Resident blogger Kirsty decided to pay a visit to see Coventry’s very own ice hockey team, Coventry Blaze, and it inspired her to come up with a beginner’s guide to the game and what to expect if you’re ever to go and see them. Here’s what she came up with…
- Ice hockey is a fast paced game where two teams of six players battle it out to score the most goals.
- The players wear protective gear with the goalie also wearing extra protection.
- A game consists of three 20 minute periods with intervals in between.
- You can substitute a player as many times as you like, and even play without a goalie if you are desperate near the end of a game.
- There’s a sin bin for all the naughty players.
- Ice hockey is the number 1 attended indoor professional sport in the UK.
- Coventry’s team is called the Coventry Blaze.
- Coventry Blaze is one of the most successful ice hockey teams in the UK and have won four Elite League titles.
- They are based at the Skydome, behind IKEA.
- They play in blue/white jerseys.
- Their head coach is @mattsoderstrom, a Swedish gentleman who also played for Coventry Blaze and appeared 591 times!
- Coventry Blaze play on Saturdays and Sundays and tickets with an NUS card are £12.
- You can tweet Coventry Blaze @covblazehockey
What should I expect from a trip to see the Coventry Blaze?
- Well firstly, you might want to wrap up, ’cause it can get a bit nippy!
- You will not be able to resist the smell of hot dogs, and will end up buying one even though you’re not hungry.
- You’ll probably end up having a drink or two, or three…
- The rules will confuse you completely, but fear not! There are always plenty of fans surrounding you willing to explain “ice hockey in a nut shell”.
- You’ll get massively sucked in to the atmosphere and before you know it you’ll be joining in with trademark dance routines that the fans complete during the stoppages in play.
- You’ll feel genuinely scared for the referee’s life. Honestly, how they avoid losing limbs or gaining black eyes, I’ll never know.
- You’ll initially struggle to follow the puck, don’t bother checking a text or anything because by the time you look up you’ve lost the thing and can’t tell which team has it.
- You’ll be baffled when the announcer suddenly asks people to throw ducks onto the ice, but then quickly be annoyed that you don’t have one to throw!
- There might be a stage when Blaze are losing…
- But it’ll all be all right in the end!
- And finally you can expect to have a top quality night, screaming for players whose names you don’t know, sending yourself dizzy following that puck and desperately trying to get a grasp of the rules so you can come back and do it all over again!
COME ON YOU BLAZE!
