Sheffield Steelers boss Tony Smith fears for GB players ahead of World Championships

WITH all hope of any kind of top-flight ice hockey seemingly scuppered for Elite League teams this season – following their failed bid for government funding – attention now quickly switches towards the preparation of Great Britain’s team for this year’s IIHF World Championships.
GB'splayers celebrate their stunning 4-3 win in overtime against France two years ago. Picture: Dean Woolley.GB'splayers celebrate their stunning 4-3 win in overtime against France two years ago. Picture: Dean Woolley.
GB'splayers celebrate their stunning 4-3 win in overtime against France two years ago. Picture: Dean Woolley.

And EIHL chairman Tony Smith believes there will now be even greater concerns over the preparation of head coach Pete Russell’s team, only half of which have been able to secure relatively substantial ice time in 2020-21 in a sport that has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

Part of the thinking behind the four-team behind-closed doors series the EIHL was hoping to secure funding from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, via Sport England, was to give those GB internationals without a current roster spot invaluable ice time ahead of heading out to Riga, Latvia in May.

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Almost half of the 23 players picked by Russell for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Nottingham this time last year, are currently without a team, their preparations for this year’s worlds dealt a further blow with Tuesday’s news that the proposed series involving Sheffield Steelers, Nottingham Panthers, Coventry Blaze and Manchester Storm had been scuppered.

GB head coach Pete Russell's preparations for this year's World Championships in Riga will be seriously hampered due to the coronavirus pandemic. Picture: Dean Woolley.GB head coach Pete Russell's preparations for this year's World Championships in Riga will be seriously hampered due to the coronavirus pandemic. Picture: Dean Woolley.
GB head coach Pete Russell's preparations for this year's World Championships in Riga will be seriously hampered due to the coronavirus pandemic. Picture: Dean Woolley.

Those involved, including Steelers’ owner Smith, have heavily criticised Sport England over their handling of the funding application, largely because of how it was revealed at a late stage that only loans would be made available to cover the costs involved.

That was a situation the EIHL owners had made clear from the start of the process they would not be able to justify.

Some GB players – including Steelers’ duo Jonathan Phillips and David Phillips – have spent brief spells abroad this season but had returned home before Christmas when optimism was high for the staging of a series involving EIHL teams.

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Now their main hope of securing some much-needed ice time would seem to be trying to secure a roster spot on one of the five semi-pro NIHL National teams involved in the Spring Cup, announced earlier this week.

EIHL chairman and Sheffield Steelers' owner Tony Smith. Picture: Dean Woolley.EIHL chairman and Sheffield Steelers' owner Tony Smith. Picture: Dean Woolley.
EIHL chairman and Sheffield Steelers' owner Tony Smith. Picture: Dean Woolley.

“The main point of the mini-series was to give our GB players half a chance to be ready for the worlds,” said Smith. “Given what has gone on this past year, we wouldn’t expect them to be performing at the level they were last season or the year before.

“Now, Ice Hockey UK will probably have to look at taking the players out to Riga early, maybe for 2-3 weeks – just to try to get them on the ice and into some kind of shape. But it is a very difficult situation and far from ideal.”

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