Wales Internationals

WelshHabsFan

WelshHabsFan

New Member
#1
Thread starter #1
Hi all,

Fully expecting to be lampooned and shot down in flames, but I got to thinking about a what a Welsh hockey team would look like. So far I have;

Coach :
Neil Francis (Cardiff Devils)

Goalies :
Stevie Lyle (Basingstoke Bison)
Joe Myers (Cardiff Devils)

Defencemen:
Alex Symonds (Basingstoke Bison)
Chris Hart (Cardiff Devils)

Forwards :
Joe Miller (Basingstoke Bison)
Nicky Chinn (MK Lightning)
James Preece (Telford Tigers)
Phil Hill (Cardiff Devils)
Matthew Myers (Nottingham Panthers)
Johnathan Phillips (Sheffield Steelers)
Ben Davies (Cardiff Devils)
Luke Piggott (Cardiff Devils)
Adam Harding (Cardiff Devils)
Sam Smith (Coventry Blaze)

As you can see, I got stuck on defensemen (largely because available data on the NIHL is patchy at best) but basically I think we'd be looking to NIHL Devils 1 & 2 for them. There's also Flintshire Freeze and maybe some tidy people playing rec hockey who'd fancy a laugh. We have some good forwards though!

Basically it's a feasibility study for a Home Nations championship. England and Scotland would easily scrape together decent sides, and the Republic of Ireland already have a team as well which they could maybe bolster with the NI boys from the Giants. It could take place over a weekend at a venue like the NIC or move like the 6 Nations. It could even be a good launch party for the new Cardiff Bay arena.

Whilst I think I can predict what the standings could be (though Scotland have Murphy in goal so the top two could be interesting) if they gave away the rights to the Beeb or even Eurosport it could really increase the profile of the sport in the UK.

With red, green, blue and white there'd be no need for more than one set of jerseys, and I for one would buy a Wales hockey jersey so there's the potential for cash to pay for it all too. If Wales played in CH jerseys they could just use the Devils template and stick a stylised dragon on the front instead of the Devils' crest, saving cost there.

I realise it's probably been mooted long ago, but I've been thinking about it for a while (I'm a nationalist, yes) and I think it might be worth a shot. It wouldn't be to replace GB hockey either.

Fire away... Please be gentle.
 
WelshHabsFan

WelshHabsFan

New Member
#4
Thread starter #4
One more on D and we have a roster!

I was thinking also that hockey players don't get the chance to represent their nations like rugby and soccerists.

People often say how Swansea having a team would help the Devils because of the rivalry between the two cities. I think we're not capitalising on how everyone else feels about England (note I said 'England' not 'the English') which would help this fly.
 
DevilDom

DevilDom

Well-Known Member
#6
#6
I was actually thinking about this the other day when watching the GB game. I think its a great idea and could actually help the GB team. Maybe a tournament at the end of the season between the Home Nations? I'd definitely go to watch games.
 
M

maccab5

Member
#7
#7
More chance of a rec 5 nations happening. Could be in the pipeline. . Watch this space.........

Also there is a rec world cup played in Sault st Marie last year ex devil Archie Nelson played for Scotland the titans may be sending a team in 2016 to represent Wales.
 
WelshHabsFan

WelshHabsFan

New Member
#9
Thread starter #9
Merthyr Devil said:
Found a defenseman playing in America born in Wrexham, no idea what he's like but the team is looking a bit short on D so he'll have to do
Click to expand...
Bryn and Aled Roberts? Think they might be Welsh!

We could definitely field a competitive team against England and Scotland. All we need is the will and the organisation.
 
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