OK, apologies as I posted this 4 years ago but on the 40th anniversary (40 years!!?) of the Pirates Barons Christmas classic I thought I would post it again.

We lived in the best of times and sometimes it is good to get right back to where we started from…

As a Pirates fan back in the 80's, I always get a bit nostalgic on the 23rd of December. To all those who played the game thanks for the memories...Yes we were entertained.

In the mid to late 80’s I followed Ice Hockey (Christ time really does fly!) My life pretty much revolved around the Peterborough Pirates. It was during a particularly dull football match at London Road (home of the Mighty Posh) that my friend Darryl suggested I go to the ice hockey, a new team had been formed called the Pirates and they played at Bretton. So that Sunday I joined Darryl and a few others at the ice rink where I watched the Pirates destroy Deeside Dragons, I was hooked. A guy in a blue helmet was skating rings around everyone, turned out he was a Canadian called John Lawless and during the game it seemed that he scored when he liked.  Literally, Lawless was the smallest player on the ice but in terms of talent he was head and shoulders above the rest. “Alouette, gentille alouette, alouette je te plumerai’’

For the next 5 years ice hockey pretty much became my religion and during that first season a rivalry began with Solihull Barons that would lead to some of my best memories in sport.

The thing about those years and everyone who was around at the time will say the same was that we were like one big family. The players the fans, sponsors and management, we all mixed together. As a fan the weekends would be spent watching hockey, socialising and having sing-songs in the bar,  travelling all around the country for away games, on long trips north players and fans would be on the same bus. During the week we would meet up at various places and talk about hockey. The favourite meeting points were Hereward Video Library, (Hereward Video Library sponsored the Pirates it was owned and run by Eddie and Peggy Porter who were both lovely people) the Nip in Café and the legendary Wayward Frog.

For me the stand out season was 84/85. During the week I worked in a betting office, S&D turf accountants, at the weekends everything was geared to the ice hockey. Me, Darryl, Blayne, Rob and many others would usually arrive at the rink a couple of hours before the game started. Being there early was part of the ritual, being in the queue, ensuring that we got our space in our corner of the rink, the Animal Korner. Now I am one of those people who always feels a bit of an outsider, a bit detached I think this stems from, insecurity, a lack of self-confidence and from the fact I was and still am rubbish with women, however despite this, in my own way, I made more friends following hockey than at any point in my life. The inhabitants of the Korner at that time included Mark, Rocky, Steve B (with his ridiculous red patent shoes) a variety of Gary’s, Kev’s and John’s The Baxters, Cheryl, whose famous pink leather dress later made an appearance in my novel ('THE CAGING OF GEORGE JAMES' available at Amazon! No pressure 🙂) BIG Steve and BIG Mick, Liz, Tonka, Granny, Steve Z, Neal, Mandy  Audrey, Tanya, Julie and many more.

That season revolved around, without doubt, the best sporting rivalry I have been a part of. At the start of the season we felt we had a real chance of winning the league but we had to overcome the Solihull Barons. Their chairman was ITV sports presenter Gary Newbon and their main players were three Canadians Mark Budz,  Chuck Taylor (who us Pirates fans loved to hate) and Solihull had also recruited a player with a big reputation called Dean Vogelsang. Outside of Peterborough the Barons were everyone’s favourites to win the league that year, they were a talented aggressive side and were clear favourites. Pirates had also added to their squad though and we had high hopes for a successful season. We had signed a Canadian defenceman called Shannon Hope. The first time I saw him play I reckoned we had a great chance of becoming champions. For me Hope was just magic, he was graceful, always had time on the puck, in my eyes he was class. Hockey is all speed and hustle and bustle, Hope played the game with an apparent nonchalant style that was a joy to watch. We had also signed a guy called Roy Micks who scored seven goals in a pre- season friendly and then promptly returned home to Canada. Micks was replaced by goal poacher extraordinaire, Alcide ‘El Cid’ Jutras.

Disappointingly, Pirates were beaten at home by Solihull in an early season Cup game, a feature of the matches between the two sides was the noise generated by just a couple of thousand people, it was unbelievable. At the end of the game even though we had lost I was convinced we could beat them next time. As myself and my mate, the infamous Blayne Scroggins, were making our way to the bar we spotted Gary Newbon. I walked up to my fellow Gary and informed him that I felt we were certainly going to defeat his team at Christmas time, when we went to Solihull for the league match. ‘’We’re gonna fucking do you at Christmas.’’ Is what I said. (I was young and a bit over excited...my vocabulary and manners were not all they could have been)

As the season progressed both Pirates and Solihull went win for win both beating any team put in front of them. Pirates were playing great hockey but for me what stood out at that time was a togetherness on and off the ice. Solihull may well have been rolling over every team they played but they had no idea what Pirates had in store for them that Christmas… On the 23rd of December 1984 The Pirates and several bus loads of supporters rocked up at Hobs Moat Road the home of Solihull Barons, one of the teams was going to lose their 100% record.

In the weeks leading up to that game it was all us hockey folk could talk about, there was far greater excitement surrounding the game than the imminent arrival of Santa Claus. I spent my spare time tearing up kitchen tin foil into tiny pieces to create a Christmassy style tik-a-tak welcome for when the teams took to the ice. That does sound a bit gay doesn’t it, it’s probably why I never had a bird!

The atmosphere in Solihull that night was just brilliant we took over one side of the rink and made as much noise as we could before the game.  The Barons fans were also in full voice and the level of sound was insane. As the teams came out, we sprayed silly string, let off party poppers and the tik-a-tak that I had prepared was hurled into the air amid a cacophony of noise. We all have times in our lives that live forever, moments we can look back on that always make us smile, this was one of those moments, one of those nights. Within 20 seconds of the game starting a Scotsman called Kenny McKie provided me with one of my most vivid memories in sport as he slid on his knees towards the crowd, big smile on his face and his blond locks cascading from beneath his helmet (it was 40 years ago!) after putting Pirates in front. The supporters went crazy…mental…off our fucking heads. There was no looking back Barons were rattled, they lost their discipline. After every goal that went in we jumped up punched the air sang and hugged. I got more physical contact that night than I had in my previous 19 years on the planet! At times it was so loud you could actually see sound waves as you looked out onto the ice. We taunted the Solihull players and fans... we danced with delight when Dean Vogelsang got a match penalty and then, just to cap things off… Elwyn Dawkins put Chuck Taylor on his arse! Pirates eventually won the game by 7 goals I can’t remember if it was 11-4 or 13-6 (it was 40 years ago!) I say won the game we destroyed Solihull that night, took them apart in their own rink, it was glorious. By the time we got on the bus to go home we all had grins permanently etched on our faces and we sank into our seats physically drained, hoarse but happy. As we drove home through the quiet winter roads with Springsteen and Meat Loaf playing in the background I personally felt like I had a ready-brek glow going on.

On the 24th of December 1984 I woke up with my silly grin still in place. My Mum, who was still a tad puzzled as to where her kitchen foil had gone, brought me a cup of tea, took one look at me and said, 'I take it they won then?' Sometimes she could be remarkably perceptive! I tried to answer but had to make do with nodding and giving her a thumbs up sign as I had no voice left. I have had many enjoyable times watching sport, Italia 90, Peterborough United beating Liverpool and winning in the play-offs at Huddersfield are a few and horses winning races to make me a couple of grand. However for me that night at Solihull will always remain the best of all. For a very colourful chapter of my life watching ice-hockey, following the Pirates, was everything…

... after Pirates had beaten Solihull we continued to win every game, until the Barons came to town for the rematch. Barons were bringing 10 coach loads of supporters so it was decided by the powers that be, that in order to accommodate the Bothersome Brummie Battalions, for one night only, the Animal Korner would be handed over to Solihull. To say the residents of the Korner were disgruntled by the decision was an understatement. It turned out to be a much closer game than the Christmas Classic but the Barons gained a deserved victory, thankfully though, on goal difference between the two teams, we still held the upper hand. From that point in the season Pirates continued to win every game they played and we were eventually in a situation where if we won at Grimsby we would win the league. At the time I was still working at the bookies so a week before the match I went to see my boss Alan to see if I could get the Saturday off. Alan must have been in a bad mood that day as he told me that he was most reluctant to let me have the day off. (Fuck off is what he said)

‘Fuck off, no you can’t have the fucking day off, all you think about is the bloody ice-hockey this job is not a fucking hobby it is a fucking... fucking... well it’s a fucking job… all you care about is the fucking Panthers.’

‘Pirates Alan.’

‘What?’

‘It’s the Pirates, you said Panthers.’ I felt it was my place to correct him, though in hindsight I was probably not helping my cause!

‘Fuck’s sake, the fucking Pirates then, you need to fucking grow up and take your responsibilities seriously. There is more to life than ice-fucking-hockey.’

‘Fine, I quit then.’

‘You fucking what?’

‘I will quit then Alan, I want to go to Grimsby.’

‘Oh fuck off then, fuck off to Grimsby with the fucking Panthers’ said my now ex-boss.

‘Pirates Alan!’

‘Fuck off!!’

So that Saturday, newly unemployed, I boarded the bus for Grimsby. Little Lionel checked us all on the bus. He used to sit at the front, Lionel, was one of the elder statesman and one of the more responsible people on the coach he was like a poor man’s Ronnie Corbett. To be honest, for all the talk of not being over-confident and treating your opponents with respect, we all knew we were gonna beat Grimsby. The ice-hockey match was the prelude to the party afterwards. All the usual shenanigans were going on, on the bus. One of Blaynes favourite jolly japes was to see how many people you could cram into the bus toilet. They would get to around 5 or 6 people squashed in and then someone like Big Steve would squeeze the door shut, lean against it and not let them out for a while. The noises that could be heard coming out from the packed lavvy, the groaning, the pleading, the desperate wailing, still haunt me to this day. Eventually Steve would relent and move away and the inhabitants of the toilet would spill out onto the floor of the bus where they would immediately start to forage around for more beer. I suppose I should point out that vast quantities of alcohol would be consumed on these ice-hockey away days, so common sense was in short supply. Lionel would shout down from his seat by the driver, ‘Behave down there.’ I was not a drinker so would just sit back and observe the mayhem.

Pirates, as expected, won the match at Grimsby which was played in a carnival atmosphere then  we all headed to the bar and waited to greet the newly crowned champions. As each player made their way to join us they were applauded, cheered, slapped on the back and hugged. Songs were sung, drink was drunk and John Lawless enquired, through song... whether we liked her long black hair? We replied that yes we did like her long black hair. Her long black hair? After establishing we liked her long black hair we were also asked, through song, whether we liked her beady eyes, her nobby nose and other somewhat fragrant areas of her anatomy! We then sang of ants moving rubber tree plants, now everyone knows that an ant can't move a rubber tree plant but we had High Hopes.  After partying in the bar we headed into Grimsby and ended up in a nightclub called Grinders!? (it was the 80's) where we continued to party the night away. It was a case of Hi Ho Silver lining everywhere we go. One of the high points was seeing Lionel in an altercation with the bouncers, they had taken offence to him waving his Pirates scarf around a tad too enthusiastically for their liking and told him if he did not calm down he would have to leave. Thankfully, for the bouncers, Lionel chose to calm down. That night we danced and sang till the early hours, it was a fantastic night.

On the way home we got stuck in a freak snow storm in Grantham. The busses stopped and we all piled off, players and fans milling about in the snow it was not long before snowballs began to fly through the air and so began the silliest most surreal snowball fight ever, at 4:30 in the morning on an otherwise quiet still Sunday. If any resident of Grantham had looked out of their window, they would have been met by the sight of the Peterborough Pirates, players and fans, celebrating in a winter wonderland.

Like I say 40 years ago, the best of times and those who are no longer with us live on in our hearts. For the rest of us, well I don’t know about you but inside my head I am still 20, a very bewildered 20 year old who looks in the mirror and thinks WTF happened.