Belfast Giants to learn Champions League opposition: ‘They're not going to walk all over us'
Long gone are the days where, after their first ever game in the competition six years ago, they were compared to the movie 'Slapshot' after stunning Czech side Bili Tygri Liberec. After winning three games two years ago and missing out on the Play-Offs by a point, the Giants are now competitive on the continent.
Nobody expects them to win the CHL, that is asking a little bit much of the Elite League champions, but things have now progressed to the point where at Wednesday's pool stage draw in Stockholm they will be looking for winnable ties as opposed to just experiences.
And not only that but, as head of hockey operations Steve Thornton outlines, the Giants themselves have become something of a plum draw for Europe's elite.
"It's a different experience. They're not going to come in and walk all over us like possibly it was in the early days now. It's quite competitive," says Thornton.
"We're playing against a big bunch of teams but we're holding our own, I think. I think there'll be a lot of teams at that draw that are hoping to get us for that kind of experience. And that's actually quite exciting.
"I've been fortunate to be able to go to three or four draws now, where you're in the room mingling, and the number of people that are representing teams across here to come up to you with their fingers crossed to get you, because they want that experience, is incredible.
"That says a lot about the reputation that we've built up over the last couple of decades for hockey in a country that just didn't have it before. So it's exciting. I've enjoyed it as well, I'm very proud of that."
Six different teams from Europe's elite leagues - Austria, Czechia, Finland, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland - await the Giants when the group stage starts in August, three games played on the road and three at the SSE Arena.
Although any team they face will be top quality opposition, of particular note are potential reunions with the likes of Swedish champions Luleå, Finnish side Lukko and Austrian heavyweights Salzburg, while Giants fans may hope for a match-up with German outfit Ingolstadt, who have former Belfast defenceman Sam Ruopp on their roster.
Although they will be underdogs against just about every other team in the competition, that doesn't mean it's not worth the Giants' time being involved.
"When we find out what our road trips are, we do what we can to pull as much out of it as possible," explains Thornton.
"If there's something around there that allows us to see what is the best in current practise, being able to compare ourselves, seeing the experiences of some of these European venues, how they recruit, what they do in the locker rooms, things like that. We have no shame, really, in stealing ideas.
"We don't want to reinvent the wheel, we just want to do what we can all the time to give ourselves the best chance to win. Sometimes it's those small little one per cents, little things you steal, that make the big difference in the end."
The Giants are back in the CHL off the back of another superb season that saw them win a League and Challenge Cup double, taking their haul to ten trophies in the last seven years.
"It was certainly stressful," grins Thornton.
"But it says a lot about the quality of the League right now. There's quite a few teams that are going to be in the mix year upon year now, and everybody was beating everybody for a good portion of the season, and I think that says that hockey is healthy in the UK.
"Any time you win, it makes the summer that much better. So I think, reflecting back on last year after about a month of getting your weekends back, it feels much more like we won a double rather than we lost a triple. And I think that's a good feeling, because it's not easy to win."
The Giants were taken down to the final period of the final game by a combined comeback from the Sheffield Steelers and Nottingham Panthers in order to win the League title, a 4-3 overtime success in Nottingham clinching the crown, and that mental load resulted in their Grand Slam bid ending with a shut-out loss to the Cardiff Devils in the Play-Off Semi-Finals.
But as much as that stung, Thornton sees it as a positive that the fans were initially upset by the way the season ended, rather than focusing on the rest of the campaign.
"We sweated everything possible out of that team.And it was crawling to the line almost to get it done.It was so close to winning nothing. And then the fact that we won two, you look at that as incredible success," he continues.
"We're just so fortunate that we've had a good run of five or six years with trophies in the bank. And I'm kind of proud of the fact that there are a lot of people that judge us by winning the treble.You wouldn't have said that seven or eight years ago.
"So anytime you win something, it's a good season. And it just makes it a lot easier in terms of building a team for the next year, keeping that culture.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
MLB roundup: Cal Raleigh's 2 homers power M's past Cubs
June 21 - Cal Raleigh hit his major-league-leading 28th and 29th home runs of the season to help the visiting Seattle Mariners to a 9-4 win against the Chicago Cubs on Friday afternoon. Raleigh, who passed Johnny Bench for the most home runs by a catcher before the All-Star break, also singled, walked and scored four times. Mitch Garver homered twice and drove in five runs, and Donovan Solano had three hits and an RBI for the Mariners, who have won five of seven. Seattle starter George Kirby allowed four runs and seven hits over five innings. Reliever Eduard Bazardo (2-0) threw one scoreless inning. Caleb Thielbar (2-2) gave up two runs in two-thirds of an inning for the Cubs, who have lost two straight for just the second time since early May. Reese McGuire and Ian Happ homered for Chicago, and Michael Busch had three hits. Red Sox 7, Giants 5 Ceddanne Rafaela and David Hamilton combined for five hits, three runs and four RBIs out of the bottom two spots in the batting order and Boston spoiled Rafael Devers' reunion with a road victory over San Francisco. Meeting just five days after completing a blockbuster trade with Devers at the heart, the Red Sox rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win for the eighth time in their last nine games. While Boston improved to 3-1 since the deal, the Giants lost for the third time in four games, with Devers going 0-for-5 in the opener of a three-game series. Diamondbacks 14, Rockies 8 Eugenio Suarez hit two of Arizona's four home runs to reach 300 for his career, and the Diamondbacks beat Colorado in Denver. Suarez tied his season high with four hits. Ketel Marte homered, doubled twice and drove in five runs and Ildemaro Vargas finished a triple shy of the cycle to pace the Diamondbacks' season-high 21-hit attack. Mickey Moniak homered among his two hits and Ryan McMahon also went deep for the Rockies. Arizona's Zac Gallen (5-8) allowed seven runs on 10 hits in five innings to beat Austin Gomber (0-1), who permitted nine runs on 12 hits in 4 2/3 innings. Brewers 17, Twins 6 Christian Yelich went 4-for-6 with two doubles and a career-high eight RBIs, Jacob Misiorowski carried a perfect game into the seventh inning, and Milwaukee trounced Minnesota in Minneapolis. Yelich twice hit bases-clearing doubles for Milwaukee, which matched a season high in runs. Jackson Chourio went 2-for-3 with two doubles and three RBIs, and Joey Ortiz finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs. Misiorowski (2-0) continued his dominant start to his big-league career. After pitching five hitless innings before cramps cut his major league debut short on June 12, the 23-year-old was perfect through six innings in his second start before the Twins finally dinged him for two runs in the seventh. He left with two runs allowed on one hit in six innings, and he walked one and struck out six. Rangers 6, Pirates 2 Adolis Garcia had three hits, including a home run, drove in two runs and made two great diving catches in right field to help Texas beat host Pittsburgh. Garcia backed up a strong outing by starter Jacob deGrom (7-2), who pitched six innings, allowing two runs as the Rangers snapped a three-game losing streak. Joey Bart had three hits for the Pirates, who took their fifth loss in six games. Mike Burrows was tagged for four runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. White Sox 7, Blue Jays 1 Luis Robert Jr. hit a two-run home run, Tyler Alexander pitched four scoreless relief innings and visiting Chicago defeated Toronto. Andrew Benintendi added a solo shot and had two RBIs while Josh Rojas contributed two RBIs for the White Sox, who ended an eight-game losing streak by taking the opener of a three-game series. Bo Bichette had three hits and an RBI for the Blue Jays, who have lost two straight. Marlins 6, Braves 2 Rookie Agustin Ramirez homered and matched a season high with four RBIs to help lift host Miami past Atlanta, spoiling the major league debut of Didier Fuentes. Janson Junk (2-0) allowed one run on five hits in five innings while making his first major league start since 2023. He struck out five without walking a batter as Miami ended a two-game losing streak. Fuentes, who turned 20 on Tuesday, yielded four runs on six hits in five innings before departing after 87 pitches. He fanned three and walked one. He became the major leagues' youngest starting pitcher since 2016. Orioles 5, Yankees 3 Ramon Urias started the eighth inning by hitting a tiebreaking homer and visiting Baltimore continued its recent surge by beating New York. Urias allowed the Orioles to regain the lead when he hit a full-count fastball off Luke Weaver (1-2). Pinch hitter Gunnar Henderson added an RBI single off Tim Hill later in the eighth. The Yankees lost for the seventh time in eight games and wasted a big night from Aaron Judge, who hit a solo homer for a 3-2 lead, collected three hits and ended the night with a .371 average. Phillies 10, Mets 2 Trea Turner's RBI double snapped a tie and sparked a six-run seventh inning for Philadelphia, which completed its surge into first place in the National League East by beating reeling New York. The Phillies have won eight of nine while the Mets have lost seven straight by a combined 51-16. The losing streak is the longest for New York since a seven-game skid from June 2-9, 2023. Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil hit back-to-back homers off former teammate Taijuan Walker to tie the game in the sixth before the Phillies mounted their rally against Reed Garrett (2-3) and Justin Garza. Rays 14, Tigers 8 Yandy Diaz homered twice and Matt Thaiss scored twice and drove in four runs to help host Tampa Bay hammer Detroit, moving the Rays to a league-best 21-8 since May 20. Curtis Mead scored three times and drove in a run for Tampa Bay, which has won six of its past eight games. Rays starter Shane Baz (7-3) allowed five runs on four hits over 5 1/3 innings. Riley Greene led the Tigers with two home runs and four RBIs. Detroit starter Jack Flaherty (5-8) lasted only 2 1/3 innings and allowed eight runs on six hits. Astros 3, Angels 2 (10 innings) Mauricio Dubon scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch in the 10th inning as Houston defeated Los Angeles in Anaheim, Calif. Jeremy Pena went 3-for-4 with a home run as the Astros earned their eighth win in 10 tries. Pena and Isaac Paredes homered as Houston's first two batters of the game. Josh Hader (5-1) threw a perfect ninth inning, and Bennett Sousa worked the 10th for his second save. Hunter Strickland (1-1) took the loss after Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi allowed two runs on six hits in seven innings. Jo Adell and Christian Moore homered for Los Angeles, which was without manager Ron Washington (health concerns). Royals 6, Padres 5 Salvador Perez's RBI single snapped a tie in the eighth inning as visiting Kansas City stopped San Diego. Lucas Erceg (2-2) got the win despite allowing a game-tying two-run single by Gavin Sheets in the seventh that capped the Padres' rally from a 4-0 deficit. Bobby Witt Jr. and Jonathan India homered for the Royals, while India and Maikel Garcia had three hits apiece. Carlos Estevez worked the ninth for his 22nd save despite giving up a homer to Manny Machado. Xander Bogaerts tied the Padres' franchise record by collecting hits in his first three at-bats, giving him eight straight hits. The streak ended when he popped out in the ninth. Cardinals 6, Reds 1 St. Louis scored five runs in the seventh inning to beat visiting Cincinnati for its fourth consecutive win. Cardinals starter Andre Pallante (5-3) was effective through six scoreless innings, allowing just two hits for the Cardinals, who have won four in a row and five of six. Masyn Winn and Lars Nootbaar each had two hits and an RBI. Brady Singer (7-5) gave up one run on four hits in six innings for the Reds, who have lost two straight. Cincinnati's lone run scored on an eighth-inning error. Dodgers 6, Nationals 5 Miguel Rojas hit a two-run homer and Clayton Kershaw inched closer to 3,000 career strikeouts as Los Angeles earned a victory over visiting Washington. Kershaw (3-0) gave up two runs on five hits and two walks in five innings. He fanned four to move within eight of becoming the 20th pitcher with 3,000 strikeouts and the fourth left-hander. Amed Rosario, Riley Adams and CJ Abrams homered for the Nationals, who had ended an 11-game losing streak on Thursday. A's 5, Guardians 1 Nick Kurtz homered for the fifth time in six games and Jeffrey Springs pitched 7 1/3 strong innings to lead the Athletics to a victory over Cleveland in West Sacramento, Calif. Lawrence Butler had three hits and an RBI and Jacob Wilson and Luis Urias added run-scoring singles for the Athletics, who won for the sixth time in eight games. Springs (6-5) yielded a run on three hits. Angel Martinez homered for the Guardians, who lost for the 10th time in 14 games. Tanner Bibee (4-7) gave up five runs (four earned) and 11 hits in his first career complete game, albeit an eight-inning outing. --Field Level Media
Reuters
5 hours ago
- Reuters
Red Sox rally to take reunion with Giants' Rafael Devers
June 21 - Ceddanne Rafaela and David Hamilton combined for five hits, three runs and four RBIs out of the bottom two spots in the batting order and the Boston Red Sox spoiled Rafael Devers' reunion with a 7-5 road victory over the San Francisco Giants on Friday. Meeting just five days after completing a blockbuster trade with Devers at the heart, the Red Sox rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win for the eighth time in their last nine games. While Boston improved to 3-1 since the deal, the Giants lost for the third time in four games, with Devers going 0-for-5 in the opener of a three-game series. Hamilton had a two-run homer in the third inning to cut into the 3-0 deficit. Rafaela delivered a game-tying single in the fourth and a solo shot in the sixth that gave the visitors the lead for good at 6-5. Boston scored in every inning from the third through the seventh. The homers were Rafaela's seventh and Hamilton's third. Rafaela, batting eighth, finished 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs, while Hamilton, slotted ninth, went 2-for-4 with one run and two RBIs. Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu each had two hits for the Red Sox, who out-hit the Giants 11-7. Boston's Brennan Bernardino (3-2), who took over for starter Hunter Dobbins with no outs in the fifth and completed the inning, was credited with the win. Bernardino joined with Zack Kelly, Justin Wilson, Greg Weissert, Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman for five scoreless innings of relief. Chapman struck out two of three men he faced in the ninth -- including Devers -- for his 14th save. Dobbins was charged with all five Giants runs, four earned, in his four-plus innings. He walked five and struck out one. Boston pitchers walked eight batters. The Giants left eight stranded. Sean Hjelle (1-1), who served up Rafaela's homer, took the loss in relief of Hayden Birdsong, who allowed five runs (four earned) and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. Birdsong walked one and struck out four. Heliot Ramos and Casey Schmitt had two hits apiece, Patrick Bailey walked three times and Willy Adames reached base three times and scored twice for the Giants. San Francisco twice scored runs on bases-loaded, no-out, double-play grounders. --Field Level Media
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Tom Brady rips an Eli Manning jersey apart in ultimate act of disrespect towards his former nemesis
Tom Brady brutally trolled his former rival Eli Manning on Friday by ripping his New York Giants jersey in half. The seven-time Super Bowl champion made an appearance at Fanatics Fest in New York City, much to the delight of the thousands of fans in attendance. Brady spoke to some of the crowd at Manhattan's Javits Center before then taking part in a WWE-style performance later on. The Fox commentator came out to the theme song of pro wrestler Cody Rhodes wearing sunglasses and carrying a WWE-style championship belt. But, as he made his way down to the walkway, Brady was presented with a Giants jersey that had 'Manning 10' on the back. The former New England Patriots quarterback then ripped the jersey in half in a playful dig at Manning. Brady's actions prompted Manning, who was watching on, to storm the stage and climb on his rival's back. Their rivalry dates back to their stellar NFL careers, when Manning and the Giants were able to briefly halt the Patriots' dominant run to beat them in two Super Bowls. The Giants stunned Bill Belichick's team to win 17-14 in Arizona in 2008, despite being heavy underdogs after Brady led his men to a perfect 16-0 regular season. Then, four years after, the Patriots were stunned by the Giants again when they were beaten 21-17 in Indianapolis. Manning was named Super Bowl MVP that year. Brady and Manning quickly regained their composure and were later pictured competing against each other in a baseball pitching contest.
