It appears that veteran Giants blue liner Roman Gavalier is leaving town for pastures new. Roman has signed for MHK VTRJ Kezmarok in what I assume must be his homeland Slovakia. Gavalier will go down as one of the all-time best Giants defensemen and a true fan favorite. The Slovak joined the Giants in the 2004-2005 season before leaving to play the following year in Poland. He returned yet again in the 2006-2007 season where he played right through until this past season. MORE »
Stevie Thornton continues to build the core of his squad for next season with three more early signings. Normally at this time of year we are sitting wondering who will be our new coach never mind talking about five signings already on the board.
The Giants today announced the signings of Graeme Walton, Stevie Lyle and Shane Johnson. They add to the duo already signed of Colin Shields and Dave Phillips. MORE »
As I reported last night from information found on snowploughed.blogspot.com, Colin Shields has indeed signed on with the Giants on a two-year contract. Shields who played with the Giants in 05-06 returns after a two-year absence. It is the first multi-year contract the Giants have signed a player too since Kevin Riehl back in the first two years of the teams existence. MORE »
Some rumours flying around on the KotG forum are suggesting that Curtis Huppe has decided to call it a career. Like Rob Stewart and Jason Bowen before him he looks set to retire in Belfast as he is married to a local girl. Some Giants fans had hoped he would leave Coventry this summer to come back to Belfast to play some hockey for the Giants but that now doesn’t look likely. Who knows though after a summer off without hockey he may well be inticed back - if Stevie Thornton wants him that is. Theres no doubt Huppe still has a lot left to give to the game.
Stevie Thornton has wasted no time in building his team for next season, which seems like a million miles away. This week he signed on twenty year old British defenseman Dave Phillips to a years contract. Phillips who has played for the last five years in Hull will step up to the Giants blue-line and add some size. Stevie Thornton has praised the kids play having played against him all season while in Basingstoke and he must like the kid if he’s made him his first signing. MORE »
Remember Steve Thornton? If you only remember Elite League hockey then you wont remember this guy. That is unless you follow the Bison. No, Stevie Thornton was a player who played 3/4 of a season for the Giants in the 2002-2003 season. He helped us to 6th place in Lugano at the Continental Cup then returned with his team to push, and miss the league title by a single point. He the stepped up his game during an outstanding playoff run which eventually ended with our one and only playoff championship to date. MORE »
The Sheffield Steelers are the 2008 Playoff Champions. Dave Matsos, an ex-Giant, is a playoff winning coach after winning the trophy as a player for the Giants back in 2003. The weekend was a beer filled, hocked packed hoot as per usual and maybe once I have fully recovered, counted the losses financially and tried to remember as much as I can I will write some kind of story about Nottingham Playoff weekend 2008.
Anyone with half a brain is surely not in favor of the current concept of the British playoff system. I haven’t had the chance to talk to any players about this though I hope that over the playoff weekend that maybe that chance will arise. Ok not the Giants players but there are four other teams there. It would be interesting to see what they thought but as for the fans, I have talked to them and almost the absolute majority does not like what they see.
For anyone not totally aware the British playoffs work in the following way: MORE »
