Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2004 21:45:11 GMT
Going back to the theme of ol’ time hockey it would be interesting to see how today’s players and coaches would approach the bizarre trip that was a Glasgow/Ayr weekender in the 1980s. To fully appreciate this tale you need to remember that the ice in our old Stadium measured 185’ x 85’.
Glasgow Dynamos played in a building, sadly now no more, with the best ever address in hockey – Crossmyloof Ice Rink, Titwood Road, Glasgow. The ice was 225’ x 97’, i.e. 40 feet longer and more than 10 feet wider than our ice. I only went once, and it was like watching a whole game of 4 on 4. The roof was black with soot from a fire some years earlier. All the seats were on a balcony and the official attendance the night I went was 80, 50 of whom were from Nottingham. I always remember that the lady in the snack bar had made loads of extra cobs knowing that we were coming all the way up from Nottingham, and the supporters club had to photocopy extra programmes. This was the rink that used to have a bandstand mounted on four legs at centre ice, around which players had to skate in games. It wasn’t there when I went, unfortunately; I’d have loved to have seen that. We won 14-2 and also came away with Glasgow’s best player, Kenny McKie. That endeared us to the Scots – not.
Difficult as it was to adjust to that ice compared to our home ice, that was nothing to having to play the next night at Ayr. This was pre-Centrum days and the team was called the Bruins. They played at the curling rink at Limekiln Road and the ice measured 160’ x 85’, 65’ (or a whole attacking zone) shorter than Glasgow. The roof was no more than 30 feet above the ice with polystyrene tiles, several of which were missing, leading to the only instances I have ever seen play whistled due to ‘puck lost in roof’. Lighting was neon tubes which were pretty dim. The boards leaned outwards and the kickboards at the bottom were rubber, making the puck ping around like a pinball. There were no seats. All the spectators had to stand in a walkway about 10 feet wide around the ice. Only those at the front got a clear view, the price being that they had their noses against the netting (yes, that close to the action). There was no Zamboni. In the intervals loads of kids would skate round with scrapers taking the snow off, but there was no water put down. At the end of the game a little tractor went round pulling a sledge with a massive blade on the bottom, shaving enough ice off to get rid of the ruts.
A couple of memories stand out. There were a couple of rather large ladies who we called The Weathergirls. They had a couple of bucket seats next to the visiting team’s penalty box, from which they used to hurl abuse at away players unfortunate enough to be penalised. Although there was only netting between them they nevertheless felt it necessary to poke their head around the netting (and thus over the boards) to make their ‘point’. Until the night, that is, when one of the ladies took a puck flush on the nose. Messy. There was also the great Bruins scarf/Barrie’s bum coincidence, when Barrie won second prize on the raffle, the prize being a Bruins scarf. He was presented with it on the ice and in front of several hundred Ayr fans proceeded to wipe his back side with it. Oh how we laughed.
Oh dear. I’ve gone on a bit this time.
Glasgow Dynamos played in a building, sadly now no more, with the best ever address in hockey – Crossmyloof Ice Rink, Titwood Road, Glasgow. The ice was 225’ x 97’, i.e. 40 feet longer and more than 10 feet wider than our ice. I only went once, and it was like watching a whole game of 4 on 4. The roof was black with soot from a fire some years earlier. All the seats were on a balcony and the official attendance the night I went was 80, 50 of whom were from Nottingham. I always remember that the lady in the snack bar had made loads of extra cobs knowing that we were coming all the way up from Nottingham, and the supporters club had to photocopy extra programmes. This was the rink that used to have a bandstand mounted on four legs at centre ice, around which players had to skate in games. It wasn’t there when I went, unfortunately; I’d have loved to have seen that. We won 14-2 and also came away with Glasgow’s best player, Kenny McKie. That endeared us to the Scots – not.
Difficult as it was to adjust to that ice compared to our home ice, that was nothing to having to play the next night at Ayr. This was pre-Centrum days and the team was called the Bruins. They played at the curling rink at Limekiln Road and the ice measured 160’ x 85’, 65’ (or a whole attacking zone) shorter than Glasgow. The roof was no more than 30 feet above the ice with polystyrene tiles, several of which were missing, leading to the only instances I have ever seen play whistled due to ‘puck lost in roof’. Lighting was neon tubes which were pretty dim. The boards leaned outwards and the kickboards at the bottom were rubber, making the puck ping around like a pinball. There were no seats. All the spectators had to stand in a walkway about 10 feet wide around the ice. Only those at the front got a clear view, the price being that they had their noses against the netting (yes, that close to the action). There was no Zamboni. In the intervals loads of kids would skate round with scrapers taking the snow off, but there was no water put down. At the end of the game a little tractor went round pulling a sledge with a massive blade on the bottom, shaving enough ice off to get rid of the ruts.
A couple of memories stand out. There were a couple of rather large ladies who we called The Weathergirls. They had a couple of bucket seats next to the visiting team’s penalty box, from which they used to hurl abuse at away players unfortunate enough to be penalised. Although there was only netting between them they nevertheless felt it necessary to poke their head around the netting (and thus over the boards) to make their ‘point’. Until the night, that is, when one of the ladies took a puck flush on the nose. Messy. There was also the great Bruins scarf/Barrie’s bum coincidence, when Barrie won second prize on the raffle, the prize being a Bruins scarf. He was presented with it on the ice and in front of several hundred Ayr fans proceeded to wipe his back side with it. Oh how we laughed.
Oh dear. I’ve gone on a bit this time.