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Was a huge Storm fan back in the day. Loved it at the Arena. Then it all went tits up and turned into Phoenix and I never really took to it. I went to a few games but it didn't feel right. Doesn't change much though as Storm will be playing in Altrincham and it's a :censored: for me to get to.

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http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/other-sport/ice-hockey/manchester-storm-back-ice-hockey-9526089

 

What's gone on there?

 

Were Phoenix leaving Altrincham anyway or have they been stitched up?

 

And how come Storm go in a league higher?

 

 

 

Phoenix have been playing in Altrincham for a while but they have been in a disagreement with the owners of the Rink and have been booted out.

Phoenix are trying to get a rink built near the Emptyhad. However, the permission hasn't gone through which means Phoenix could have to play their hockey at Deeside Rink in Wales. Manchester Storm have gone into the top league because Hull Stingrays have gone into liquidation. The League had a meeting and allowed Storm to return. Alot of Phoenix fans used to be Storm fans meaning there's a divide in fans who are going back to Storm and those who are staying loyal to Phoenix. Alot of Phoenix fans feel Storm is a part of their history and this is totally wrong. Meanwhile, alot of Storm fans didn't follow Phoenix in the first place as it didn't feel the same. You would have thought the Phoenix owner had some sort of legal rights on the Storm name but it seems not. I think the league had some sort of say on who can have the name and when it can be used.

 

Right now, you have a divide, like I said. Personally, it doesn't change anything for me as I hate Altrincham and it's a crap rink. Nothing will bring back the times at the MEN aena. I can't see there being two Ice Hockey teams in Manchester as Phoenix struggled to pull in a decent crowd when they was in Altrincham. Storm currently have no players whilst Phoenix are building and bringing in their new additions for the upcoming season in the Second tier.

Edited by AnthonyOAFC
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Phoenix essentially have nothing to do with the old Storm, they're completely different clubs and therefore have no rights to the name.

 

Spent a few seasons watching Phoenix but the atmosphere started to resemble a kids' party, and the rink lay-out isn't great for watching hockey. Plus I've watched live CHL and NHL games, so I'm a bit of a ice hockey hipster now.

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I've watched both, and I'm not so attached to either beyond preferring the Storm image to be arsed which team I get to see play live, that's why I'm behind whichever vacates Altrincham and gets back to a city centre venue. Although perhaps the fact Storm would be playing in the top league would make them a more attractive prospect.

 

The debate between which team carries the true legacy of the original Storm is one for those who know more of the intricacies.

Edited by NewBlue
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I stopped going to Phoenix because it was a ball ache to drive over to Altrincham and spend £14 to get a crap view with a dire game experience. It will be the same with Storm playing there. If and when Phoenix get a city centre rink I will go back. The only pull Storm would have is that they would be playing in a league with a higher standard of hockey, although this means that they will get destroyed all season long.

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I stopped going to Phoenix because it was a ball ache to drive over to Altrincham and spend £14 to get a crap view with a dire game experience. It will be the same with Storm playing there. If and when Phoenix get a city centre rink I will go back. The only pull Storm would have is that they would be playing in a league with a higher standard of hockey, although this means that they will get destroyed all season long.

 

I dunno if they will, they will likely get most of Hulls signings who weren't recruiting badly. The competition will also be largely the scottish teams. By the second season (when Phoenix will likely actually have a rink) they will be in a position to be a bit more competitive and for the conference which I think they will do. The bigger issue is definitely Altrincham, which I am hoping Silverblades do not settle for.

 

The thing is about Phoenix if they ever did return to Manchester, it will still be EPL hockey run by a clique of a club that largely treats its fans like crap.

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I dunno if they will, they will likely get most of Hulls signings who weren't recruiting badly. The competition will also be largely the scottish teams. By the second season (when Phoenix will likely actually have a rink) they will be in a position to be a bit more competitive and for the conference which I think they will do. The bigger issue is definitely Altrincham, which I am hoping Silverblades do not settle for.

 

The thing is about Phoenix if they ever did return to Manchester, it will still be EPL hockey run by a clique of a club that largely treats its fans like crap.

It has been an absolute :censored: show from top to bottom. I've enjoyed Phoenix and they way they set about winning things in a reasonable way, they certainly had a larger than average budget but it wasn't massive either. That said, you're not wrong on the clique description. They're very insular and they way they've handled this break from Silverblades (which may or may not be justified) is an absolute joke. To hold a fans meeting directly at the same time as the Silverblades one (announce two+ weeks earlier) is just pathetic. Neil Morris has always been a bit squirmy for my tastes and it seems this new addition from Red Hockey is just determined to :censored: people off.

 

That said, Costigan and the Storm parties are not covering themselves in glory and as has been said above the chance of two teams succeeding in pulling sufficiently large crowds where one failed to do so seems so unlikely as to be pointless considering. I expect a couple of years of both and then a failing of both, Phoenix will win out only if they can get a good location rink which is self financing (like Latics with the whole 24/7 income plan). Which is ludicrous as a place like Manchester should be more than capable of supporting a solid team with a reasonable fan base without the need for this petty :censored:.

 

If the shirt is cool I will likely buy a Storm one. If only to ensure my collection remains 'one a season' strong. But in reality I will watch neither team more than an occasional day out with my Dad and Raggy.

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I dunno if they will, they will likely get most of Hulls signings who weren't recruiting badly. The competition will also be largely the scottish teams. By the second season (when Phoenix will likely actually have a rink) they will be in a position to be a bit more competitive and for the conference which I think they will do. The bigger issue is definitely Altrincham, which I am hoping Silverblades do not settle for.

 

The thing is about Phoenix if they ever did return to Manchester, it will still be EPL hockey run by a clique of a club that largely treats its fans like crap.

 

That's true, I hadn't really taken that into consideration. I don't really know how the Elite League works, will they only play teams from their conference or is it similar to the NHL where the majority of games are in conference with the odd game against the other conf?

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That's true, I hadn't really taken that into consideration. I don't really know how the Elite League works, will they only play teams from their conference or is it similar to the NHL where the majority of games are in conference with the odd game against the other conf?

 

Nope. Elite League play against each other.

 

Manchester Storm have arranged a pre-season game against Peterborough Phantoms from the EPL though.

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Plus games verses Nottingham and Sheffield.

 

I think I can get behind this. It's just Alty's arena that is the problem, and with the GM owning the Ice Dome (or whatever it's called now) you can't see them moving elsewhere any time soon.

 

HOWEVER, it will be the smallest arena in the Elite League, especially when you take into consideration Sheffield, Notts, Belfast etc., and if he wants the team to be a success he'll surely have to look at increasing capacity or moving the team.

 

I can't see Phoenix building their own arena, best case scenario, and one that would never happen, is that the two clubs share a purpose built arena somewhere.

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Plus games verses Nottingham and Sheffield.

 

I think I can get behind this. It's just Alty's arena that is the problem, and with the GM owning the Ice Dome (or whatever it's called now) you can't see them moving elsewhere any time soon.

 

HOWEVER, it will be the smallest arena in the Elite League, especially when you take into consideration Sheffield, Notts, Belfast etc., and if he wants the team to be a success he'll surely have to look at increasing capacity or moving the team.

 

I can't see Phoenix building their own arena, best case scenario, and one that would never happen, is that the two clubs share a purpose built arena somewhere.

 

Exactly my thoughts.

 

I had a brilliant time watching Storm back in the day. The MEN Arena was fantastic for it. As I've said, I've tried to get behind Manchester Phoenix but just not clicked at all. Alty Arena is terrible. Might try get to the odd game but it's the Arena which is the problem still.

Edited by AnthonyOAFC
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Firstly - I'm convinced there won't be a future of Storm in Alty. I think Silverblades know this too. Sure maybe staying at Altrincham is a cheaper bet for them, but it is still only a semi-permanent rink and will require investment of some sort with it being uncertain still about altair. No, I think something else is going to happen on this one and it does relate to our Phoenix friends. Theres a long way still to go on this imo, but the best thing is Manchester Phoenix aren't the top team in Manchester anymore. At last we can start moving forward.

 

I'm not sure it'll be the smallest one either, I think Dundee has a similar capacity.

 

 

Nope. Elite League play against each other.

 

Not exactly. There are two conferences of 5. Each team plays the other in their conference 4 home 4 away and in the other conference 2 home 2 away. This is working pretty well so far to be honest and is doing the job intended when it was introduced to try and reduce the gulf between the arena clubs and the rest.

 

Theres also a cup competition. Format on that is a lot more pointless as its 2 groups of 5 with 4 going from each group into a quarter final knockout stage. More info here.

 

http://www.eliteleague.co.uk/the-elite-league-s15957

Edited by joncurtis199
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