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Post by chedders on Jan 26, 2004 16:13:05 GMT
When the Panthers first played in 1946 the League consisted of teams like:- Wembley Lions, Wembley Monarchs, Earls Court Rangers, Harringay Greyhounds, Harringay Racers, Brighton Tigers and of course the Panthers. It was in the 50's that Streatham and the Scottish teams joined the league as the London clubs folded due to rising costs.
The Panthers were employed by the Nottingham Ice Stadium and their Board of Directors. The Director responsible for the welfare and the running of the team then was Mr Walker, father of Charles P. Walker who was involved with the running of the Panther team in the 80's and 90's.
The Panthers consisted of 11 Canadian players, 2 lines and one netminder, all in keeping with the rest of the league. Two Scottish lads joined the Panthers in the early 50's, Sam Strachen and Dave Ritchie. The Panther's Coach, Archie Stinchcombe, was a member of the British Olympic Team who won Gold in the 1936 Olympics. The team had a full time masseur, Charlie Cragg. The Panthers trained each day 9-10a.m. (There wasn't any English junior development then, a group of lads in their late teens did come together and start a team called the 'Wolves'.)
At the end of August, beginning of September the players travelled as a team from Canada to England, they travelled by sea which took about five days, then by train to Nottinghm. Supporters of the Panthers would be there to meet them at the Midland Station. Amongst the supporters would be families who would be playing host to a Panther or two, the players were not provided with flats or houses, the families they stayed with were paid by the Stadium to look after the player and their board and lodgings for the season. The player had no car provided either they had to purchase their own or make do with public transport. Yet each time a Panther pulled on the black and white Panther shirt you could guarantee they would give 150 per cent both in effort and enthusiasm each game, they were proud to represent the City of Nottingham.
Each Wednesday night you would find six or seven of the Panthers on the ice during a general session, skating with the general public. Fans of the Panthers soon heard of this and would join the Panthers on the ice (whether they could skate or not), it became a regular social night out. This was a spontanious act that caught on, no demands were made by the Stadium to enforce the player to attend so the evening was enjoyed by all, I know I thoroughly enjoyed skating with them.
Towards the end of the season the 'Panthers Ball' would be held in March/April at the Victoria Ballroom/Sherwood Rooms. The men wore dinner suits and bow ties, the ladies wore long evening dresses. The players would receive a token from the club for playing that year. It was a sell out year after year, getting 'dressed up' was all part of the excitement and enjoyment.
These are just a few snippits of Panthers history that I can remember.
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MP
Paul Adey
Hail hurts and rain is cold. Summer in the mountains
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Post by MP on Jan 27, 2004 23:35:04 GMT
Things have certainly changed in some respects Chedders, but perhaps the underlying sentiments are much the same with regards to the involvement of the fans and players.
What a contrast in the composition of the league though. Just look at the number London based teams back in the forties compared with today.
I hadn't realised that it was the Ice Stadium that organised the original team. My parents used to go to games back in the forties as a night out rather than as hockey fans, so they were never aware of those sort of details.
Being a newly built rink, presumably Nottingham had a Zamboni or equivalent from the start?
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Post by heja on Jan 27, 2004 23:35:54 GMT
so really it was better than it is now even the training (except for living with the supports LOL and no cars)
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Post by chedders on Jan 28, 2004 15:17:54 GMT
You are quite correct Mountain Panther in that the underlying sentiments are the same today as of then. Maintainence of the ice was done by the type of machine that Steph wrote of in one of his memoirs. The machine was very like a tractor pulling a plough, the plough having a long blade that cut the top layer off the ice. A man on skates controlled the plough followed by a slanting line of lads sweeping the snow to the snow pit. (On hockey night this was done to music, quite an entertaining interval especially if any of them fell over.) After this a man came onto the ice with a hose pipe and sprayed the ice area with water. I must say the ice cut this way made a much better surface to skate on, it looked just like glass. No Heja, it was not better in those days - just different, today's supporter gets the same buzz,enjoyment and rise and fall of excitement as the supporter then. Once the hockey bug bites - the after effects never leave you. I wrote these snippits for todays supporter to know just a little of their clubs history as well as allowing me to travel down a lane of very enjoyable memories, just as you will do in years to come.
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Shaggy
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Post by Shaggy on Jan 28, 2004 17:19:00 GMT
I wrote these snippits for todays supporter to know just a little of their clubs history as well as allowing me to travel down a lane of very enjoyable memories, just as you will do in years to come. And please - keep on doing so! (and anyone else who wants to as well). I'm not sure if you realise just how fascinating this all is to relative newbies like myself.......
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2004 20:44:39 GMT
Two Scottish lads joined the Panthers in the early 50's, Sam Strachen and Dave Ritchie. I usually tell people that my interest in hockey was begun by the regular highlights of NHL matches on World of Sport in the 1970s, but I think it was more likely started by the fact that when I was a small child the house where I lived backed on to Dave Ritchie's. I was big mates with his eldest son (also called David). I clearly remember when I was about 7 or 8 years old (so we are talking late 60s), me and David went into their shed one day, and in the corner under a pile of junk were some sticks, pucks and a set of goalie pads. Even more amazing was that there were a couple of old shirts, a black and white Panthers one, and a blue one which I assume was Altrincham, because I am pretty sure that Dave played for them after Panthers folded in 1960. We had a great time playing ice hockey on the lawn, scraping most of the lawn off in the process (pucks don't slide so well on grass, you know). The pads were ludicrously heavy on small kids like us, and the shirts were pretty mouldy and smelly. By the time Panthers reformed the Ritchies had moved on. What happened to the gear I don't know. As for the shirts, if only I knew then that one day Panthers would be back....... I wonder if any of those old black and white shirts are still in existance. Dave Ritchie was a wonderful man. Glaswegian, rather softly spoken and a first rate joiner. He put a wooden fence up at our house in 1969 and not only is it still there, but in the 30+ years that have passed not even one panel has blown down. My dad's Dave Ritchie story concerns the day he and Dave went to see Forest play Newcastle. On the way out there were three Forest fans setting about a lone Newcastle fan. Dave stepped in (he was a small bloke, but wirey) and bang-bang-bang, it was all over. Another fine aspect of his garden was the coal bunker, which served as mine and David's Batcave, but that's another story.............
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Post by bleublancrouge on Feb 22, 2005 13:44:26 GMT
A former Nottingham Wolves and Panthers player from the fifties was a family friend - Brian Beardsley. Brian is a local man who sometimes suited up for the Panthers who used to run a short bench in those days. Brian lives in the Arnold area and was a painter and decorater.
He mentioned occasionally that other ice sports were quite popular in Nottingham at that time - particularly the old Canadian game of 'Barrel-jumping' kind of like long-jumping over a line of barrels on the ice.
Apologies if someone has covered this previously but hockey did take place at the Nottingham Ice Stadium before the team that came over after the war from Winnipeg. Although the original Panthers line up was promptly sent home when WWII broke out without playing a game. The sport became popular in Nottingham due to the many Canadian 'Flyers' - RCAF men billetted out at Langar, east of Nottm at their base. Those guys would play pick up games at the stadium and this is how the interest was maintained and grew.
The original Nottingham Ice Stadium design was based on the old Harringay rink in London. That rink was in turn based on The Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. Those of you fortunate to have visited Carlton Street will perhaps have readily made the connection as although the 'Gardens' were obviously much larger there were certainly many similarities in style and atmosphere.
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MP
Paul Adey
Hail hurts and rain is cold. Summer in the mountains
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Post by MP on Feb 22, 2005 23:43:28 GMT
That's fascinating BBR - all complete news to me. I'd heard metion of some connection with Canadian airmen but hadn't realised it was as local as that. Sounds like there is some history to be mined there - BJ, I reckon that is up your street given your connections!
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Post by bleublancrouge on Feb 23, 2005 17:26:56 GMT
Similarly the team at Durham was largely connected to RCAF men in that area I understand. The Durham rink at that time had supporting stanchions situated in the middle of the ice surface that they guys had to skate around!
I believe that the Cleveland/Billingham team the 'Bombers' was also named thus because of this flying connection.
I was told by my ex fifties Panther friend that the pro's on the Panthers team in the fifties were extremely well provided for financially. In an era of soccer players earning a regulated maximum wage of £12 per week, the Panthers I am informed were earning £20 per game. Often the team would play three games in a week. Rich pickings indeed for these talented young guys who had left home to seek hockey pastures anew.
In that time of the original six NHL of Montreal, Toronto, Boston, Chicago, Detroit and New York Rangers there were some class acts that couldn't make the 'bigs'. The likes of Nottingham's Polish-Canadian centre Chick Zamick may well have been one of the leading talents in Europe if not outwith the NHL.
Chick was well fabled as arriving in this country in his brother's borrowed suit with £20 in his pocket. Chick was a folk hero in 'Hockey Town GB' Nottingham, and rightly so.
Occasionally these days we still hear of 'bench clearances', the last one in Nottingham being the infamous carnage against Sheffield Steelers that Firday night not so long ago. I myself witnessed two other such flare-ups watching the Panthers in the eighties against Ayr and Murrayfield - the latter being a somewhat contrived affair in a general atmosphere of bench clearances around the league at that time. How many though know of the infamous bench clearance against the Paisley Pirates in the 1950's? Apparently matters deteriorated so badly that fighting between the skaters spread into the crowd. There was also it is said violent outreaks around the corridors surrounding the old Nottingham rink. Eventually the police were called to sort out the mess that prevailed and put a stop to it!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2005 22:46:03 GMT
How many though know of the infamous bench clearance against the Paisley Pirates in the 1950's? Apparently matters deteriorated so badly that fighting between the skaters spread into the crowd. There was also it is said violent outreaks around the corridors surrounding the old Nottingham rink. Eventually the police were called to sort out the mess that prevailed and put a stop to it! Have a look at the 'Panthers pre-80s thread on this forum.
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