Defence Budget

Tony Hand is still the elder statesman of the EIHL, but he's now got more company in the 40-plus club.

After the Newcastle Vipers today confirmed the long-rumoured signing of veteran import Ed Courtenay there's another 40-year old in the league. Courtenay will be teaming up with Vipers player-coach Rob Wilson, who can also be counted in the grey-haired gentleman category.

While the three old timers have all remained productive, often showing younger import players how it's done in the Elite League, there comes a time when they'd like to finally hang 'em up.

And for Wilson, it's arrived.

But due to the Vipers' financial position, he's not going to be leaving his patrol on the blueline at the Metro Radio Arena anytime soon.

Ahead of Thursday's game against the Edinburgh Capitals, Wilson admitted that he'd rather be watching the Vipers from the bench and not the blueline.

“For myself, I’d rather be behind the bench if I was being 100% honest,” Wilson said in an interview with skysports.com.

“But right now our budget is not really allowing us to do that. I just want to try and do the best I can, as I’m a very competitive person. If you want something bad enough you’ll keep chasing it and I like competing. We’re playing well so right now it’s been going ok.”

With Wilson continuing to play because of financial reasons, Courtenay also cited money as a reason for his return to the EIHL.

“I had planned to retire from playing but the Vipers have given me a good offer to come back and I’m really looking forward to getting back on the ice,” Courtenay told the Newcastle Vipers website.

As the old saying goes: “Age ain’t nothin’ but a number.”

And the Vipers' number was good enough for Courtenay's age.

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Tony Hand's tried and tested recipe

"Hand feeds the puck to Molin... GOAL!!"
"Hand passes to Tallari... GOAL!!"
"Hand finds Beauregard... GOAL!!"

The year has changed, the players have changed, but the outcome remains the same. Tony Hand has unearthed another gem in Phoenix forward David Beauregard (14 goals, 9 assists) and has re-established the playmaker-sniper relationship that has worked perfectly for the last two years in Altrincham.

Beauregard, a former San Jose Sharks draft pick, previously scored 47 goals in the UHL and is tied for the Elite League lead with Belfast's Paul Deniset. The scary thing is that he says he's never played with an All Star playmaker like Hand before.

"Before I came over to the UK everybody was telling me how many goals I would score just playing with Tony," Beauregard told the Manchester Phoenix game programme.

"I can understand that now. Throughout my career I’ve been scoring goals without really playing with a true playmaker on my line. "

You can read the entire interview in this week's Manchester Phoenix match night programme.