Before Google searches and video scouting, British hockey imports were found through whispers and record books.
When Solihull signed a fiery Canadian named Brent Sapergia, they got the best goal scorer the league had ever seen — and one of its most unforgettable characters.
This is the story of how brilliance, chaos, and one wild night in Birmingham made hockey history.
The John Kidd Interview
A conversation with former Ayr Bruins, Peterborough Pirates, and Paisley Pirates forward John Kidd
In this Old Time Hockey UK blog post, we chat with Scottish ice hockey legend John Kidd, whose career spanned the golden era of British hockey in the 1980s and 90s. From his early beginnings on a tiny rink in Ayr to captaining the Bruins at Wembley, John reflects on the triumphs, challenges, and characters that shaped his time in the game.
The Gary Newbon Blog Post
Gary Newbon, former Solihull Barons Team owner, Central TV and Sky Sports broadcaster is today’s interview guest. Starting at Westward TV, journalist Gary moved to ATV in the early 1970’s, later rebranded as Central TV. Based in Solihull, West Midlands, Gary became a sports reporter for the company’s “ATV Today” programme. He covered sport in…
Tim Cranston Interview – The Early Years
Tim Cranston Interview – The Early Years. Tim Cranston, former Fife Flyers, Cleveland Bombers, Durham Wasps, Sheffield Steelers, Edinburgh Capitals forward is my guest for today’s interview. Duel national Tim also played 39 times for the Great Britain national team, scoring 11 goals with 13 assists. In Part 1 of our interview we talk of…
Doug Smail Interview
Doug Smail Interview Doug Smail was born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada in 1957. He spent his college years with the University of North Dakota having 3 successful seasons there. In his final season with the “Fighting Hawks” Doug had a standout season, scoring 87 points in 40 games. This got him noticed by the…
Memories of the Nottingham Ice Stadium
Being a Nottingham Panthers fan since the early eighties, I was more than interested to read this excellent Blog post by another long time Panthers fan, Ian Braisby. Ian’s musings stirred plenty of memories for me and more than a few nods of agreement. It was his “home from home” he says, a sentiment that…
