2009

MAY: Ice Hockey legend Ron Shudra has signalled the end of an era by quitting as player coach of Sheffield Scimitars after just one season in charge. The former NHL star, Steelers best loved ex player, will instead coach his son and teammates in the junior ranks at under-12s.

AUGUST

Steelers’ fans are being kicked out of the seats they’ve been sitting in for years - to save on the cleaning bill. More than 120 season ticket holders who sit behind the goal in the Steelers ‘home end’ have been informed the area is to be netted off next season.

Sheffield Steelers and Rotherham Council teamed up to illustrate their confidence that the planned new rink and £350m YES! Project, scheduled for Rother Valley Country Park, will still go ahead, despite the credit crunch. Both sides are convinced developers Oak Holdings will still finance the 327 acre project.

SEPTEMBER: 

Steelers today defended their decision to drop the word ‘Sheffield’ from their name for the first time since the club was formed 18 years ago. The switch is tied in with new sponsors and the move, scheduled for two years time, to a new purpose built rink in Rother Valley. The champions are now calling themselves The Field Electrical Steelers for the next two years. That may not go down well with some fans, who are yet to embrace the move over the ‘border’ into Rotherham. Asked about the change, general manager Mike O’Connor said “It’s a great deal for the club. Field Electrical Contactors Ltd (near Mansfield) have been supporters for a few years - it has been a family activity that John Burton and his wife, Maxine, and daughter have been enjoying for years.”

Pinned down on the removal of the word, Sheffield, O’Connor replied: “Time moves on - the development is going fine at Rother Valley with the Yes Project and (developers) Oak Holdings have taken over there so we have to be conscious of where we are going in the future.

“We certainly don’t want to diminish the proud history and heritage that we have got, we will always be Steelers. Just a different venue in a different part of the geographic area.

We are known as the Steelers - that is the brand.”

He admitted he thought long and hard about stripping the word Sheffield out of the title.

“That was not something that was easy to do,” he said.

“We have a good partnership going forward with Rotherham Council and feasibly we can’t move into a project that sits on their land - and the relationship that we have got with them - and still call ourselves Sheffield.

“That’s not to say we are not proud of our heritage and what we’ve done in Sheffield - we are simply moving to a new venue. Its a re-branding issue.”

The thoughts of some people, at the time, with regard to last months proposed switch of venue and subsequent switch of name: http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/archive/index.php/t-316790.html

THEN CAME THIS:

Star readers and Sheffield Steelers fans today forced a public U-turn from the ice hockey club hierarchy. So many critics put their name to Save Our Sheffield Steelers coverage and the fans own website forum (Steeltalk) that it persuaded club management to climb down this morning.

OCTOBER: The Sheffield coach prepared one of his most punishing training sessions of both pre and regular season as a gesture of his contempt at the recent form. Matsos knows the recent contract extension he signed with Steelers management won't be worth the paper it is written on unless his team starts winning matches. For the first time since he joined the club, taking them to a glorious double winning championship last year, he is talking about the fragility of his position.

A new competitition was added and on the 4th October a knockout competition involving all EIHL teams was played in Sheffield. Steelers won their first round game despatching Hull before taking on Cardiff Devils in the semi final. They defeated them to set up the final game, which was against Coventry Blaze. Sheffield Steelers went on to lift the first 20/20 trophy (so named because there was a running clock for the games of 20 minutes per period). The game was won by 3-2.

NOVEMBER:

They received praise from all around the league for their victorious Continental Cup endeavours in Italy where they won HYS The Hague 4-3, HDK Stavbar Maribor 5-4 and Bolzano Bozen Foxes 4-3

2010

JANUARY

Sheffield Steelers became the first EIHL side to return from Europe with a medal. They competed in the next round of the Continental Cup, the Superfinal, and murdered by Minsk, they might have been. savaged by Salzburg they certainly were. But while they return home from France with only the consolation prize of a bronze medal they can also pack in their kitbags some renewed belief in themselves as they returned from the journey with one win, against Grenoble, and two defeats.

European final details

Steelers coach Dave Matsos fate will be resolved at the end of the season, " It has been pretty dire this season and my sympathy is with our poor fans" the Welsh businessman told the Star."There are six weeks left, we are still looking for players and we will see how it goes". " As far as changes at the top end, changing horses mid-stream can come back and bite you. We will have the same personal until this season is over," said Phillips.

MARCH

There is not a British Ice hockey atmosphere anything like that of Sheffield Arena, when it's full to overflowing. Last Saturday saw an Elite League record of 8,634 people cheering Steelers on to a rousing 8-2 win over rivals Nottingham Panthers. The gate was swelled by the 'Ron Shudra factor' the former captain returning to have his shirt officially retired.

MAY

Sheffield Steelers ice hockey club's operating company is going bust. The Star can reveal today. Yorkshire Sport(YS) called Insolvency Practitioners Wilson Fields after becoming unable to pay their debts. There is an underlying dispute relating to a sponsorship, but all player wages have been paid. There is confusion over exactly what happened to season ticket money paid by fans before the collapse of Sheffield Steelers operating company Yorkshire Sport(YS).

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