of season awards dinner. He picked up MVP, Players Player and the best forward awards. Evan Cheverie was voted in a coaches player while Davy Phillips getting the most improved player. Hard to argue with any of them. For all the nights winners click for more. MORE»

The Belfast Giants have only ever been to the final four dance three times in their nine year history and on one occasion they won the thing. But on six occasions they have failed to get out of the qualifying group or knockout game or whatever the format has been over the various seasons of falling short.

On five of the six occasions (you have to exclude their inaugural season) they were one of the favorites to make the final four but always found a way to blow it. This year it was against Cardiff a team who finished well behind the Giants in points during the regular season but come the crunch games could pull it together. If this kind of post-season form carries on for much longer, it won’t be long before fans start uttering the word ‘curse’.

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