OldTimeHockeyUK Podcast

Rob Breskal Podcast Interview In today’s show I interview former Southampton Vikings, Dundee Rockets, Medway Bears and Bracknell Bees D-Man Rob Breskal. Now living in New South Wales in Australia, Rob was born in Brighton on the UK’s south coast – a town with a rich hockey history but no proper Ice Rink since 1965 –...

The post Rob Breskal Podcast Interview – Episode S2E11 appeared first on Old Time Hockey UK.

In this episode, I'm joined by former Southampton Vikings, Dundee Rockets, Medway Bears and Bracknell Bees defenceman Rob Breskal, whose hockey journey began in the most unlikely of places.

Born in Brighton, a city with rich hockey history but no proper ice rink, Rob discovered the sport by chance at a tiny local rink when the Streatham juniors were forced to train there during renovations. That moment sparked a career that saw him progress through the Streatham junior system before returning home to help form the Brighton Royals, a team forced to play every game away.

Rob's performances earned him a contract with the Southampton Vikings, where promotion to the Premier Division followed — along with an infamous naked lap of the rink after losing a bet. During this period, Rob represented Great Britain U19, lining up alongside Tony Hand and the Cooper brothers as the team finished runners-up at the 1984 European Championships Pool C.

A move to the Dundee Rockets followed, where Rob played alongside NHL legend Garry "Iron Man" Unger and helped the Rockets win the Scottish Cup and reach the Wembley Playoff Final.

Homesickness eventually brought Rob back south to the Medway Bears, where he spent four seasons, mostly as captain, before a big-money move to the Bracknell Bees. Appointed captain once again, Rob helped the Bees gain promotion to the Premier Division before departing the club after 17 games the following season.

Away from hockey, Rob's story takes an unexpected turn as he went on to win BBC's The Weakest Link, earning an unforgettable nickname from presenter Anne Robinson.

Mario Belanger Podcast Interview In today’s show I interview former Durham Wasps, Basingstoke Beavers, Nottingham Panthers and Telford Tigers goal scoring forward Mario Belanger. Durham Wasps Durham Wasps signed the French Canadian as a replacement import in February 1987. Together with fellow imports, forward Kevin Conway and d-man Mike O’Connor they formed a formidable on ice...

The post Mario Belanger Podcast Interview – Episode S2E10 appeared first on Old Time Hockey UK.

Former Durham Wasps, Basingstoke Beavers, Nottingham Panthers and Telford Tigers forward Mario Belanger joins the show to reflect on a UK career filled with goals, controversy and unforgettable moments.

Arriving in the UK in February 1987 as a replacement import for Durham Wasps, Mario quickly became a fan favourite. He starred in the 1987 Wembley Playoff Finals, scoring a hat trick in the semi-final against Fife Flyers before lifting the Championship with a win over Murrayfield Racers.

Despite success, Mario returned to Canada early the following season, triggering a five-year ban from British hockey. After its expiry, he returned with Basingstoke Beavers, reuniting with Kevin Conway and helping the club win Heineken Division One, the Playoff Championship and promotion to the Premier Division.

Tempted back from retirement in 1994 by Nottingham Panthers, Mario enjoyed a strong season despite the club again falling short of the title. His final UK spell with the Telford Tigers proved short-lived amid instability, before he retired for good.

Now a police officer, Mario looks back fondly on his UK years—especially that magical Wembley triumph with Durham.

The Garry Unger Podcast Interview Part 2 – the Heineken Years For the very first time since starting the Podcast back in 2014 I’ve decided to split an episode in two. Garry Unger’s career has been absolutely amazing. Consequently I recorded over 3 hours of quality content that I could not possibly fit into just a one...

The post Garry Unger Podcast Interview Part 2 – Episode S2E09 appeared first on Old Time Hockey UK.

For the first time since launching the podcast in 2014, this interview was split into two parts — a reflection of the truly remarkable career of Garry Unger. With over three hours of recorded content, Part 2 focuses on Garry's influential Heineken League years in the UK.

After retiring from the NHL in 1983, Garry remained with the Edmonton Oilers organisation in coaching and media roles before becoming involved in placing players with European clubs. That role led to a call from Dundee Rockets owner Tom Stewart — and to Garry coming out of retirement to become player-coach in Scotland.

Garry reflects on adapting to life in the UK, learning the "Scottish language", driving on the wrong side of the road, playing at legendary rinks such as Crossmyloof, and even discovering golf through a club deal. He also recounts a pivotal story involving Glen Sather, which helped put a young Tony Hand on the NHL radar — ultimately leading to Tony becoming the first British-born player drafted to the NHL by the Oilers.

After one season in Dundee, Garry moved south to join the Peterborough Pirates, where he spent three seasons. We discuss promotion to the Premier Division, the club's struggles at the higher level, Garry's rise to Head Coach, and the breakdown in relations with new ownership that eventually led to his departure from first-team duties.

Garry Unger Podcast Interview Part 1 – the NHL Years Garry Unger had an amazing career, with so much recorded content it was impossible to fit everything into one hour. Therefore for the first time since starting the Podcast I’ve decided to split an episode into two parts. In Part One we’ll be talking about: His first...

The post Garry Unger Podcast Interview Part 1 – Episode S2E08 appeared first on Old Time Hockey UK.

For the first time since launching the podcast, this interview is split into two parts — a reflection of the extraordinary career of Garry Unger. Part 1 focuses on his legendary NHL years.

Garry discusses his first NHL game and the surreal experience of lining up alongside icons Gordie Howe and Frank Mahovlich in Detroit. We explore the reasons behind his trade from the Detroit Red Wings to the St Louis Blues, a move that saw Garry become a franchise superstar.

Across an incredible NHL career, Garry played 1,105 games and set a then-record Iron Man streak of 914 consecutive games, achieved without ever wearing a helmet. He starred for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, St Louis Blues and Atlanta Flames, before later spells with the Los Angeles Kings and his hometown Edmonton Oilers.

Garry also reflects on his three seasons in Edmonton, playing alongside a young core that would go on to define an era — Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Paul Coffey, Jari Kurri, Glenn Anderson and Grant Fuhr.

The episode closes with the story of how, after retiring in 1983, Garry was persuaded to come out of retirement by Dundee Rockets owner Tom Stewart — setting the scene for Part 2: The Heineken Years.

In this episode, we look back on a remarkable career that spanned continents, leagues and eras of the game. From early development years learning hockey in Germany, New Brunswick and Winnipeg, to the wild early days of professional hockey in the South West Hockey League, this interview is packed with stories you won't hear anywhere else.

As a 21-year-old pro, he found himself playing in places like Reno, Nevada and El Paso, Texas, before a chance conversation at a North American Indian hockey tournament brought him back to the country of his birth and into UK hockey. What followed was an incredible British career that began with the Sunderland Crowtree Chiefs, ended with the Paisley Pirates, and included 10 further UK clubs along the way.

We talk openly about his long-running battle with the BIHA over import status, why he famously never slept on team bus trips, the personal toll of life in hockey including two failed marriages, and his honest views on the modern game.

The conversation was so rich it had to be cut from 120 minutes down to under 50, and for the first time ever the podcast also includes a bloopers section, guaranteed to raise a smile.

Paul Hand Podcast Interview In today’s show I interview former Murrayfield Racers, Solihull Barons, Peterborough Pirates, Fife Flyers, Paisley Pirates and Great Britain D-Man Paul Hand. We talk of his early years in Edinburgh, where going to the Murrayfield rink was simply a “way of life”. We talk of how he made his way through...

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