2001

JUNE

Former Chesterfield owner Norton Lee has won the fight to run Superleague ice hockey in South Yorkshire. But the millionaire businessman and his Eye Group partners will have to fight for the right to use the name Sheffield Steelers.

Steelers die-hards turned out in their thousands to show support for the men who saved their club this weekend. Around 2,200 made their point in the sunshine outside Sheffield Arena at a rally called to back Andy Cooke and Martin Jenkinson and their plans to take a Steelers team into the British National League.

Sheffield Arena has sprang the most sensational surprise so far in the controversy over who will play top-class ice hockey in the city. They have told the Ice Hockey Superleague that they do not accept their choice of franchise holder and union of ex-Chesterfield FC boss Norton Lee and sports-right firm The Eye Group.

JULY

Steelers people power won the day in emphatic style this afternoon , when Sheffield Arena sensationally handed next season ice contract to Mark Smith, part of the current caretaker ownership, Brian Whitfield and David Cox and the rest of the directors of (FOSSL) were the heavyweights working behind the scene to help keep Steelers a locally-owner club. They had continually warned the ISL they could not mess with the people of Sheffield , or they would lose.

AUGUST

Steelers British National League dreams are over swept aside by an inexplicable change of heart from a league that suddenly doesn't want the best club in the country. A day long BNL meeting in London saw an 8-4 pro Sheffield majority, voted for five days earlier, over-turned. No reason was given for the U-turn, but it is clear that the chairman, Tom Muir, found the right formula to turn the majority against Steelers.

Norton Lee in his first real public statement since taking over Steelers, he says "I want to make it clear that I am the owner of the franchise along with my wife. We are the only shareholders in the company. Sheffield Steelers has no involvement with the Eye Group."

Mike Blaisdell and Dave Simms are back to rebuild a new 'Steelers' and have 16 days to sign a complete team of players ready to start a new Superleague season on 1st Sept.

They did, however, manage to recruit a good side including two former NHL players, Brad Lauer and Paul Kruse, both had seven hundred NHL games behind them. Former top flight netminder, Ryan Bach was brought in after playing in the AHL to help the defence. The coach decided to swoop on the DEL for his two main defencemen, Jeff Sebastian and Marc Laniel. GB international Rick Brebant came back for a second year and Brent Bobyck came from Nottingham Panthers to help bolster the offence.

OCTOBER

Norton Lee is working behind the scenes to try to get his hands on the only thing he doesn't officially own, the name, Sheffield Steelers. The millionaire has been using the name for his ISL club even though a legal and commercial dispute remains hanging over it. Now Lea may be close to sealing a deal with Martin Jenkinson and Andy Cooke.

19th. Steelers powered easily past Danish opponents Blue Fox in a successful start in their hopes of conquering European hockey 5-3.

20th. Mike Blaisdell men were behind until the 43rd minute against Grenoble when they finally cracked their resolute rivals defence. After that there was only one team in it, and they ran out 4-1 winners.

21st Sheffield stumbled to a shock defeat, and threw away the chance of advancing though to the semi final. Anglet les Orques, a side of French skaters supported by just 6 imports, won 4-3.

NOVEMBER

A senior executive of Ice Hockey Superleague admitted for the first time that the state of the domestic competition was perilous, although he believes it will survive its present state. Secretary Brian Storey, who is resigning after four years, has become the first high profile ISL figure to accept what everybody else has been saying for month, that the seven member league is "fragile".

STEELERS are back! Norton Lea ended months of confrontation today by signing a deal with the Cooke, Jenkinson, and Smith consortium (CJS) over the use of the name Steelers. But today the dispute was finally settled, and it could pave the way for a return of those 'missing fans'. Around 1,000 supporters turned their back on ISL hockey in the city after the league awarded the franchise to Lea, rather than CJS, whom they had backed throughout the summer.

DECEMBER

With injuries radically reducing the cast, the directors brought back former leading man Ron Shudra, once discarded as a bit-part actor and banished backstage. Norton Lee has given the green light for Ron Shudra to complete the rest of the year back on the ice with Sheffield Steelers.

Four security guards were called to escort referee Nigel Boniface out of Sheffield Arena after a furious row continued from the ice to his dressing room after this latest home defeat, 3-5 against Bracknell. Boniface has been renamed Two-Faced by Steelers fans after this incredibly inept display which saw him ignore clear fouls by Bees players, yet dole out 84 minutes in penalties to Sheffield. Ryan Bach, Paul Kruse and coach Mike Blaisdell led the protests outside Boniface dressing room after the game.

2002 

JANUARY:  Steelers owner Norton Lea has declined an invitation to discuss the possible sale of the club. An approach was made, before Christmas, by businessman Sid Butt, an associate of the consortium which took over from Darren Brown last year. Butt said "we asked Norton Lea if he was interested in talking to us again but he declined."

New Steelers signing Mark Dutiaume promised to rise to the challenge of being recognised as a Superleague quality player, following his experience in the lower British National League division.

MARCH

Steelers qualified as runners up for the finals and came up against the London Knights and defeated them in a thrilling encounter 3-2 thanks largely to the goaltending efforts of Ryan Bach.

Up against unfancied Manchester Storm in the final they slumped to a were 3-1 behind at one point but the game was tied in the final minutes by leading scorer Chris Lipsett. Four on four overtime could not produce a victor and up stepped Brad Lauer with a backhand to convert the only penalty of the nine and so send the trophy back to Sheffield.

APRIL: Steelers championship stars have had their cup-winning bonuses shelved, because of damage discovered to a majority of the player rental cars. The team that won the British Championship in March, Norton Lee said he was going to pay them £500 net, rather than the gross amount they had expected. Lee was "disappointed" to find out there had been varying amounts of damager done to around 13 of the 17 cars distributed to the two goaltenders and 15 skaters.

Darren Brown the one time owner of the Sheffield Steelers, Chesterfield FC, and the Sheffield Sharks is under Investigation by the Serious Fraud Office over his dealings at Chesterfield FC. Fraud Squad detectives have decided not to probe, in detail Darren Brown ownership of Sheffield Steelers. Instead they will concentrate their resources on Brown's acquisition and stewardship of Chesterfield FC.

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