It all started early on Friday morning. We were up at the International airport before 7am. Bleary eyed, we stumbled through the check in and security checks. Enthusiasm came in the form of coffee from Paul Rankin’s cafe, then a short walk had us on the plane and on our way.
At Nottingham airport we had organised mini buses to whisk us the short distance to Jury’s Hotel. We got checked in, and headed off into town.
Nottingham is the gun, (and arguably at this time of year), the ice hockey capital of the UK. Support from all 8 Elite League teams, numbering 8,000+ people, descend upon the town for the annual playoffs. This is a time of mirth, mischief and forgetting the rivalry you have for the other guys. We all get together and support
someone, even if that someone is not your own team.
We are getting really good at supporting the other guys. The Giants did not make the cut this year (again). A narrow defeat in penalties edged us towards an early bath and sent the Newcastle Vipers to the semi-finals.
After a Friday frolicking on Nottingham’s big wheel, fine dining in their restaurants and sampling their cocktails we were relaxed and ready for a grueling Saturday packed with 2 semi finals back to back.
Saturday
We got breakfast in the hotel and headed out to get some supplies before arriving at the arena to watch the Newcastle Vipers play everyone’s favourite arch rivals, the Coventry Blaze.
On this rare occasion we were cheering for the Vipers, the very team who put us out of the tournament. Anything is preferable to cheering for the chavs. (Coventry).
The game started off with a goal from Newcastle Vipers, but the chavs won in the end. The most entertaining part of the show was the Belfast Giant’s mascot ‘Gordie the Gorilla’ strutting his stuff with the dancing girls, beating up the other mascots and being fed bananas by the management.
We rushed off to fill up on caffeine and arrived back at the arena just in time for the second game.
This time the Sheffield Steelers dispensed the Cardiff Devils, sending them through to the final to face Coventry.
Sunday
Sheffield was the team of choice to be cheering for in Sunday’s final. This fact did not go down well with most of the other English / Welsh fans as they have a long and bitter rivalry with the Steelers. We were really cheering for the Steelers’ coach Dave Matsos who is an ex-Giant who suffered a career ending injury a few years ago.
The Steelers owned the game from the start. Coventry rarely got a look in, and didn’t once get a goal in. The final score was Steelers 2 Coventry 0. There was much rejoicing in the Giant’s camp.
We headed to the hotel and freshened up and then back to ‘The Bunkers’ bar, situated just beside the rink. Many funny things went down here, but you know the saying: what happens on the road stays on the road!
The few things I can tell you are:
1. Someone managed to break the toilets in the bar, and so the bar had to be closed for health and safety reasons.
2. A small rebel group of Giants fans broke into the National Ice Centre. There were no arrests, just mischief. (lock your doors Nottingham!)
Nottingham in jokes: viva, au deir, panic at the Bickerstaff, ok now get to your rooms.
We stayed up chatting till about 4am this morning, until the staff of the hotel ‘sent’ us to our rooms. We were chatting in the lobby when 2 surly security guards came over and told us to leave. We decided we were going to finish our conversation, but we were overruled!
Oh well. That’s that for another year. Next year should be filled with chocolatey goodness as we just found out that we will be signing ex-Giant Steve “chocolate heaven since 1911” Thornton as our new coach. He’s one of the best players we’ve had the misfortune to lose.
Next year should be sweet. (groan). I’m off for a sleep.
Curently listening to:
Not in Nottingham
(from Disney's Robin Hood)
