Rob Wilson Former Booz Allen CFO Lloyd Howell named director of NFL players union. 01:58:11. Wasps Legends - who are the group bidding to save Wasps? Originally a one-off game, former Durham Wasps players from the 80s and 90s reformed to play former local rivals Whitley Warriors on 4 May 2008 at Whitley Bay Ice Rink, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the formation of the club, and in support of the ongoing campaign to bring back an ice rink. This week the Tigers announced he had signed for a seventh season with the club, at the age of 44. That still leaves 28 members of the senior squad who, as yet, have not secured a new club or had it officially announced, they are: Alfie Barbeary, Tim Cardall, Ali Crossdale, Tom Cruse, Kieran. Defty was also involved with the Great Britain squad for many years and won a gold medal as assistant captain of the under-19 Great Britain squad in the European championships. Editors' Code of Practice. - Verification Badge on your profile. Money became extremely tight and cash flow in short supply. John Durham: Special counsel defends himself and former Attorney - CNN Ron Katenuk the goallie no one could beat. A local businessman, Jan Eskildsen, went as far as announcing the construction of a new rink at a Wasps reunion game only for plans to fall through soon after. While at Bracknell Jamie became the deputy rink manager. Wasps - the Manchester United of ice hockey. Will Simonds (Chinnor): Young centre took an opportunity with National League One side Chinnor. Leagues-> BHL-> Durham Wasps. Ian, who hailed from Durham, died in April of this year, aged 28, having enjoyed a semi professional career spanning more than 12 years with several clubs, including Newcastle, Whitley Bay, Durham, Hull, Guildford and Dumfries/Solway. The Smith family also think the whole scheme is a bit of a fantasy. Canadian airmen stationed nearby during the Second World War brought hockey to Durham. Joined the French Pro D2 club as a medical joker. The Newcastle team, after several changes, is now known as the Newcastle Vipers . - Premium Design on your profile page (optional) Old Time Hockey UK All rights reserved. There was nothing else to do, he says. In ice hockey you face off. Just south of Darlington lie a swathe of RAF airfields, which airmen from the Royal Canadian Air Force called home during the war. Durham Wasps: the rise and fall of the north-easts finest team. After hanging up his skates he moved to Bristol as General Manager of the Frogmore Street ice rink. There's nothing for leisure over here anymore., Perhaps the greatest tragedy of this story is the fact that now the Riverside Rink is gone, there no longer exists any physical sign that the Wasps ever existed, let alone were as successful as they were. Half a mile from Durham Cathedral once lay a building that held almost as much, if not more, significance for those that call this city home. So far he hasn't approached the Smith family for support or advice. Among those in the Shuggy Shotguns ranks will be Vipers owner Rob Wilson and former Great Britain captain David Longstaff, along with a host of former Durham and Whitley Bay stars. Players, coaches and staff were all included in the 167 people who lost their jobs last month when Wasps Holdings Limited entered into administration. Being injured for large parts of the last season we played was difficult and then not being able to play for almost 12 months has been tough but it has put a lot of things into perspective. @Jason: The Sunderland Saints/Scorpions moved to Newcastle first, were renamed the Comets and a year later were bought by Hall and transformed into the Eagles. Elite Prospects - Durham Wasps Even though during 1991-1992 the Wasps were, according to Walker, at their absolute peak, winning seven major trophies in a two year period, at the end of the 92 season a number of key players left the side. Martin King Durham Ice Rink has a long and colourful history. Today's hockey hero is former Durham Wasps, Nottingham Panthers, Solihull Barons, Bracknell Bees and Great Britain goal scoring striker Jamie Crapper. Kevin Bucas FORMER Durham ice hockey player Jonathan Weaver has signed for Telford Tigers which is thought to make him the last Durham Wasp still on ice. David Mortemore So Smith - who was nicknamed 'Icy' Smith - built an ice rink on the other side of the river. Over 2,300 fans turned up to witness this . Durham Wasps - Revival Games Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Ashley Tait Old Time Hockey UK All rights reserved. For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here. He went on to coach the sports' first ever Grand Slam winning all domestic honours in the 1991-1992 season . Karl Culley Nobody else offered a cheque," says Paul Smith. They were great. contact the editor here. You used to have a dog in there behind the goalkeeper. John Ryan (Munster): Rejoined the Irish province after making four Wasps appearances, and started in their most recent match against Ulster. My school mates all through the seventies ribbed me about the Hockey while travelling to Sunderland and Newcastle to collect battle scars to show off at School on the Monday I came into school with stories of fantastic hockey superb goals and the occasional fights. The Durham Wasps were an ice hockey team located in Durham and was one of England's most well-known names in ice hockey. Johnathan Hesler As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. If there All 5 Star reviews get a shout out on the Podcast. Where 15 former Wasps are now playing - and the 28 searching for clubs But the Smiths still believe they own the Wasps' name. The Durham Wasps dominated the British League for over 10 years. Simon Kears However, it soon became clear that the Seahawks needed a bench coach, so Jonker returned to the game. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience the local community. But Jan Eskildsen remains upbeat: "I haven't got time to judge their opinion, I'm building an ice rink before December, that's my focus.". I saw my first game when my Dad a long time fan of the wasps before I was born took me to the rink in the mid sixties to watch a game between Durham and Whitley Bay. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. Your version of events regarding the sale of the the Wasps and the ultimate closure of rink is somewhat inaccurate. A former England and Great Britain International ice hockey player who represented his country in both European and World Championships over a 15 year period. The only reason we didn't get relegated was because the league got expanded the same year, says Walker. The Smiths sold soon after, the ice-rink disappearing and being replaced, on one side by a bowling alley, and on the other by a fitness club. Ian Cooper | County Durham Ice Foundation References [ edit] A to Z Encyclopaedia of Ice Hockey entry British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame entry This biographical article relating to a Canadian ice hockey player is a stub. A couple of months later, Mike Blaisdell, a Canadian national team winger who had been a first round pick in the 1980 NHL Draft was sacked amidst murky circumstances. Category:Durham Wasps players | Ice Hockey Wiki | Fandom We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. "I always think it's very very dangerous trying to recreate and dig up nostalgia," says Paul Smith. I guess I could be wrong, Ill double check. Durham Wasps Team Facts. In this period alone they won the Heineken Championship four times, the league championship six times, the Norwich Cup three times, and other trophies like the Autumn and Castle Eden Cups on many other occasions. At the same time, the rink was in need of significant investment. Scott Campbell With a Premium subscription, you'll get access to over 30 tools, features and benefits. Chris Hall Pasi Raitenen (nm) Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Durham Wasps Statistics and History. Peter 'Jonker' Johnson - Episode S4E01 - Old Time Hockey UK Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services. will not be accounted for with any of the teams they played with in this case. During the 1930s there wasn't much call for ice due to the increasing use of refrigerators. Chris Bailey Many of these derbies happened during the Castle Eden Cup, a tournament that featured the big teams in the North East. And it was the Sunderland basketball team that was poached by Hall and named the Newcastle Comets. Durham Wasps: the rise and fall of the north-east's finest team But that sporting dream died when the rink closed in 1996. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. So could the Wasps make a comeback in Durham? Andrew Munroe Shaun Johnson (c) Therefore would you be able to leave a rating, preferably a 5 star rating and review on iTunes. TELFORD TIGERS NEWS Complete player biography and stats. This proved very divisive amongst Wasps fans with many to this day refusing to watch ice hockey in Newcastle. The biggest challenge I had when researching the piece was that the John Hall/Smith affair is seemingly shrouded in mystery. The fan base was split, says Walker. Was named by the Barbarians as a player who will feature against Northampton Saints prior to his move to the Top 14 being announced. Robin Hislop (Saracens): Another Scotsman who has found a move, heading for a second spell at Saracens to provide more competition at loosehead prop. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Category:Durham_Wasps_players&oldid=1155389537, Ice hockey players in England by defunct team, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0, This page was last edited on 17 May 2023, at 23:43. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. If one came in and said, I've got a bit of a bad knee, he'd be on the plane home the next morning. It was a tactic that paid off for the Wasps, as throughout the years quality imports were brought in who not only had a massive influence on the team at the time, but also how ice hockey was played in Durham. Loved reading the article guys,as a long time Nottingham Panthers fan I well remember Big Blues visits to Lower Parliament Street in the mid to late 80s and early 90s and how we usually got a lesson in how to play hockey! denotes that the player's career team information is inaccurate due to incomplete data made available by a league. Prior to its controversial demolition in March of 2013, when it was replaced by a new block of offices, the Riverside Ice Rink had been home to the greatest sports team many around these parts would argue the North East has ever seen: the Durham Wasps. PAYNEY PIRATES Simon Leach Anthony Johnson denotes that the player only appeared in the playoffs. At the end of the 1992 season, the Cooper brothers left Durham, poached by the new big money club in the league at the time, the Cardiff Devils. Mathlab: a cure for your Maths and Stats nightmares, The Palatinate Guide to the NUS Referendum, University sets undergraduate marking deadline for striking staff as gown hire fee waived for Spring ceremonies, Fiona Hill installed as the New Chancellor of Durham University as the UCU picket the ceremony, Further dispute as students continue to await marks following marking and assessment boycott. Welcome to Palatinates website. The impact that the changing face of British ice hockey had on the Wasps was compounded by a deteriorating rink that the Smith family couldn't afford to maintain. Paolo Odogwu (Stade Francais): Joined Koch in Paris as a medical joker for the injured Sefa Naivalu. Earl Carlson - Wikipedia I used to love playing in front of that crowd. Coventry City hit with transfer embargo as fresh groundshare option emerges, Wasps Rugby takeover offer accepted by joint administrators, Wasps relegated from Premiership as RFU confirms club suspension, John Ryan (Munster), Josh Bassett (Harlequins) and Will Porter (Bristol Bears) have all found new clubs since being made redundant by Wasps. Stuart Potts Get access to our unique free agency lists and many more premium features. A new unrelated team, the Newcastle Vipers were founded in 2002 to keep the city's ice hockey heritage alive, but due to low crowds and problems getting regular ice time at the Arena, in November 2010 the Vipers were forced to move in with the 'old enemy' and play for part of their final season out of the Hillheads rink in Whitley Bay. Gary Barr said: We have been overwhelmed by the support from fellow team-mates of Ians who have agreed to come and pay tribute to him in this way. Sixers Innovation Lab shuts down as former manager Seth Berger launches for statistics. Sir John Hall is not a popular man in Durham. Sponsors of the event are J Murphy and Sons ltd, New County Roads, Eco Drill ltd and RJ Utilities ltd, while the individual team sponsors are Northumbrian Water (Shuggy Shotguns), Universal Sealants UK Ltd (Tasker Trashers), Autoservice (Payney Pirates) and USL Enterprise (Paddy Predators). Adam McDonough Everyone was scared of coming to Durham. My Line-Up Add Player Add Staff Add Roster/Stats EP Contact Book NHL Draft Guide Fantasy Guide EP Rinkside Contact Elite Prospects Go Premium for Elite Prospects Support. You still have families from Durham taking their kids all over the country just to play ice hockey. The Wasps were sold to Newcastle United FC and moved up the road to Newcastle. Former Durham Wasps goalie Frank Killen was the driving force behind the nostalgia weekend which began a meet the player's night at the Radisson Blu hotel in Durham on Friday evening. Therefore, when in 1996 one of the wealthiest and most influential men in the North East came knocking with a big money offer, things changed forever. In todays show I interview an absolute legend of British Ice Hockey. I moved away to London in 88 so my Sunday nights became few and rare but any time I was in the North East I would take in as many games as possible. He joined Telford Tigers in 2014 and after an injury-hit 2019-20 season made a comeback late in the season to help the team win league and cup titles. He is a member of the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame . Once the doors opened, people would stream into the ramshackled building that became locally known as the Shed. It was an old place, Jonker recalls, but people loved it because it had real character and spirit. It was shite but brilliant, says Walker. Peter Sheahan (nm) Under league regulations, teams were only allowed to have four foreign players, called imports, on the books at any one time. Learn how and when to remove this template message, Great Britain men's national ice hockey team, Great Britain women's national ice hockey team, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Durham_Wasps&oldid=1159261844, Sports clubs and teams disestablished in 1996, Articles lacking sources from January 2008, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, This page was last edited on 9 June 2023, at 07:41. Jamie Crapper Podcast Interview - Episode S4E12 - Old Time Hockey UK You can also follow our dedicated County Durham Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here. From 1982-1992, the Wasps were the dominant force in British ice hockey. Legends Game - Durham Wasps take on Whitley Warriors Malcolm Bell Elite Prospects - Durham Wasps - Where are they now? only included with the team he finished with. So you may see players with all zeros for statistics. In 1946, the Durham Wasps emerged, formed by an ex-Canadian airman, Michael Davey, and a handful of his countrymen who had made their home in Durham. Singing, chanting. Their games-played FORMER Durham ice hockey player Jonathan Weaver has signed for Telford Tigers - which is thought to make him the last Durham Wasp still on ice.