Greg Wood returns as Sheffield Steeldogs leading man behind the bench

The 33-year-old was player-coach for his hometown club between 2015-17 but a combination of the demise of the old English Premier League and a growing disillusionment with the game generally, prompted him to take a step back.

Two years away, analysing his time in charge of the Steeldogs and recharging the batteries, made last summer’s decision to return as bench coach under his successor as player-coach, Ben Morgan, a simple one.

The buzz had returned and got even stronger behind the bench during the first-ever NIHL National campaign which, like all other hockey, was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic.

The recent Streaming Series involving the Steeldogs, which saw them play a series of behind-closed-doors games streamed live on the internet, proved to be Morgan’s last match in charge, the defenceman earlier this week stepping down from coaching due to growing work and family commitments.

And in Wood, the Steeldogs have in place a ready-made successor, keen to continue the good work of fellow teacher Morgan.

It remains to be seen what kind of a season - if any at all - lies in store for NIHL National teams, with a further announcement expected in the next few days on whether there will be a competition, one that is likely to start in late January if given the green light.

Either way, Wood knows he will have a team capable of challenging with the best the second-tier has to offer on a nightly basis.

“With what we have already, if we can be as organised as we were in the Streaming Series and guys buy in the way they did, the sky is the limit for this team,” said Wood.

“Going forward, we’re in a pretty strong position, I’ve got trust in every single one of the guys we’ve got on the roster.

“It’s a tough place being a coach and, for me personally, it did me the world of good to step back from it.

“So, hopefully, I can carry that forward and help the guys that we’ve got here in Sheffield. I now feel ready to attack the coaching role and go full on at it.”

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