Ode To Voth...

Gone but never forgotten… The legend that is Brad Voth

Despite the flurry of snowflakes EIHL fans awoke to, today, Saturday 4th February, will be remembered as a day that changed the world of Elite League Ice Hockey.  It was today, with the delight of snow in the air, that the Cardiff Devils Management announced that powerhouse Canadian forward, Brad Voth, fan-favourite and all-round great guy, had retired from hockey.

 Voth, who was currently in his seventh season for the South Wales side, has been side-lined since the 30th December 2011, when he suffered an injury to the nerves in the first period against the Belfast Giants.  From there, Voth, known to all as the Mayor of Cardiff, was taken back to the ‘Diff as his team travelled on to Coventry, to play the rival team in the final game of 2011. 

The 6’5” Calgary native then missed the following seven games, before suiting up for the first leg of the Challenge Cup semi-final, facing the team in which he suffered this injury, although the forward did not ice.  Through good progress made, it was looking hopeful that Voth would be ready to play in the second leg of the Semi-Final but ‘it was not to be’, as described by the Devils Management.

 Before entering into his EIHL career, Brad Voth started out with a five-year stint in the WHL with the Medicine Hat Tigers, accumulating a combined total of 215 games played, 30 goals, 57 points and a huge 785 PIMs.  With the now well-known intimidating stature, Voth was the all rounded definition of a textbook ‘enforcer’, demonstrating his skills in both defending himself and his team-mates, and putting the puck in the back of the net when needed.  After leaving the WHL, Voth served two stints in the AHL with the Worcester Ice Cats, as well as playing for several teams in the ECIHL.  Between his time with the Tigers and joining us in Cardiff, Voth built up a combined tally of 196 games played, 41 points and 776 PIMs.

From the beginning, ‘Vother’ was always a favourite in the Caridff.  In his début season with the Devils (2005-2006), Voth posted a tally of 45 games played, 9 goals, 12 assists, 21 points and 263 PIMs.  Brad then went on to take the Cardiff Captaincy in the January of 2007, after demonstrating huge loyalty to the club.  With the kind of skills honed by Voth rarely seen, it was understandable that he was wanted throughout the league; no one wanted to play against him, yet everyone wanted to play with him!  Offers were soon flying in from all-around the league, with clubs such as Belfast and Sheffield desperate to get their hands on the enforcer.  However, it seems that Voth was exactly where he wanted to be.

Over the course of his first six seasons with the Welsh side, Brad Voth worked hard to establish just how afraid anyone facing him should be.  With a combined total of 1667 PIMs from his first season to the 2010-2011 season, the ‘goon’ was not someone to be messed with.   Right from the get-go, Voth has been our go-to-guy for a good fight, whether it be in his first season, where he tangled with Newcastle Vipers’ Jeremy Cornish, or this season, when he had it out with long-time foe Guilliame Lepine, there was always action to be had when Vother was on the ice. 

At the beginning of the 2011-2012 season, coming off a disappointing play-off final loss to the Nottingham Panthers, it was no surprise that things started slowly.  The first game of the season saw the Devils facing off against the Panthers in a devastating 6-1 away loss, in which Voth came out with 6 PIMs, one of which a roughing penalty received in the second.  Although, despite this heart-breaking defeat, we all know that the Devils aren’t a team that back down easily.  In the home leg of the doubled headed weekend, the Devils fought back with an electrifying 4-1 win over Nottingham.  Voth finished the first weekend of the season with a total of 8 PIMs.  However, it wasn’t until October 22nd, when the Dundee Stars travelled to the BBT, that we finally saw Voth drop the gloves for the first time this season.

After that, the fights, as well as the stellar skill, continued, up until that fateful game in the Odyssey Arena put our Mayor out of action.

With the time for goodbyes near, Brad will be present at the home game on Sunday 5th February, when the Braehead Clan come to town, for one final farewell, before jetting home to Canada on Wednesday.  It is an understatement to say he will be missed, as we all know the BBT will feel empty without his ‘intimidating presence’.  After Sunday, never again will we sing ‘Shoe off’ when Vother scores or ploughs someone into those boards. 

Best of luck to the big guy, hoping that he does well, as we all know he will, in whatever he does next.  He will always be welcome in the BBT, will always be a part of the Red Army, and will always be a Devil…

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