Panthers No. 17s

[Deleted]

1980/81 Darryl Easson
1981/82 Peter Grace, Mick Broadhead
1982/83 Gordie Patterson, Tim Heron
1983/84 Gordie Patterson
1984/85 Jason Wright
1987/88 Simon Perkins, John Flavill
1988/89 Simon Perkins, Simon Hunt
1989/90 Simon Perkins
1990/91 Simon Perkins
1991/92 Simon Perkins
1992/93 Simon Perkins
1993/94 Simon Perkins
1996/97 Darryl Olsen
1998/99 Mark Kolesar
2000/01 P C Drouin
2001/02 P C Drouin
2002/03 Jason Elders

I guess most people will associate this number with PC, but it has been worn by some other top players.

Perhaps my favourite was Simon Perkins. He came through our junior system and put in several seasons of regular scoring us. Not forgetting big Gordie Patterson who had the distinction of scoring with his first touch of the puck, a blue line slapshot at Richmond (I was there).

[belak]

I only got to see Simon ice for us in his final season with Panthers, but I recall him being a good player all the same.

Kolesar was fantastic too

[nuttyrockeress]

Rarrrr Simon Perkins - droooollllllllll

He really was the only player I have ever puck bunnied over!!! My bedroom was filled with Simon Perkins memrobilia, photo's, sticks, badges etc.

He was a great player in his time. When he left the Panthers to play for MK Kings I reverted to watching them - I used to go with his wonderful parents.

[MrsJoel]

nuttyrockeress said:

Rarrrr Simon Perkins - droooollllllllll

He really was the only player I have ever puck bunnied over!!!

My highest degree of puck-bunnyness was over Mark Kolesar - I still live in the eternal hope that one day he'll play for us again!

[Rich]

Lots of good players. Daryll Easson is a top level coach now and a top bloke!
Didnt think Daryll Olsen wore 17 but il beleive you Stef!

[Ian]

I used to go to school with Simon Perkins, he was in the year above me so we had a few laughs in the sixth form when he was playing for the Panthers - we got the inside info in those days.

Couple of other things I remember:

I remember seeing him at school the morning after we won at Wembley, we had matching grins that day I can tell you.

We played a field hockey match, lads v. girls at school on comic relief day (the "comic" bit being that they wore our PE kits and we wore theirs, enough said). I have a photo of me making a tackle during the game and in the background watching the match is none other than Simon Perkins - weird that I have a picture of a Panthers player watching me play hockey. Bet he was impressed, I scored a hat trick.

Late 90s, we went to see the Nottingham Lions play Bradford in the old stadium (when the Lions was a home for older players rather than a development team) and Simon was on the Lions roster. He came out for a shift and spotted us in the seats (not difficult, the crowd was about thirty at a push), pointed at us and fell about laughing as if to say "What the hell are you doing here?".

We always used to choose the set of steps that allowed us to hand our tickets to his dad on the way into games at the old stadium, one of those match-night traditions you develop.

Stef, thanks for starting these threads.

[Deleted]

ian said:

I used to go to school with Simon Perkins.....I remember seeing him at school the morning after we won at Wembley

That says a lot about what hockey was like in those days - one of the key players in the Championship winning team had to go to school the next morning.

ian said:

Stef, thanks for starting these threads.

That's alright mate. I enjoy reading other folks' recollections as well.

[belak]

Wasn't it Elders who came to Nottingham with a repuatation of being a goal scorer? Looked a competant offensive player.

I do remember him on the ice once, and the puck got flipped onto his back as he was skating, but he didn't realise it was there...

I'd imagine he'd have torn the EIHL to pieces

[jaycourtney]

i thought Elders was a decent player

[cc77]

for me the #17 always reminds me of Darryl Easson. He was my first fav player when i was 15.Correct me if i`m wrong but didn`t`Darryl also wear #94 for a short while?