How would fans feel

[kezypanther]

A few weeks ago Wiikman did an interview saying how about how import goalies in the EIHL are expected to start too many games and how this is effecting the back-ups. I will try find the article shortly. But my question is ...

Would fans be disappointed in the club signed a younger British back-up (Gospel would be ideal) and starting them in all challenge cup games?

I ask this because in football it is well known that top teams play a weakened side during cup games such as the EFL Cup. For us this way the back-up would be getting game time to hopefully progress themselves, the number one gets rest and to avoid situations like last night. This could also be used as an opportunity to play young brits and give them a taste of EIHL hockey but would fans be happy or would it be seen as not taking it seriously?

I think Wiikman is right in that players such as the back-up aren't given an opportunity to play during the EIHL games, which is understandable with a lot on the line.

[Kovalchuk17]

It would definitely help IMO. I remember when Green arrived he was one of the better British backups at the time - he was almost Sheffield's #1 the year before, thanks to a poor Andrew Verner.

Something needs to change to get the general standard of Brit keepers improving.

Guys like Murphy & Lyle went abroad to get more games and play at a decent standard, I don't know enough as to why that happened then but doesn't now.

[mansfieldpanther91]

that's what needs to happen, id be getting in touch with that young lad Edinburgh used when we beat them 4-2 earlier in the season, he was only 17/18 and had a really good game I thought , defiantly some potential there.
green has past it is much rather us be giving experience to someone that could improve

[Yotes]

I wouldn't mind personally, but don't forget we put huge stock in the CC. It may not be us who need convincing.

[kezypanther]

I just thought that surely this is the best way. My only worry is fans not being happy if we lose games, though the cc group is harder to not get through with the current format. The thing is we can't keep blaming players like Green when they don't play a game all season then chucked in the deep end expecting to still get a result.

Good shout MansfieldPanther on the Edinburgh Nettie I was very impressed with him too.

[PantherB]

I'd prefer it like that. CC is bottom priority after whatever European Competition, then Playoffs and then the League.

I'd much rather see a decent British goalie get the games, guys like Betteridge and young guys in the mould of Sarkanis if he doesn't return, shove them up on the 1st line with additional minutes.

[The Flying Shirt]

Yes it needs to happen asap

[kezypanther]

Here is the interview I was talking about ...

www.britishicehockey.co.uk/eihl/nottingham-panthers/miika-wiikman-i-feel-sorry-for-a-lot-of-the-goalies-this-is-just-such-an-offensive-league/

[iginla]

It wouldn't make much difference though,too few games,because lots of challenge cup games are dual league/cup.

I'm not convinced with it.
It would just make the cup an even bigger joke than it is now and cup games would just become like the POFW 3rd v 4th game farce.

[shinobi]

Nope, wouldn't have any issues with it at all. Although I've nailed my colours to the mast concerning Green, it can't be easy for any goalie be thrust into competitive play when they don't play often.

[Mozzy]

Apr 3, 2017 17:51:43 GMT Kovalchuk17 said:

It would definitely help IMO. I remember when Green arrived he was one of the better British backups at the time - he was almost Sheffield's #1 the year before, thanks to a poor Andrew Verner.

Something needs to change to get the general standard of Brit keepers improving.

Guys like Murphy & Lyle went abroad to get more games and play at a decent standard, I don't know enough as to why that happened then but doesn't now.

No he wasn't. He was nowhere near being our number 1 that year. He played 8 times, which is less games than every season he has played for you aside from this year.

He was rubbish then and he's rubbish now.

[Kovalchuk17]

Apr 3, 2017 23:33:03 GMT Mozzy said:

Apr 3, 2017 17:51:43 GMT Kovalchuk17 said:

It would definitely help IMO. I remember when Green arrived he was one of the better British backups at the time - he was almost Sheffield's #1 the year before, thanks to a poor Andrew Verner.

Something needs to change to get the general standard of Brit keepers improving.

Guys like Murphy & Lyle went abroad to get more games and play at a decent standard, I don't know enough as to why that happened then but doesn't now.

No he wasn't. He was nowhere near being our number 1 that year. He played 8 times, which is less games than every season he has played for you aside from this year.

He was rubbish then and he's rubbish now.

Sorry, he took over from Kevin Reiter before he was replaced by Verner (and then Verner wasn't much better). Green also won the one and only 20-20 cup.... which some teams took fairly seriously and others less so.

[ashfieldpanther]

Its fine in principal, but would a fairly decent British N/M (like Gospel) be happy to sit on the bench and play 6-8 games per year, when they can play regularly in the British League. Gospel is often cited as the NM we should sign, but if for whatever reason he doesn't sign, then who. a

[wgray]

Would people with happy with one of Murphy/Whistle as the starter then have someone like Pacl is the backup, that would be an ideal situation

[Big Popper]

Apr 4, 2017 7:17:42 GMT wgray said:

Would people with happy with one of Murphy/Whistle as the starter then have someone like Pacl is the backup, that would be an ideal situation

I was just talking with my son about something similar; an ideal scenario would be to have a top end British nettie paired with a damned good import nettie. Allow them to play less games. Then it gives you the flexibility of having the extra import forward that can either fill in for injuries or make up the whole when the British nettie plays.

[messier1851]

Did we not try this a few years ago with Geoff Woolhouse, said he would be guaranteed a number of starts per season? Seem to remember it didn't work out.

Unfortunately things like the Wiikman incident do happen, remember the first game of the playoffs away to Coventry (04/05?) when it was still a group stage set up before the final four, Curtis Cruickshank rolled his ankle playing the puck behind the net, backup (Woolhouse?) had to come in and we got thrashed. Luckily we were able to sign Ladi Kudrna for the rest of the season and it didn't all hinge on that one game.

There just aren't the pathways for goaltender development in the league at present and I don't know how you go about solving it. As was said earlier in the thread, who wants to sit on the bench for 50 games a season?

[The Flying Shirt]

Apr 4, 2017 10:01:34 GMT messier1851 said:

Did we not try this a few years ago with Geoff Woolhouse, said he would be guaranteed a number of starts per season? Seem to remember it didn't work out.

Unfortunately things like the Wiikman incident do happen, remember the first game of the playoffs away to Coventry (04/05?) when it was still a group stage set up before the final four, Curtis Cruickshank rolled his ankle playing the puck behind the net, backup (Woolhouse?) had to come in and we got thrashed. Luckily we were able to sign Ladi Kudrna for the rest of the season and it didn't all hinge on that one game.

There just aren't the pathways for goaltender development in the league at present and I don't know how you go about solving it. As was said earlier in the thread, who wants to sit on the bench for 50 games a season?

Guaranteed ice time across the league is the only way

[Yotes]

Apr 4, 2017 10:07:51 GMT The Flying Shirt said:

Guaranteed ice time across the league is the only way

Problem is you could do with it being spread out a bit more than just the CC, which tends to be front loaded in the season (for obvious reasons).

Having Pacl in the ranks this year was probably a double edged sword - provided us a much more capable replacement when needed, but also hindered Green even further (didn't even get to take warm up a lot of nights). Should we persist with that next year, or go with a younger, hopefully more capable, Brit backup and accept that an injury to the number 1 will mean we need to sign a replacement quickly? Or should we give up 2 game night import slots to netminding, and run them as a tandem like Belfast have done (albeit with Brits in their case)? Would people accept being an outskating import down?

[The Flying Shirt]

Apr 4, 2017 11:50:00 GMT Yotes said:

Apr 4, 2017 10:07:51 GMT The Flying Shirt said:

Guaranteed ice time across the league is the only way

Problem is you could do with it being spread out a bit more than just the CC, which tends to be front loaded in the season (for obvious reasons).

Having Pacl in the ranks this year was probably a double edged sword - provided us a much more capable replacement when needed, but also hindered Green even further (didn't even get to take warm up a lot of nights). Should we persist with that next year, or go with a younger, hopefully more capable, Brit backup and accept that an injury to the number 1 will mean we need to sign a replacement quickly? Or should we give up 2 game night import slots to netminding, and run them as a tandem like Belfast have done (albeit with Brits in their case)? Would people accept being an outskating import down?

The CC is just a money making excuse (unless you have just won it, then it's the Stanley Cup) so it would need to be league as well even if it's sharing periods to make up the ice time. Sign the best import netminder you can then the best young Brit netminder prospect out there.

[wgray]

Apr 4, 2017 11:50:00 GMT Yotes said:

Apr 4, 2017 10:07:51 GMT The Flying Shirt said:

Guaranteed ice time across the league is the only way

Problem is you could do with it being spread out a bit more than just the CC, which tends to be front loaded in the season (for obvious reasons).

Having Pacl in the ranks this year was probably a double edged sword - provided us a much more capable replacement when needed, but also hindered Green even further (didn't even get to take warm up a lot of nights). Should we persist with that next year, or go with a younger, hopefully more capable, Brit backup and accept that an injury to the number 1 will mean we need to sign a replacement quickly? Or should we give up 2 game night import slots to netminding, and run them as a tandem like Belfast have done (albeit with Brits in their case)? Would people accept being an outskating import down?

Belfast have hit the jackpot with them both being British and of good quality, across all four competition we've played this season (CC, CC, league and playoffs) we've had 75 games. How on earth is one starting goalie going to stay healthy for that many games? Even NHL goalies generally don't play that many games!

[kezypanther]

Apr 4, 2017 13:27:11 GMT wgray said:

Apr 4, 2017 11:50:00 GMT Yotes said:

Problem is you could do with it being spread out a bit more than just the CC, which tends to be front loaded in the season (for obvious reasons).

Having Pacl in the ranks this year was probably a double edged sword - provided us a much more capable replacement when needed, but also hindered Green even further (didn't even get to take warm up a lot of nights). Should we persist with that next year, or go with a younger, hopefully more capable, Brit backup and accept that an injury to the number 1 will mean we need to sign a replacement quickly? Or should we give up 2 game night import slots to netminding, and run them as a tandem like Belfast have done (albeit with Brits in their case)? Would people accept being an outskating import down?

Belfast have hit the jackpot with them both being British and of good quality, across all four competition we've played this season (CC, CC, league and playoffs) we've had 75 games. How on earth is one starting goalie going to stay healthy for that many games? Even NHL goalies generally don't play that many games!

This exactly, and they have better care for their players too.

The thing is a lot of our problems in challenging for the league has been problems with the nettie. Wiikman now and Kowalski before. On there "A" game they are fantastic but injuries was a recurring problem for the both of them.

We need to find a solution either way, starting with a new back up.

[Mozzy]

Apr 4, 2017 6:55:36 GMT Kovalchuk17 said:

Apr 3, 2017 23:33:03 GMT Mozzy said:

No he wasn't. He was nowhere near being our number 1 that year. He played 8 times, which is less games than every season he has played for you aside from this year.

He was rubbish then and he's rubbish now.

Sorry, he took over from Kevin Reiter before he was replaced by Verner (and then Verner wasn't much better). Green also won the one and only 20-20 cup.... which some teams took fairly seriously and others less so.

You are still wrong. Yes he did take over from the hopeless Reiter, but only until we signed Verner. That hardly makes him potentially our number 1. He did the same as Geoff Woolhouse and Brad Day have done since and fill in when required.

[Yotes]

75 would obviously be an unusually large number, but Miika (per spik's stats page) only participated in 55 of them thanks to Pacl. That to me doesn't seem too outlandish and would be about what I'd expect. Guys like Owen and Clemente have played all 52 games for their teams (per EIHL stats).

[iginla]

We should just sign two quality import netminders and let them fight for the no1 spot......its not as if Panthers can't afford it.
There are hundreds of teams the world over who do exactly that.
Dan can then stay and warm the bench full time.
Why should we be concerned that we would be the only British team to do it,if other teams can't afford it that's there problem.

I'm fed up of supporting a team that bends to the needs of others when it could do far far better very easily !

[Yotes]

That leaves us with the same problem we experienced on Sunday, when we do have to turn to the bench we might as well put Strachan in goal.