Inferno Interview - Brad Plumton

To help with the Off Season Hockey withdrawals we’ve caught up with Devils D’man Brad Plumton to chat about how his season went and his impressions of UK hockey. We even asked him the one question we agreed not to ask...

The-Inferno - We know you didn't want to answer this one, but what's the news on a return to the Devils at this point in time?

Brad Plumton - Its honestly all still up in the air, still waiting to hear back from a few people and see what my agent says. I think most teams including Cardiff are going after the Brits before the imports, so we will have to wait and see. I loved my time in Cardiff so hopefully we can work something out so I can come back next season in a Devils jersey.

The-Inferno - It was a strange season for the Devils, how much affect did the changes on the ice affect the dynamic and morale within the team?

Brad Plumton - Hockey is in the end a business and whenever you sign to play pro hockey at any level these kinds of things happen, and guys come and go depending on how the season is shaping up. We had some big injuries that hurt us, also with all the coaching changes it made it difficult to keep systems and routines the same. I don't think the morale was ever hurt too much with the team, we still had a great core group of guys that worked hard, and really wanted to win with whatever challenges came up.

The-Inferno - And the changes off the ice? Did the coaching changes have more affect than the roster changes, or do you just try to not let things your own game too much?

Brad Plumton - It was tough we really had 3 coaches this year all with different philosophies and styles of play that they wanted to implement. We just had to adjust and try and go out and win games no matter who was behind the bench on any given night.

The-Inferno - How do you feel your first season with the Devils and in the UK panned out? Did you enjoy it from a playing point of view? How about the officials in the league?

Brad Plumton - I was put into many different roles this season, having key guys injured or out of the line up for whatever reason. It’s always great to look back at your season and see how you did strictly by points, but that's not really what the main part of my job is. I love the agitating and fighting role, although it would be a lot easier on me with another big guy ready to drop the gloves with the "big boys" of the league. All in all I enjoyed my time in Cardiff all the way through, it would have been nice to make playoffs and make a final push for a trophy but all those shootout wins came back to bite us!

The-Inferno - What were the best and worst venues you played in across the EIHL? And what did you make of the BBT?

Brad Plumton - I think Belfast has one of the best set ups with the rink being attached to the movie theatre and restaurants right on the water. Sheffield and Braehead also were very nice. The BBT was a great place to play when all of the fans were getting behind us and made that place loud and exciting to play in. I've seen the plans for the new rink and that looks awesome, it’s going to be quite the place to play when all of that is done!

The-Inferno - You started playing more of an agitator role as the season went on, was this something you had played before because it seemed to work quite well?

Brad Plumton - I think that is kind of my style, I have always played like this in some way. There are some guys on teams where you can play this way and really get into guys heads and maybe they make a couple extra mistakes, or take a couple extra penalties, anything to help the team win really.

The-Inferno - Do you see yourself as a fighter or antagonizer? Do you feel if you'd played with a genuine tough guy such as Voth we would have seen an even more of the "cheeky chappy" we got to love?

Brad Plumton - You know what like I said earlier, it would be great to have a bigger "tough guy" out there to play with, which could allow me to step back from fighting some of the guys 15-20kg heavier then me! I still don't mind dropping the gloves whenever needed, but that's not all I do!

The-Inferno - Probably the highlight of the season for the fans will have been the triple header up in Scotland, how does it feel as a player to know you've got 300 or so travelling fans with you for each of those games?

Brad Plumton - It means a lot to the guys when we have such great support following us on the road wherever we go. It’s great to see all the fans having such a great time and getting into the games. Always a good time stopping in for a beer after a good road win and hearing all the good stories from fans! For the fans sake hopefully Cardiff can plan to have another triple header to Scotland next season.

The-Inferno - What was your personal highlight from the year just gone?

Brad Plumton - I think there were 2 home games against Sheffield earlier in the season where I was at my best, and all the fans were behind me to get me going. Think really got a few guys off their games those nights and helped us steal some points from them!

The-Inferno - We never did manage to get an interview with you before the season started, but what attracted you to the EIHL and the Devils?

Brad Plumton - I played in Sweden before Cardiff, and didn't really feel like it was my style of hockey. I had heard good things about the growth and level of hockey in the UK, so I knew it would be a place I could play my game. I also have some family background from the UK and always have wanted to see the country, it didn't disappoint!

The-Inferno - How high would you have gone on the Autumn International rugby tickets that you were bidding on at G's Roast auction? If you hadn't had a Devils game the same day of course...

Brad Plumton - HaHa! That was a great night for G, and we all had a good time. I don't know how much higher I could have afforded but think I made G some extra quid that night!

The-Inferno - Finally, anything you'd like to add?

Brad Plumton - Hopefully everyone has a great summer, and hope to see you in the UK next season!

Thanks!
Brad Plumton

We'd like to thank Brad for taking the time to speak to us over the season with Interviews and his appearnce on Inferno TV. Lets hope we see him bak in a Devils Jersey soon.