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’.

Make no mistake, Giants fans will be gutted, especially those who have forked out the money to make the trip to Nottingham. While the weekend is always fun and drinks are always a-plenty over the weekend even with the team not there, nobody can honestly tell you they aren’t just a little upset when their team doesn’t make it.

These days though I use the word ‘playoffs’ and ‘post-season’ lightly. The sport of hockey is all about the playoffs. The playoffs in the hockey dictionary are described as a grueling post-season competition for the main championship in which teams must overcome tough games, physical fast-paced hockey with a lengthy schedule in which the winning team is left celebrating on its knees.

Here in the Elite League, these days, the playoffs can be won in four games. Four games is the maximum you can play and you can even win by drawing all of them and winning your games in a shootout. Criminal I know that games in the playoffs are decided by a shootout.

For a while now fans have been throwing up ideas on how to improve the post season and make it more competitive. I am certain I have done it a number of times right here on this blog. Fans want to see a longer post season even at the expense of one of the knockout cups or even at the length of the league schedule.

Playoff Series is something that is common place in North America – Seven Game Series’ to decide who goes through to the next round. It creates a rivalry, a true battle and a serious amount of endurance and good quality hockey in order to procede to the next stage. Of course there are a million and one reasons why this cannot work in British Hockey with the main one being the risk of cancelling ice time at the arena because you win your best of seven series 4-0. But something needs to be worked out to replace the two-legged game which books the winner their place in the final-four. Maybe something like a four leg knockout match-up with the best aggregate score over four games progressing. I don’t know, but there are many ways it could be improved to be longer and taken more serious in my opinion. Oh and while I’m at it – I want them to make overtime continuous.

Getting back to the matter in hand though – The Giants are out. That has nothing to do with the current format. At the end of the day that format is the same for everyone and the Giants knew what they had to do and couldn’t get it done.

All in all the season has still been pretty successful. If you claim the playoffs in reality to be nothing more than a third knockout trophy in this league of which the Giants have won the other two then it doesn’t sound so bad! Remember the Giants had to play and win more games to capture the Challenge Cup and Knockout Cup than they would have had to do to win the playoffs.

On the subject: Cardiff Devils, Giants choke again, Playoffs | ALL SUBJECTS |

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