On Sunday 23rd May 1982, the citizens of Peterborough were first introduced to the sport of ice hockey. With the rink having opened in late 1981, individuals with an interest in playing and/or learning the sport had already started to reshape the new rink in readiness to play hockey, having…
At 44:44 in tonight’s NIHL Play-Off game between Swindon Wildcats and Basingstoke Bison, fans will stand and applaud the Wildcats #44 Neil Liddiard as he plays his final game in top flight British hockey after an amazing 29 consecutive seasons. He will also be the final Peterborough Pirate to hang…
23rd November 2021 marks the 40th anniversary of the opening of Bretton ice rink which opened in 1981 albeit not quite to plan ! In the late 1970s, Cambridge City Council agreed “in principal” to the building of an ice rink on the outskirts of the university city, close to…
This Sunday marks the 39th Anniversary of competitive ice hockey in Peterborough. As Phantoms host the Telford Tigers in the NIHL Autumn Cup, so 39 years ago to the day, Pirates were hosting Streatham Bruins in their first ever competitive game in the British Ice Hockey League Division 2. Pirates…
As if I can work it out ! Anyway, as is tradition, here’s the lowdown and predictions for the season ahead as I see it ……. BASINGSTOKE BISON (5th) Having to start another season unsure as to whether they’ll have a rink to complete it in but Ashley Tait will…
Sad to report that another legend of Peterborough ice hockey, Dennis “Doc” Guttman, has passed away this morning after a period of ill health. “Doc” was a Director of the club from the mid 1980s into the early 1990s but also continued as club doctor right up to 2000 and…
The Phantoms fanbase has lost another true legend in recent days after Ray Wells passed away after a long battle with illness, just over six months after losing his wife Audrey. Like his good wife, Ray was never just your average hockey fan and was helping out behind the…
The 1980s is often reflected on by Peterborough hockey fans of a certain age as a decade full of characters and it most certainly was. The fledgling sport in the city played host to a mixture of North American college kids and former NHL players, all of whom dominated Sunday…
So that’s pre-season done and dusted and now the real business starts with back-to-back games with the Bracknell Bees this weekend. Based on a blend of logic and plain stupidity, I like to put my neck on the line every pre-season with a forecast of how I think it might…
The 2019/2020 season will see a new challenge for Phantoms NIHL2 side as they bring in fresh faces both on and off the ice in a quest to develop the next batch of talented young players for Phantoms flagship side. Having recently prepared and delivered the likes of Nathan Pollard,…