Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2005 22:54:27 GMT
Ah, seeing Dundee last night got me to thinking. We’ve had quite a colourful history with them. But first, a bit of background.
When Panthers started up again in 1980, Dundee Rockets, as they were then, had been playing on neutral ice for six years, not being able to get ice at the rink in Dundee where curling was the main activity. Finally, their owner Tom Stewart, secured a few home dates and practice time at 1.30am on Saturday morning, and they were admitted to the old Northern League for 1981/2.
Stewart then put his formidable energy into putting together a formidable team. He got Dundee based goalie Mike Ward from Murrayfield, along with brothers Ronnie and Ally Wood. Any readers of this thread who can remember the Woods will be amazed to know that they had been told they were no longer required at the Edinburgh club. Stewart also picked up Charlie Kinmond, one of the possee of very hard men who populated the northern teams in those days.
The trump card, however, was the three imports the team picked up. All came from Concordia University in Canada. At the back was the uncompromising and physical Chris Brinster. Up front was Kevin O’Neill and the great, great Roy Halpin.
Halpin was an interesting character who had turned down a contract with Toronto Maple Leafs to do a second Masters degree at university. It is difficult to overstate how good he was by the standards of British hockey in those days. He scored 53 goals in 14 Northern League games, a total somewhat inflated by his racking up 14 goals in a 24-1 win over Durham. Again, any readers of this thread who can remember the Durham team of those days will find that result hard to believe. He also bagged another 26 goals in 8 Scottish League games (there were leagues all over the place in those days). Playing the role of southern namby-pamby upstarts, Panthers went up to play the Rockets in Kirkaldy in January 1982, to test the ice as it were, and lost 15-2 (Halpin 7 goals).
In 1982/3 we had the first fully British League for years, so we got to see the Rockets in Nottingham. I can still remember how excited I was the first time they came. I watched Halpin warm up, skating the length of the ice in three strides. Not a big fella at all, but so skilled. In the game itself, we drew 7-7 in game everyone there will never forget. In the course of the game Halpin scored whilst skating backwards towards our goal. Amazing. Absolute class person, on and off the ice.
We held them to 0-5 in the return up there. However the next season, in four matches, Rockets scored 49 goals against us, 29 in Nottingham. Somehow we found the time to score 18 goals ourselves, and I saw every one of them. Barmy.
One thing about going to Dundee. You never knew what was going to happen:
There was the first time we went, when we crossed the Tay Bridge to the city, got lost in the one way system and ten minutes later found ourselves heading south back over the bridge.
And then there was the time when we got to the rink and it was snowing. We waited and waited, but the referee and linos never appeared. So the teams decided to play a friendly and got a guy out of the crowd to ‘referee’. Jimmy Keyes ended up fighting Ally Wood and Ged Smith suffered an injury that kept him out for weeks. The BIHA made us fulfil the ‘proper’ fixture, so at the end of the season, with the league places and play-off groupings decided, we had to trek all the way up there for a meaningless game. Yes, I went, because I was mad in those days. We lost 12-1.
And then there was the time when deep in our defensive zone (behind the goal line, in fact), Craig Melancon sought to relieve the pressure by whacking the puck for icing. The puck went the length of the rink in the air straight into the goal, past the Dundee goalie who appeared to be examining the webbing on his catcher at the time. This meant we had a great time the next period when said goalie was down our end and we could shout lots of jokes on a theme of ‘putting a bell in it’, etc etc until the poor lad turned to us and raised his arms in surrender. Of course, it would be cruel to embarrass him further by telling you his name. Oh alright – Gerry Anderson (not the Thunderbird man…..I think).
And then there was the time when we went all the way up there and watched our team lose 19-5. Just think about that. It’s the equivalent of Rockets scoring every three minutes throughout the game. How we found time to put five in the other end is beyond me. I needed therapy after that one.
And then there was the time when I last saw Dundee play in Scotland. It was in Murrayfield, as Rockets were by then again having trouble getting ice in Dundee. Included in our group were the Panthers goal judges and they ended up doing the game. But my abiding memory of the evening was Halpin playing with a back injury so bad he couldn’t get over the boards at the end of his shifts. He left the game, and the sport, in the second period, a sad end to the career of this wonderful player. I am surprised to find a tear in my eye as I type this.
In subsequent years Tom Stewart brought other stars to the Rockets, including Garry Unger, then holder of the NHL ‘Ironman’ record for most consecutive games played. He also brought in another big name in Jaroslav Lycka. In that season’s play-off match here in Nottingham, Alex Dampier tasked Jimmy Keyes with doing a Payette on Lycka, roughing him up good and proper (see, it’s all been done before). This lead to a memorable nose-to-nose in front of block 3 between an angry, arm-waving Stewart and Alex.
Great memories. A word of advice if I can be so forward. If any of you have never been to Dundee and are planning a trip next season, it is a really REALLY long way.
Phew. Another long one. Eee you young ‘uns complaining about Panthers this season. You don’t know you’re born. When you’ve been to Dundee in the snow and sat in a freezing cold rink, surrounded by curling stones, eating a 95% lard Scotch pie, watching your team ship 19 goals, then you can start complaining, etc etc
When Panthers started up again in 1980, Dundee Rockets, as they were then, had been playing on neutral ice for six years, not being able to get ice at the rink in Dundee where curling was the main activity. Finally, their owner Tom Stewart, secured a few home dates and practice time at 1.30am on Saturday morning, and they were admitted to the old Northern League for 1981/2.
Stewart then put his formidable energy into putting together a formidable team. He got Dundee based goalie Mike Ward from Murrayfield, along with brothers Ronnie and Ally Wood. Any readers of this thread who can remember the Woods will be amazed to know that they had been told they were no longer required at the Edinburgh club. Stewart also picked up Charlie Kinmond, one of the possee of very hard men who populated the northern teams in those days.
The trump card, however, was the three imports the team picked up. All came from Concordia University in Canada. At the back was the uncompromising and physical Chris Brinster. Up front was Kevin O’Neill and the great, great Roy Halpin.
Halpin was an interesting character who had turned down a contract with Toronto Maple Leafs to do a second Masters degree at university. It is difficult to overstate how good he was by the standards of British hockey in those days. He scored 53 goals in 14 Northern League games, a total somewhat inflated by his racking up 14 goals in a 24-1 win over Durham. Again, any readers of this thread who can remember the Durham team of those days will find that result hard to believe. He also bagged another 26 goals in 8 Scottish League games (there were leagues all over the place in those days). Playing the role of southern namby-pamby upstarts, Panthers went up to play the Rockets in Kirkaldy in January 1982, to test the ice as it were, and lost 15-2 (Halpin 7 goals).
In 1982/3 we had the first fully British League for years, so we got to see the Rockets in Nottingham. I can still remember how excited I was the first time they came. I watched Halpin warm up, skating the length of the ice in three strides. Not a big fella at all, but so skilled. In the game itself, we drew 7-7 in game everyone there will never forget. In the course of the game Halpin scored whilst skating backwards towards our goal. Amazing. Absolute class person, on and off the ice.
We held them to 0-5 in the return up there. However the next season, in four matches, Rockets scored 49 goals against us, 29 in Nottingham. Somehow we found the time to score 18 goals ourselves, and I saw every one of them. Barmy.
One thing about going to Dundee. You never knew what was going to happen:
There was the first time we went, when we crossed the Tay Bridge to the city, got lost in the one way system and ten minutes later found ourselves heading south back over the bridge.
And then there was the time when we got to the rink and it was snowing. We waited and waited, but the referee and linos never appeared. So the teams decided to play a friendly and got a guy out of the crowd to ‘referee’. Jimmy Keyes ended up fighting Ally Wood and Ged Smith suffered an injury that kept him out for weeks. The BIHA made us fulfil the ‘proper’ fixture, so at the end of the season, with the league places and play-off groupings decided, we had to trek all the way up there for a meaningless game. Yes, I went, because I was mad in those days. We lost 12-1.
And then there was the time when deep in our defensive zone (behind the goal line, in fact), Craig Melancon sought to relieve the pressure by whacking the puck for icing. The puck went the length of the rink in the air straight into the goal, past the Dundee goalie who appeared to be examining the webbing on his catcher at the time. This meant we had a great time the next period when said goalie was down our end and we could shout lots of jokes on a theme of ‘putting a bell in it’, etc etc until the poor lad turned to us and raised his arms in surrender. Of course, it would be cruel to embarrass him further by telling you his name. Oh alright – Gerry Anderson (not the Thunderbird man…..I think).
And then there was the time when we went all the way up there and watched our team lose 19-5. Just think about that. It’s the equivalent of Rockets scoring every three minutes throughout the game. How we found time to put five in the other end is beyond me. I needed therapy after that one.
And then there was the time when I last saw Dundee play in Scotland. It was in Murrayfield, as Rockets were by then again having trouble getting ice in Dundee. Included in our group were the Panthers goal judges and they ended up doing the game. But my abiding memory of the evening was Halpin playing with a back injury so bad he couldn’t get over the boards at the end of his shifts. He left the game, and the sport, in the second period, a sad end to the career of this wonderful player. I am surprised to find a tear in my eye as I type this.
In subsequent years Tom Stewart brought other stars to the Rockets, including Garry Unger, then holder of the NHL ‘Ironman’ record for most consecutive games played. He also brought in another big name in Jaroslav Lycka. In that season’s play-off match here in Nottingham, Alex Dampier tasked Jimmy Keyes with doing a Payette on Lycka, roughing him up good and proper (see, it’s all been done before). This lead to a memorable nose-to-nose in front of block 3 between an angry, arm-waving Stewart and Alex.
Great memories. A word of advice if I can be so forward. If any of you have never been to Dundee and are planning a trip next season, it is a really REALLY long way.
Phew. Another long one. Eee you young ‘uns complaining about Panthers this season. You don’t know you’re born. When you’ve been to Dundee in the snow and sat in a freezing cold rink, surrounded by curling stones, eating a 95% lard Scotch pie, watching your team ship 19 goals, then you can start complaining, etc etc
