1995

MAY

Despite the battering and the facial cuts he took last season, Ken Priestlay came back, saying “this is going to be some year”.

Sheffield Steelers have almost reached their season ticket target for next season months before the action starts again. The club riding on the back of a double championship has sold 2,645 season tickets already. That compares with the 2,683 they sold on the first day of last season.

JUNE

Andre Malo joined old favourite Tim Cranston, who has re-signed, in a public ceremony in Orchard Square where more than 1,000 fans turned up for the event. The Sheffield Steelers today shook the ice hockey world to its foundations by pulling off the sport's biggest ever double signing of the Edinburgh Racers Tony Hand and the Cardiff Devils Nicky Chinn.

JULY

Wayne Cowley, netminder, has agreed financial terms with Steelers.

AUGUST

Hand revealed that Edinburgh Racers were now demanding compensation for him despite the club being scratched from the British League and his teammates having gone their separate ways. Now it's believed that Racers directors have put a £20,000 price-tag on Hand's head which would set a British record.

Hand sorted out the hitch himself and such was the power of his argument that the Scots backed down and not a penny was paid by Sheffield. Sheffield Steelers have been forced to stop using the Thunderbirds theme tune. But now the Arena has warned the club they maybe infringing copyright, and ordered them to come up with something else. Dave Simms quipped "This is diabolical. I'm taking this all the way to the top, I've asked Parker to have a word in the ear of Lady Penelope."

The pre-season began with a novel new hockey tournament of four teams in Milton Keynes, Bladerunner Arena in front of capacity crowds with the Manchester Storm and Nottingham Panthers joining the hosts - Milton Keynes Kings - as Sheffield Steelers, now beating everyone before them, ran out eventual undefeated winners: scoring twenty two goals in the process. Priestlay got 4+3 in the first game, with Hand scoring 2+5, perhaps they were trying to outdo one another. Ken Priestlay was voted player of the tournament In the Benson and Hedges cup they played two games in Swindon and Peterborough, both resulting in resounding victories, one of them by no less than eighteen clear goals.

OCTOBER

One of the most impressive shows of support comes next weekend when Steelers supporters form the biggest single invasion of Europe by any ice hockey club. An estimated 800 fans will fill a quarter of the rink at Tilburg, and all of them go in peace.

Steelers lay on a real Dutch treat, an awesome display of defensive might and clinical shooting gave sparking Sheffield Steelers their first taste of European Cup glory last night as they beat Tilburg Trappers.

Sheffield's ice hockey kings may have failed to quality for the next round of the European Cup. But what a performance they won the first match, fought back from 4-0 down only to lose 5-3 against the likely champions, and then beat a team of Spanish no-hopers in their last outing.

NOVEMBER

Rob Wilson was able to cut short what should have been a season long low to Telford after his dual nationality was replaced by full British status. Steelers have written out a compensation cheque to Telford, who accepted his determination to leave a week ago.

DECEMBER

Sheffield families caught up in a bloody ice hockey war are considering launching legal action against rival team players. Parents of at least two young females who claim they were intimidated and verbally abused by injured Durham Wasps player Ross Lambert have already made contact with lawyers.

At the start of the month Steelers beat Nottingham Panthers 5-2 in the final of the Benson and Hedges Cup.

1996

FEBRUARY

Jamie Van Der Horst joins the Steelers from Solihull Barons. Steelers Alex Dampier has persuaded David Longstaff to join them on loan to the end of the season.

On the last day of the month Sheffield secured the league title with a crushing 7-2 win over Nottingham in front of over 9,000 fans at the Arena.

MARCH

Nottingham Panthers provided much sterner opposition in the championship final. Steelers were 3-0 up but the Panthers came back to force a shoot out, Wilson and Malo scoring the decisive goals whilst Cowley provide vital saves to ensure Steelers claimed a grand slam of trophies.

Those sour pusses who say Steelers have bought their own success are absolutely right. The BIHA's tinpot trophy was not good enough for image-conscious Sheffield so the club splashed out four figures on their own league championship cup. American lawyers were delivered a blunt message from Sheffield 'Hands off our Steelers'. City leaders reacted with the sort of aggression off  the ice to news that American football team Pittsburgh Steelers are claiming the name exclusively for their own use.

APRIL

Steelermania brought Orchard Square in the city centre to a shuddering halt. Hundreds of ice hockey fans joined Sheffield Lord Mayor Coun David Heslop in saluting the Grand Slam champions and Steelers captain Ron Shudra and his men were swamped by well-wishers and autograph hunters.

This was after a tremendous season in which the Steelers won three trophies, the final one being at Wembley when the beat Nottingham in a tense Penalty shoot out.

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