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Post by KimThePanther on May 12, 2009 21:04:59 GMT
a) how many of the opposition teams are we still playing? Five foundation members of the Premier Division still exist - ourselves, Fife, Billingham, Whitley and Streatham. The other four all play at ENL/SNL level and I believe the Redskins didn't ice a senior team for quite a few years during the 90s. Of the other three foundation teams, Dundee Rockets were forced to disband in the late 80s, Ayr Bruins vanished in the early 90s and Durham Wasps went in 1996. All three over issues relating to rinks I believe.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 17, 2009 17:21:47 GMT
Just had some fantastic pictures sent to me by Fran Smith. Here's a couple on the theme of 'we've come a long way', not just a reference to the rink, but also to the fact that in the bottom picture the linesman appears to be wearing jeans! Question is - can you identify the rink?
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Post by spik on May 17, 2009 17:37:46 GMT
Southampton?
Solihull?
My brain hurts....Sheffield?
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Fez
Lorne Smith
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Post by Fez on May 17, 2009 20:04:16 GMT
Complete guess - Richmond
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Post by latenightpsycho on May 18, 2009 11:47:53 GMT
The clock says ten to seven so it can't be Richmond!!
I'm going for Southampton....
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RS72
Jade Galbraith
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Post by RS72 on May 18, 2009 16:09:18 GMT
Southampton seems a good guess. I remember two things the import who played in the Cooperalls and the metal posts holding up the netting. I believe it was Duncan King that wrapped himself around said post and was carried from the ice horizontally on one occasion.
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2009 19:55:19 GMT
It's the old Top Rank rink in Southampton, long since demolished. A small place which held about 800. Anyone on the far side on these photos was stuck behind a load of pillars and had a very restricted view of the ice. Teams shooting towards the clock end had to contend with an enormous mirror above the goal they were attacking, as can be seen in the top picture. The place was like a church, with the home support watching games in almost complete silence.
The main feature of a trip to Southampton was Little Vera (you'll remember her, Spik). This lady was about 4'6", and came to matches with her son, who must have been in his 70s, so heaven knows how old Vera was. She was a bit hard, because she always came and sat by the away fans and was very vocal. The small ice surface meant at face-offs wingers were close to the boards. Any away players who got too close used to get a prod through the netting from Vera's umbrella.
The real fun came after the game when she would repair to the bar and await the visiting team. They would then be treated to the benefit of her opinion as to their ability (or lack of it, in her eyes), to much amusement all round.
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2009 19:57:43 GMT
Here's Vera giving Neil McKay and Paul O'Higgins a lecture. McKay was about 5'8" - 5'9", so you can see how short she was. Always wore that nice coat with the fur collar and fur hat.
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2009 19:58:21 GMT
Dave Welch feels the hand of doom. "Excuse me, young man. I'd like a word with you....."
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2009 20:02:48 GMT
And Gordie Patterson gets a good roughing. What you can't see on this picture is that she had to helped up onto a stool to reach him.
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Post by ted logan on May 18, 2009 21:26:32 GMT
Fantastic!!! On the picture with Gordie Patterson, isn't that (showing my age here) Fred Dineage just behind him?
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Post by Deleted on May 19, 2009 20:04:21 GMT
7 January 1984. Panthers 8 Dundee Rockets 15 (!) Dundee's Roy Halpin sneaks a look round the back of Greg McDonald at a face-off. This was an extraordinary game. Dundee were a bit of a powerhouse; we were, well, crap. But after 3 minutes we were 3-0 up (two of them short-handed). Dundee came back to make it 5-5 by the end of the first, then took the second period 8-1, scoring four short-handed goals of their own. McDonald did his best with four goals for us, but was eclipsed by the great Halpin who bagged six.
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Post by Deleted on May 19, 2009 20:09:39 GMT
3 November 1984. Panthers 8 Dundee Rockets 4. Into the following season and things were better. Layton Eratt, one of the originals from 1980 who returned this season, challenges as Phil Adams supports.
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Post by Deleted on May 19, 2009 20:13:39 GMT
15 December 1984. Panthers 5 Ayr Bruins 3. Chris Keward makes a pad save from Ayr's John Kidd. Anyone remember John Kidd? Very tall and gangly, and a real handful. Used to get a lot of points.
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Post by Deleted on May 19, 2009 20:19:34 GMT
Chris Keward freezes the puck with John Kidd and Kevin Murphy, bruiser and future coach of the Panthers, in close attendance. This was the game when Ayr turned up with 10 players, 8 skaters and 2 goalies. When they were playing at full strength they had 3 skaters and a goalie on the bench. Unbelievable, really. We still had to work hard to beat them, mainly because they had Paul Bedard playing for them, and he was great. In fact, I think he might have done a 60 minute shift in this game, except for one minor penalty.
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Post by Deleted on May 19, 2009 20:22:31 GMT
29 December 1984. Panthers 6 Whitley Warriors 3. Ged Smith challenges in front of the christmas tree.
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Post by Deleted on May 19, 2009 20:25:26 GMT
Phil Adams tangles with a Whitley defender as goalie Roy Wallace looks for the puck. No, I don't know where it is either.
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Post by Deleted on May 19, 2009 20:32:55 GMT
At the other end, Steve Salter chases a loose puck into the corner. This match was something of a triumph for Salts, who scored 4 goals in 10 minutes in the second period, in the middle of which was a penalty shot scored by Layton Eratt. Very exciting that was. You hardly ever saw a penalty shot in those days. I used to enjoy our games with Whitley. They had lots of good British players and were a physical, aggressive team with players like John Iredale, Dave Ross, Steve Smith and the Ord brothers Terry and Graham, but also flair with Paul Towns and Alfie Miller. I remember going up there once and Miller hit an old lady in the crowd with the puck and she had to be carried out. Turned out it was his mum.
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Post by spik on May 21, 2009 19:15:01 GMT
It's the old Top Rank rink in Southampton, long since demolished. A small place which held about 800. Anyone on the far side on these photos was stuck behind a load of pillars and had a very restricted view of the ice. Teams shooting towards the clock end had to contend with an enormous mirror above the goal they were attacking, as can be seen in the top picture. The place was like a church, with the home support watching games in almost complete silence. The main feature of a trip to Southampton was Little Vera ( you'll remember her, Spik). This lady was about 4'6", and came to matches with her son, who must have been in his 70s, so heaven knows how old Vera was. She was a bit hard, because she always came and sat by the away fans and was very vocal. The small ice surface meant at face-offs wingers were close to the boards. Any away players who got too close used to get a prod through the netting from Vera's umbrella. The real fun came after the game when she would repair to the bar and await the visiting team. They would then be treated to the benefit of her opinion as to their ability (or lack of it, in her eyes), to much amusement all round. Sorry Stef, Been busy with important stuff regards my own 'Vera'-Mrs C as known years ago, my mum....thus missed this piece here. By jove yes remember Vera at Southampton alright.Remember Baz Burt getting into verbal war with her (in fun) during the game.She was a laugh, made the journey worth while.Flip wonder how old she got to, as you say very old in those days.Sadly both Veras gone now.No dought still at the hockey up there in Heavens National League.That will be the HNL not the NHL ....
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Post by rach09 on May 21, 2009 20:04:27 GMT
I remember that penalty shot, I had never seen one before and I was sat wondering what the hell was going on! These photo's are great Stef, I started watching Panthers in 1983 so I remember all these players!
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2009 20:35:43 GMT
26 January 1985. Fife Flyers 7 Panthers 4. Fife threaten our goal. Flyers no. 9 is Dave Stoyanovich, who made quite an impression here. Fast skater with a rocket shot, who enjoyed a cigarette between periods. Unbelievable, really.
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2009 20:46:37 GMT
Robin Andrew cleras the puck as (L to R) Chic Cottrell and Jim Pennycook challenge. Fife had a really good side in 1984/85. They were a bit of a glamour club. Apart from the aforementioned Stoyanovich, their other import forward was the impressive Danny Brown. Their import defenceman was Ron Plumb, a veteran who had played nearly 600 NHL and WHA games and was not long out of the AHL, a stunning pedigree in those days. Flyers also had a very strong British contingent with the likes of the Latto brothers Gordon and Dougie, Pennycook, Cottrell, and Andy Donald in goal. They were just pipped by Durham in the league. Wasps edged it by two points, having scored one goal more and conceded one goal less than Fife. But Flyers had the consolation of winning the Championship at Wembley.
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2009 20:49:45 GMT
27 January 1985. Dundee Rockets 10 Panthers 2. Next night, usual hammering from Dundee. It was 10-2 at the end of the second period. Mercifully they didn't get any more. Boy they were long coach trips home after games like this.
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2009 20:57:24 GMT
9 February 1985. Panthers 4 Whitley Warriors 3. Pete Gingell was really really proud of this picture, and rightfully so. The triumphant goalscorer (Greg McDonald), the vanquished defence, the crowd on their feet. Great stuff. The other exciting thing about this game is we scored the winning goal at 59:59 (this isn't it, by the way), which caused Whitley some distress.
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2009 21:02:27 GMT
30 March 1985. Panthers 4 Cleveland Bombers 10. The game starts. Panthers' Jim Gauthier and Cleveland's Jim Earle (I think), but who is the ref? It's just struck me, looking at these pictures, the almost complete absence of shirts being worn by the fans. They weren't part of the scene in those days.
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