1998
MAY:
Paul Thompson say's he has probably made the biggest mistake of his life by turning down the chance to coach Sheffield Steelers. "But the situation was clouded by the fact that the club had still not sorted itself out about next season. Nothing has been 100 per cent finalised to even confirm the existence of the club. It wasn't as if I could drive to the Arena and study the budget I'd got and find the players I need."
JUNE: Steelers new boss Don McKee took over the reins, and Immediately sent an icy blast through the Superleague. " I'm not coming halfway around the world to compete, I'm coming to win".
Canadian net minder Grant Sjevern has joined from Manchester Storm, and Craig Chapman, comes to the Steelers from Freco, California. Ken Priestlay again re-signs for the Steelers. Ed Courtenay accepts a deal to re-sign, following a budget busting decision by owner George Dodds and team boss Dave Simms.
OCTOBER: Sixty Sheffielders followed their Steelers ice hockey heroes to this frozen wastes of Siberia, where they got a chilly reception. Steelers started well 4-4 with Torpedo Kamenogorsk, And then 2 losses Avangard Omsk 5-1 and Lada Togliatto 3-1 saw them bow out.
NOVEMBER: Steelers sign Scandanavian defenceman Hakan Falkenhall to bolster a blue line hit by injuries.
DECEMBER: The club financial situation has taken a serious turn for the worse , and a crisis meeting were going on with outside advisors that will have an immediate bearing on whether the club will still be around to fulfil the rest of the season fixtures. Ice Hockey Superleague today claimed it could sell Sheffield Steelers "in 48 hours" if the club was dissolved in it's present form. The club financial situation has taken a serious turn for the worse , and a crisis meeting were going on with outside advisors that will have an immediate bearing on whether the club will still be around to full fill the rest of the season fixtures.
1999
JANUARY: Fresh controversy erupted at Sheffield Steelers and company secretary Kim Lawley quit the club claiming it was operating insolently. Steve Crowther, Elliot Kennedy and David Frame had also resigned their directorships following the earlier similar action by Steve Williams. Steelers buy-out boss Terry Smith hit back at the teams "over paid player". He slammed the previous management for "throwing away hundreds of thousands of pounds" by over paying players and lavishing other perks on off-ice staff.
Steelers director George Dodds was today trying to organise a fresh financial rescue package after takeover boss Terry Smith pulled out of the deal to buy the club, Brian Whitfield and David Cox, met up with Brian Yates, Jim Scott and Steve William to form the directors of (FOSSL) and then added to the board of directors with Audina Warburton and Paul Cooper.
FEBRUARY: Steelers wheel of fortune clicked its final turn and stopped again at the segment marked "Royal Supporters". Supporters David Cox and Brian Yates came up with the idea, which was gathering momentum. They want to set a "Friends of Sheffield Steelers" company with 360 shares worth £250 each. Pop writer Elliot Kennedy has already backed the idea with personal cash. The cash, along with the SOS fund, £40,000 in promised investment, and a creditors voluntary arrangement, would settle debts and allow Steelers to start off the Millennium season with a blank financial page. The £90,000 substitutes the cash promised by three Superleague club directors, who pulled out of their separate deals with Steelers last week.
Steelers player Ken Priestlay announced he will hang his skates up at the end of the season. Ken had this to say" I think the line up that included Jason Lafeniere, Jamie Leach,Tony Hand and Glen Mulvenna --with Corey Beaulieu at the back, it had just about everything as a play-off club. If we had kept that team together and brought in an other person like Ed Courtenay, who would have stopped us? Nobody!"
MARCH: Business whizkid Darren Brown vowed to put the magic back into Sheffield Steelers. The 27 year old Chesterfield company director is leading a consortium to buy the £300,000 ice hockey franchise for the city.
APRIL: 13th. Sheffield Steelers officially ceased to exist today but it won't be long before the cash-troubled ice hockey club will rise from its own financial ashes. A liquidator is being appointed to wind up what is left of owner George Dodds Challenge Cup winning club, and pay off what creditors he can.
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