Newsletter.co.uk — Ed Courtenay will be back as coach of the Belfast Giants next season.

After winning a championship at the first time of asking, Courtenay returned home after the play-off finals last month and discussed the situation with his family before making the decision to re-sign.
“Belfast gave me a great opportunity last season but I had to take into consideration my family.
“What I do requires a lot of sacrifice, not just from me, but my wife and kids to allow me to move up the ladder in the hockey world.
“The Giants are a great organisation and I will forever be in debt to them and for that I’m happy to be returning to continue with what we started. It was a great experience,” he explained.
In contrast to last season when Courtenay signed on the dotted line just a few weeks before the season began, this year he has all summer to talk to and consider players for his team, one which will have more of his mark on it.
He says: “That’s true but at the same time last season no one really knew what was going on in Belfast and that included the players who were out of contract.
“Now I have a year under my belt and more time to put the team together from the top to the bottom of the list and to recruit players and basically put on the ice the team that I want to and if that means changes then so be it, that’s the way the sport works.
“There will be fresh faces in the line-up and there will be some old faces and those guys that do come back will be those that I think deserve it and who I think contribute to the team.”
Courtenay’s intention last season was to serve as a bench coach but injuries and his own excellent form dictated that he played out the entire season.
This time, once again, his desire is to be behind the bench.
“There was so little time to recruit players last season and I just didn’t want to commit to a guy for the sake of getting behind the bench and then we picked up some injuries and things I suppose worked out okay.
“But I have absolutely no intention of playing this year but as to whether that changes again we’ll have to wait and see.”
There has been a rule change for next season that will affect all the teams in the Elite League with the number of imports limited to 10 from 11 meaning that signing the right British guys will be more important that ever.
Courtenay agrees: “That’s something I’m debating at the moment as to what route I should take.
“I have a number of names in my head right now in terms of both imports and British guys and some I would like to get a hold of and have a little chat with.
“Whatever I feel is the smartest way forward is what I’ll do.”
With that he was away to make his first phone call. Who was it to?
That speculation will continue for Giants fans all summer.

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