Belfast Giants Among Men

By John Mooney

In a part of the world known more for its rain than for snow and ice, the Belfast Giants have become an unlikely success.

The ice hockey team's first game at the Odyssey Arena along the waterfront in December 2000 was a sellout. Since then, the Giants have been a formidable team on home ice and often play to crowds of over 5,000. They have built cross-community support and developed a passionate following despite the fact that there are very few ice skating rinks on the island of Ireland and virtually no local heritage of the sport.

Winning helps; during their second season, the Giants won the Superleague title in 2002 and beat the London Knights for their first playoff title the following season.

Tough guy Paxton Schulte, who led the team in power play goals and fights throughout his career, became a local legend almost on par with Finn McCool, the mythical giant from whom the club derives its name.

Following a few mediocre seasons, the Giants won the championship of what is now called the Elite League in 2005-2006. Former NHL superstar Theo Fleury joined the team in mid-October and made an immediate impact by leading the league in scoring and winning the MVP Award.

"Belfast saved my life," said NHL legend Theo Fleury, the biggest star ever to play for the team. "The people, my teammates, the whole experience got my life back on track."

A member of Team Canada's gold medal-winning team in 2002 and Stanley Cup Champion in 1989-90 with the Calgary Flames, Fleury also played for the Colorado Avalanche, New York Rangers, and Chicago Blackhawks during an NHL career in which he scored 455 goals. The feisty forward was near the tail-end of his playing days and had and battled drug addiction prior to joining the Giants for the 2005-06 season.

The Elite Ice Hockey League is comprised of 10 hockey teams in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. They include the Braehead Clan, Cardiff Devils, Coventry Blaze, Dundee Stars, Edinburgh Capitals, Fife Flyers, Hull Stingrays, Nottingham Panthers, and Sheffield Steelers. A large percentage of the players come from North America. The Belfast Giants are the reigning League Champions (2011-12).

Only hockey jerseys are permitted at the games since football jerseys can spark sectarianism. This enables the Giants to draw support from both communities of Belfast. It has proven to be an astute business move. Team sponsors include Stena Line, George Best Belfast City Airport, Subway and Tayto, among others.

On opening night, September 20th, the Odyssey surprisingly was less than half full, but the enthusiastic crowd made up for it, cheering on their local heroes. During play stoppages, the Giants hold giveaways, including chocolate chip cookies, which went over well with my three children, who talk about the game as a highlight of their 10-day trip. Following the game, some lucky fans were invited on the ice with the team, and one player literally gave a fan the shirt off his back. It's a feel-good atmosphere that inspires people to come again - even if they cannot explain what "icing the puck" means.

"It is always satisfying to have sold out games or games with crowds of 5,000+ when you think of how much harder we have to work to sell ice hockey here," said Todd Kelman, general manager of the Giants, who admits disappointment in constantly having to convince people to try something new and see a sport they know little or nothing about. "We sell it as entertainment rather than pro sports. We market the night out, the atmosphere, and the game night experience, rather than focus solely on the sport itself."

Kelman, a former player, took over as the team's fulltime GM in April 2007. A one-time draft pick of the NHL's St Louis Blues, the Bowling Green University graduate joined the Giants in their inaugural year and played for seven seasons. Kelman, who had never been to Ireland before joining the Giants, became the franchise's all-time leader in games played and its top scoring defenseman.

In the early days, it was a challenge to get players to sign with the team. Kelman says it is not difficult at all anymore.

"We are past the days of people not wanting to come to Belfast because of its 'reputation'. Enough players have been here and go back with great things to say about the city and the team that we have an easy time recruiting good players," added Kelman, who earned his MBA from Queens University in Belfast in 2011.

Forward Gareth Roberts and defenseman Graeme Walton are local boys from Belfast, while goalie Andrew Dickson is a native of Ballymoney, County Antrim. Mark Garside, a forward, and goalie Stephen Murphy are natives of Scotland. Defenseman David Phillips, and forwards Craig Peacock and Matt Towe are from England.

Forwards Andrew Fournier, Scott Champagne, Darryl Lloyd, Greg Stewart, and Adam Keefe, the hard-hitting team captain, defensemen Brock Matheson and Will Colbert are all from Ontario. Forwards Daymen Rycroft (Alberta), Sam Roberts (Newfoundland) and Robby Sandrock (British Columbia) are also Canadian. Noah Clarke, a forward from La Verne, California, is the sole American on the squad.

The Giants have a tie-in with the University of Ulster, which offers scholarships to players who want to earn an MBA in sports business management. It is a great recruiting tool and allows the team to get players that would not normally be able to afford.

"Belfast is a city filled with a young vibrant population. The people are great, and the city has a small town feel although it is a big city. It has a ton of great restaurants and bars and is becoming a real tourist destination," Kelman said. "Players love it here and many list it as the best place they played in pro hockey. They get treated very well by us and by the people of Belfast."

Opening Night,September 20, 2012

Two power play goals Robby Sandrock propelled the Giants to a 2-1 victory over the Dundee Stars as the home team outshot their opponents 40 shots to 13.

The Stars struck first at 8:36 of the first period as a deflected puck went past goalie Stephen Murphy, who is a native of Dundee, Scotland. The deficit was quickly erased when Sandrock scored a power play goal on a feed from Scott Champagne during player/coach Jeff Hutchins's 2 minute penalty for hooking.

Both team traded scoring chances throughout the rest of the game. With 10 minutes remaining in the game, Dundee's Greg Moore and Giants captain Adam Keefe dropped the gloves and were both were assessed major penalties for fighting.

The fisticuffs sparked the crowd, and the Giants responded with Sandrock netting his second of the game on a feed from Andrew Fournier to make the score 2-1. The home team held on for the remainder of the game despite being shorthanded for four minutes.

Over their first 20 contests, the Giants had 13 wins, 2 losses, and 5 overtime games - good enough to lead the Elite Ice Hockey League Standings. Even if they do not successfully defend their title this year, the Giants are still big-time winners.