Frankie Killen Podcast Interview
Frankie Killen, a netminder from what many consider to be the golden age of British ice hockey.
The Heineken Hockey era began in 1982 and ended 1996, and “Killer” started his rookie season in 1980 and played right through to 1994 when his knees finally gave up on him.
The former Durham Wasps, Nottingham Panthers, Cleveland (Billingham) Bombers and Humberside Seahawks netminder talks about his career as a rookie in Durham, his first game as a Wasps goalie, and adds his thoughts on if goalies really do have to be a “special breed”.
Durham discontent
He talks of how miserly the Durham Wasps management were “we played for very little money, it was more about winning championships” he says, of the homeliness of the ice rink and also of his shock after the Durham Committee inexplicably agreed to his transfer to the Nottingham Panthers, how both himself and his new Panthers team needed a Police escort to leave the Durham rink on his first return “home” and how he was “poached” back to his former club after an on ice clash with Durham’s Paul Smith while both were lying injured on the ice.
Also in this episode we talk of the characters of that Heineken Hockey League era, specifically the cleanliness of “Ledgy’s” taxi, owned by Panther’s forward Paul O’Higgins, the competitiveness of Durham’s Rick Brebant and the craziness of Humberside’s Dan Dorian,
We speak of the Wasps European Cup travels, the initiations of new players and how quickly the imports who didn’t fit into the team were shown the door.
The Rise and Fall of the Durham Wasps
Check out this this excellent article by Issac Abrahm. It’s one a terrific read and certainly not to be missed.
100 Years UK Ice Hockey Event
Finally, Frankie tells us all about the 100 Years of UK Ice hockey, a weekend of ice hockey celebrations booked for the summer of 2015.
This event, scheduled for Friday 31st July through to Sunday 2nd August, is set to be the most prestigious Ice Hockey get together ever held in the UK.
The main event will be a Saturday evening Awards Gala Dinner. There will be a golf competition on the Ramside hotel’s championship golf course and former Nottingham Panthers forward and now fishing expert, Marc Twaite, will also be hosting a fishing event.
All proceeds from the event will be donated to three cancer charities.
Frankie can be contacted via email at: killenjoinery@gmail.com
You can also listen to Podcast interviews from Frankie’s alumni of former Durham Wasps and Nottingham Panthers players:
Durham Wasps Alumni:
Mario Belanger Episode S2E10
Anthony Payne Episode S3E06
Stephen Cooper Part 1 Episode S3E10
Stephen Cooper Part 2 Episode S3E11
Peter ‘Jonker’ Johnson Episode S4 E01
Tim Cranston Episode S4 E04
Plus:
The rise and fall of the Durham Wasps
and
Frankie Killen, the sheep on the bus
Nottingham Panthers Alumni:
Marc Twaite Episode S1E02
Graham Waghorn Episode S1E06
Randall Weber Episode S1E07
Jamie Leach Episode S1E10
Jimmy Keyes Episode S1E13
Paul Adey Episode S1E16
Fred Perlini Episode S1E20
Craig Melancon Episode S1E21
Kenny McKie Episode S1E25
Todd Bidner Episode S1E27
Chuck Taylor Episode S1E29
Selmar Odelein Episode S2E01
Steve Carpenter Episode S2E06
Mario Belanger Episode S2E10
Paul Blahji Episode S2E12
Scott O’Connor Episode S3E03
Greg Hadden Episode S4E02
Barry Nieckar Episode S4 E06
Plus:
Todd Bidner (Humberside) Episode S1 E27
Scott Morrison (Humberside) Episode S3E04
Peter “Jonker” Johnson (Humberside) Episode S4 E01
Simon Leach (Whitley) Episode S1 E19
Hilton Ruggles (Whitley) Episode S1 E24
Luc Chabot (Whitley) Episode S2 E04
Anthony Payne (Newcastle) Episode S3 E06
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