The Sports Lowdown For All Your News and OpinionsWith The Elite Ice Hockey League returned last week, The Sports Lowdown looks at the format of the competition, the teams to watch, and why Ice Hockey continues to grow in popularity.
Background of the League
The Elite Ice Hockey League was founded in 2003 and is the top league in British Ice Hockey. There is no promotion or relegation from the leagues below it. The league has ten clubs in it and is the only league in British sport to contain teams from all four of the home nations.
Format of the Competition
As well as having the main league table which takes into account the results of each fixture, there are also two conferences which split the ten teams into groups of five. This system is similar to the one used in some American sports. The teams are split into the following conferences:
Erhardt Conference
- Belfast Giants
- Cardiff Devils
- Coventry Blaze
- Nottingham Panthers
- Sheffield Steelers
Gardiner Conference
- Braehead Clan
- Edinburgh Capitals
- Dundee Stars
- Fife Flyers
- Manchester Storm
Each team plays teams in their own conference eight times and teams in the other conference four times. This means the regular seasons ends after 52 games, with the better performing teams qualifying for the play-offs.
Teams to Watch
The most successful teams in the league are Sheffield and Coventry, who have won the league four times. Sheffield won the league last season, with Braehead coming second, although it was Coventry who won the play-offs after they beat Sheffield in the final. Belfast and Nottingham have also performed well in recent years and will be keen to win back the trophy this year.
This season will be Manchester Storm’s first in the competition after they were granted permission to play in the competition earlier this year. There has been a team from Manchester playing in the competition before, but they folded in 2009.
Why Follow Ice Hockey
Ice Hockey is one off the most popular arena sports in the UK and is the third most popular sport played in the winter months in Britain. With the Cricket, Rugby League, Golf and Tennis seasons coming to a close, following Ice Hockey is a good way to remain interested in sports throughout the winter months. While it can be one of the more difficult sports to play, it is an entertaining sport to watch due to the speed and skill involved in the game and the supporter friendly atmosphere at stadiums makes it worthwhile viewing.
