Brighton Tigers Ice Hockey

ChilternGull · Jan 27, 2012

I saw every game in their last 3 seasons at the old SS. They dominated the League and won nearly every game - mostly UK players at this stage. Sadly ice hockey was in decline and the National Hockey League had collasped - mainly due to cost of stadium up keep and cost of equiment etc. and the Tigers soon followed even though SS was a sell out for every game. A friend of mine use to open and close the gate to the sin bin. In the National League in the 1950s most of the players were Canadian and use to come over for the Summer when the North American hockey league was in close season - in those days their were only 6 NHL sides any way. They use to stay in a bed and breakfast in High Street, Brighton - just across the road from where I lived and my Mum would send me over to have tea with the players. I still have a collection of programmes from the last few seasons including the final SS game. "Red" Imrie and Shepherd - those were the days!

MACROBLUE · Jan 27, 2012

What a pity we couldn't have built it next to the Amex. We were legends during those times and the matches between us and the Lions were pretty special. Used to have a Tigers patch on the back of my parka. Great days indeed. If we can get the Tigers back I promise you will be addicted.

Boys 9d · Jan 27, 2012

If my memory serves me correctly, like Albion are called "Seagulls". the Tigers were known as the "Bengals". I think this nickname was used by a continuation team which played at a rink in another town, as the Brighton Tigers name was bought and "stored" until the club could be resurected in their home town.

Brighton Breezy · Jan 27, 2012

Inspired by this thread I have done a little blog which I meant to weeks ago but never got round to.

http://sweatshoptachinardi.blogspot.com/2012/01/brighton-has-seagulls-and-sharks-time.html

fratsomrover · Jan 27, 2012

It has been the only time in Brighton's history that we actually had the best team in the country. I used to go every Sunday to the SS and even traveled to some away games. Jackie Dryborough, Red Imrie, Johnny Carlisle, Rupe Fresher were unstoppable at their best. It wasthe best Sunday evening entertainment I have ever had, truly awesome. Exciting, tough and thrills and fights a-plenty, especially when we came up against Wembley Lions, who were our Crystal Palace of th day, and nottingham Panthers and the Scottish teams.
God, they were tough, but we were the best by far.
If only they were still around today !!!!!

Barrow Boy · Jan 27, 2012

fratsomrover said:
It has been the only time in Brighton's history that we actually had the best team in the country. I used to go every Sunday to the SS and even traveled to some away games. Jackie Dryborough, Red Imrie, Johnny Carlisle, Rupe Fresher were unstoppable at their best. It wasthe best Sunday evening entertainment I have ever had, truly awesome. Exciting, tough and thrills and fights a-plenty, especially when we came up against Wembley Lions, who were our Crystal Palace of th day, and nottingham Panthers and the Scottish teams.
God, they were tough, but we were the best by far.
If only they were still around today !!!!!

Do you remember the bad boys of Paisley Mohawks, the Brennan brothers and the two 'villians' for Durham Wasps, Hepple (Hep) Tindall and Mike Jordan. There was always trouble when we played those two teams, all good fun though!

spongy · Jan 27, 2012

Im an ice hockey nut. I love the game dearly.

In my teens I used to have a set of skates, not blades and when I wasn't at school I was skating. I actually got very good, my folks saw how much I loved it and started doing some research and found a group called KSS (Keep Sussex Skating)

To cut a long story reasonably short my parents got together with KSS and started recreational roller hockey in Preston park every sunday afternoon. The version we played is called skater hockey and the rules and equipment is ice hockey gear. In fact the game IS ice hockey on wheels.

And with kss help we recruited Mike O'Brien as a coach and he coached me on how to play

It grew and grew and became a massive club catering for all ages and levels of skaters, the club registered with the league and the Brighton Street Stormers were born.

Since I stopped skating some 10 years ago, I'm now 33, the club has won some major trophies in england, some youngsters have even played college hockey in America and even the minor leagues. Some of the girls now represent England in the game and another lad signed a professional contract as a goalie for Edinburghs ice hockey team,

I've managed to meet a few of the old Brighton tigers players in my youth and they have as much respect from me and ex servicemen who fought in the wars....

I wish we had ice hockey in Brighton, it would become my second sport (i follow the NHL avidly anyway) I followed the London knights and saw them regularly at London arena until the franchise folded.

Writing this has brought back some memories. Great ones too.

Brovion · Jan 27, 2012

What a great thread. I'd love it if that BIA project could go ahead. Utterly criminal the way an extremely successful team was allowed to die.

Grassman · Jan 27, 2012

This thread shows NSC at it's very best for me. No Palace goons getting involved, no pettyness, no stupid statements, just brilliant memories. As I said earlier, my old man (who alas is no longer with us) utterly adored ice hockey(and the Brighton Tigers) and always spoke fondly of them til the day he died - despite the fact they disbanded 40yrs before! I wasn't born til a while after they went, but strangely I still have a huge affection, and great pride, for them too. Their demise was as much of a disgrace locally as the Goldstone going.

I would love it if one day they did get back together, cos I would certainly go.

The Bun Elephant · Jan 27, 2012

Great Thread

I was lucky enough to played on the same team as Mike O Brien, Rupe Fresher John Cook although they had a few years on us youngsters at the time they could still showed us a thing or 2
I have also been coached by the likes of Red Imrie when he turned up at training sessons - It was great to listern and learn from people like him

Alan Weeks the sports presenter had a lot to do with the Brighton Tigers

PeterWardismyHero · Jan 27, 2012

I used to play for the Brighton Tiger Cubs back in the 80s. Our under 16 team played in the national junior league and came 2nd in 1987. All of our games were played away . Great times.......We used to tour Holland during the Christmas holidays. I also used to play for the Brighton Royals (the senior team) and we had quite a decent following including some of the old Tigers.

Rich Suvner · Jan 27, 2012

What a joy to read this thread has been. I used to love watching ice hockey in the 80s on grandstand as a kid. What a shame the game died so badly in this country. I for one would love to see the Tigers playing again in our city. Hope Black Rock happens.

Doc Lynam · Jan 27, 2012

Wow there was me thinking i was a bit alone in my fascination with this legendary team from Brighton's past! So many great stories being shared.

What do you guys think to the idea of asking BHA if we could have some of the old team as guest's of honour at a home game?

After all they seem to have had a big impact in the Brighton community.

bardo · Jan 27, 2012

Amazing - never knew there were so many old Tigers fans in the forum, especially as we're talking nearly 50 years ago! Great memories from the contributers to this thread of brilliant evenings in the company of these great warriors who entertained us so brilliantly every week.

Weststander · Jan 27, 2012

BigGully said:
Strange as it may seem many of the Brighton Tigers of the 50' & 60's seemed to end up living in Peacehaven, I am assured that at that time they were bigger than the Albion.

Mike O'Brien, John Cook, Roy Yeates, Tim Wiltshire, Jack Mcdonald, Rupe Fresher, Nobby Richardson, Nipper Millard and no doubt a few more to boot.

Their children inevitably ended up growing up there.

I know a few of them and those players still have reunions, but of course many of this era are now quite elderly or passed on.

Yep, their lads all went to Telscombe Cliffs Primary School & Tideway in the 1970's and early 80'.s
The eldest Fresher son, Dean was also great at sport, and didn't he end up playing rugby in Oz?
Matt Wiltshire played pro football in Holland?

Weststander · Jan 27, 2012

The Bun Elephant said:
Great Thread

I was lucky enough to played on the same team as Mike O Brien, Rupe Fresher John Cook although they had a few years on us youngsters at the time they could still showed us a thing or 2
I have also been coached by the likes of Red Imrie when he turned up at training sessons - It was great to listern and learn from people like him

Alan Weeks the sports presenter had a lot to do with the Brighton Tigers

Alan Weeks Olympics commentary for example of Mark Spitz, John Curry, Robin Cousins, and David Wilkie was spine-tingling amazing. A legend.

TWOCHOICEStom · Jan 27, 2012

My Dad has always gone on about them singing something about 'SET THEM ALIGHT SET THEM ALIGHT' - great to see he's not lost his marbles and that the team did exist AND they were good. I'd love a bit of ice hockey.

cmonbarrybringonwoody! · Jan 27, 2012

Really interesting thread. Never knew the of the tigers until tonight, great story and memories! Never really been an ice hockey fan, but in early 2000, i went to new york with a mate and we took in the ny rangers v toronto mapleleafs at madison square garden. Rangers won 3 - 2 in overtime, i bloody loved it!!!

Doc Lynam · Jan 28, 2012

Walt Jabsco said:
Inspired by this thread I have done a little blog which I meant to weeks ago but never got round to.

http://sweatshoptachinardi.blogspot.com/2012/01/brighton-has-seagulls-and-sharks-time.html

Top blog well worth a read, perticuly like the BBC commentators description.

"A super centre, Lee though missed out on what is considered The Tigers' greatest ever victory - a 6-3 defeat of the then mighty Soviet Union team.

Played on December 5 1957 the match-up came just a year and a half after the Soviets had won gold medal in hockey at the first ever Winter Olympics.

It is fair to say that, despite their national prowess, Brighton were not considered anything other than goal fodder for the Big Red Machine.

Legend has it that the reason for the defeat, humbling as it was, was the size of the Brighton rink. At just 175 feet by 175 feet it had acquired the nickname of The Goldtenders' Graveyard and the Russians struggled to get to grips with the awkward conditions.

The Tigers went 3v0 down but fought back to score six unanswered goals - leaving the then BBC commentator Alan Weeks to claim, "I've got nothing to say. I'd only blubber. I'm excited, exhausted and stunned.""

airman · Jan 28, 2012

For further reading on the golden days of British hockey ...

PRIDE & GLORY
Rob Jovanovic

It’s nearly 76 years since Great Britain’s ice hockey team won the Olympic gold medal in 1936, but arguably there is no British Olympic triumph to match it. Author Rob Javonovic tells the story of one of Great Britain’s greatest Olympic triumphs in Pride & Glory, a book that took over five years to write.

The book tells the tale of how the GB team became not only the first team to beat mighty Canada in Olympic competition, but also how the cobbled together team of rank outsiders became the Olympic, World & European champions.

Rob has spent five years tracing the families of the GB team and constructing the players’ stories. His travels have taken him from southern England to 19th-Century Glasgow, across the Atlantic to Canada and back to Germany of the 1930′s, before an unlikely ending in Nottingham. He has dedicated much time and air miles in order to tell the players stories!

The book has been beautifully put together. Not only does it contain the stories of the men involved in that amazing triumph but it also contains rare photographs of the team, players and rinks of the time. There’s an especially great photo of one of the first Nottingham Panthers teams in the book.

Priced at £14.99 the book is well worth every penny and is available from Nottingham branches of Waterstones, Nottingham & Hull WH Smith, Crazy Kennys, Elite League clubs and also the NIC shop. Orders online can be made via Pineapple Books

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