The Gordie Howe hat trick is when a player get a goal, an assist and a fight. It is named after a great player of yester-year who actually only achieved the statistic he is named after once in his glittering career. Still, Malcolm MacMillan done it tonight and probably not for the last time this season at the rate he has been dropping the mits and scoring the points. Tonight I seen Malcolm and his team mates in action for the first time this season and while it wasn’t the most polished performance I have ever seen there were a few standout performances and at the very least I got to see a win.

It was nice being back in the Odyssey and seeing a few of the old faces about the place. It was good to hear the Odyssey atmosphere which is unfortunately lacking from many of the North American rinks (or the few that I have actually been to). It was good to finally see for myself the Giants pre-game entertainment show that everyone has been ranting about and of course good to see the beer prices have continued to spiral upwards at an alarming rate by the season.

The most enjoyable part of the night though was the performances of Malcolm MacMillan and Mike Burgoyne on the ice. MacMillan had the gloves off within the first five seconds and as a fan of players who play the game well but tough I was instantly won over. When he added an assist and later a goal to the scoresheet I was sold on him. He was tireless to the end, battling hard and playing every shift like it was his last. His numbers have been good this season and he really looks like a true Giants player to the core.

Burgoyne reminded me of Todd Kelman in his hayday, solid at the back, good on his skates and a great timing of when to jump into the rush. Burgoyne has put up a lot of points this season from the blue-line and now it is clear to see why. The guy has an incredible turn of speed shown on one occassion when he burst clear of two Capitals defencemen to latch onto a breakway attempt. Considering the Capitals defencemen had a 10 foot head start, it made it even more impressive.

I have tickets for the game on Tuesday night against Sheffield, and them being the top of the league team the Giants will have to be in better form overall than they were tonight to win that one. I look forward to seeing more of the new faces to this years team to really get a more rounded view of what the team has, even if we are past the halfway point of the season.

The Giants will have Thornton back for Tuesday nights game and that will be a real asset to the team. The last time I seen Steve Thornton on the ice was the 2003 Playoff Final when the Giants beat the London Knights.

On the subject: Edinburgh Capitals, I was at this one!, Malcolm Macmillan, Mike Burgoyne | ALL SUBJECTS |

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