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Tony Hand on Manchester Phoenix new signings

Tuesday, 2nd June 2015

Most of you know that Tony Hand MBE never really stops working even through the summer. Phoenix TV has already featured 7 of his new squad practically just as the ink was drying on the contracts. We caught up with Tony and asked when we could we expect the next batch of guys to be released. He said that negotiations were on going and that we could expect more over the next couple of weeks.

Tony did say however that it is getting harder and harder to find good British players that can play at this level he believes the split-level set-up in British ice hockey is “too fragmented”. The 47-year-old, who hung up his skates at the end of last season, spent two years as Great Britain Head Coach, taking his side to the verge of Olympic qualification. Hand’s 33-year playing career saw him appear in the much-vaunted Heineken League, as well as the Superleague, then its predecessor, the Elite League.

The Manchester Phoenix Head Coach, who is building a squad to challenge for next season’s EPL title, has seen at first hand those changes since the end of the British League in 1995.

He said: “I just feel that ice hockey across the whole of the country is too fragmented. Nobody knows who is running what. Here in the EPL, we know the EIHA run the league, but other teams are just doing it for themselves. It isn’t a nationwide Great Britain set-up and I don’t feel we are developing youngsters as well as we should be.”

Hand is taking a step back from playing duties next season to concentrate on coaching Manchester Phoenix. And with a number of youngsters currently waiting in the wings at the club, he is concerned about the future state of the national game.

“It just think it's crazy in the Elite League,” he added.“Of course, it isn’t perfect here in the EPIHL, but to have teams with 13 or 14 imports, it isn’t good for the young British guys. This should have been addressed ten years ago, but the numbers have kept going up and up. All we hear is that the British players want too much money, but it's the clubs that have the power. They don’t have to pay that much. At the moment it is too saturated and this league is the only one in Europe like that. “

He went on to say “that it's very easy to just get focused on your own organisation but at some point all those of us involved need to come together for the better of British Ice Hockey.”

Tony Hand

Tony Hand


Manchester Phoenix Community Sports Foundation

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