Sheffield Steelers’ Kevin Tansey assesses the team’s first two Champions Hockey League games and looks ahead to this weekend’s clashes against Sparta Prague and Skellefteå AIK
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00:00Just a quick reflection on the weekend just gone, it must have been immensely satisfying
00:11on the plane home given what you managed to achieve.
00:14Yeah, I mean, satisfying, I wouldn't say immensely satisfying, we won one out of two games so
00:20we obviously had a goal of winning both games but we were happy with our results even in
00:23the loss.
00:24But you know whenever you go into these tournaments you think of yourself as you made the tournament,
00:29the other team has made the tournament so you want to get as many points as you can
00:31so satisfying, I don't know if immensely satisfying is the right word though.
00:36You probably go in as underdogs given the history of elite league teams in the Champions
00:40Hockey League, did that leave you as a group of players perhaps with a feeling of something
00:46to perhaps prove at that level?
00:48Yeah, I mean I think a lot of outside people thought we were underdogs, I think there was
00:53a belief in our team with what we did last year and the group of guys that we brought
00:57back and the new guys that we brought in, we knew we had a really good team that had
01:02a chance to compete and a chance to do well in this tournament so we were looked at as
01:07underdogs by other people but in our locker room we had a lot of belief there that we
01:10were right there with every team that's in that tournament.
01:12Yeah, because in both games you kind of matched the opponent didn't you and gave as good as
01:16you got for the large part.
01:18Yeah, I mean absolutely, Freiburg was a good team, they basically just ended up scoring
01:23one more goal, I know it's kind of a dumbed down version of it but it was a pretty evenly
01:28matched way the whole time and some penalties at the end and just leave that comment at
01:35that and it is what it is, they ended up scoring one in the third period and we didn't match
01:41that and then we had the chip on our shoulder because of that I think going into Saturday's
01:45game and we just wanted to take it to them from the puck drop and I think we really did
01:49a good job of that.
01:51Do you think prior to the weekend perhaps other teams in the competition may have taken
01:55yourselves lightly in some respects?
01:57Yeah, I mean possibly, I'm not sure.
02:00I like to think that other teams wanted to go on and compete but I don't think that we
02:05saw bad games from the other teams, I mean they were doing well, I think we were just
02:09matching their effort and even sometimes doing better than their effort and playing to our
02:13system perfectly.
02:14And obviously having such a great win in Sweden, Sparta Pride Friday, Skellefteå on Sunday
02:20goes without saying another two tough games but given what you achieved while you were
02:24away with the win in Sweden, it must do absolute wonders for your confidence as a group.
02:29Yeah, I mean we're in that playoff spot right now, I think we're in the 15th spot right
02:34now so we're going to like to hold on to that.
02:38We worked hard for the first two games and we're going to keep on working hard and it's
02:41a good test, it's fun hockey, it's some of the highest level hockey that a lot of us
02:45have played over here and you want to grab those opportunities and you want to be a big
02:49game player and that's what these games are and you want to bring your best to those.
02:52And given that, is that the challenge for a lot of players in that room, like you say,
02:57it's probably the highest level a lot of them have played at and therefore you automatically
03:00just raise your game.
03:01Yeah, I mean that's kind of how we all got here right, we all had to be the best at our
03:06level at some point, that's how you become a professional athlete, you know you have
03:10to show that you're better than other people constantly throughout your life and we have
03:13the chance to do that at the highest level in European hockey so I think a lot of guys
03:17look forward to raising their game to that level, showing what they can prove and maybe
03:24getting a team that looks at them and they like the way they play and some guys are young
03:28on the team and have chances to go play other ways and after this season it's a great way
03:33to showcase your skill and what you can bring to the table.
03:36Also given what you achieved last season in the Grand Slam Winners League Cup play-offs,
03:40there's no reason why you should go into any game really, it's your own confidence isn't
03:44it?
03:45Or self-belief?
03:46Yeah, I mean we've got the best goalie in the EIHL, I think we have the best decor and
03:51the best group of forwards and I think we're showing that we can play with any team at
03:56any level so yeah we're definitely flying high on the confidence because we've been
04:00through a lot as a team and we've grown a lot together and it's the same as last year
04:05where everybody in that room is friends and want to work for each other so it's fun to
04:09go to battle with a group of guys that you really love.
04:11Half a dozen or more sort of changes or key changes in personnel over the summer, it looks
04:16like the sort of chemistry and the coming together of this new look team is going pretty
04:21well so far, so early in the season yeah?
04:23Yeah I mean you know we brought in a bunch of good guys, I mean everybody sort of knows
04:28everybody in the hockey world so it wasn't like there was anybody that we really didn't
04:31know, I mean from just knowing you know the two Finns that came in, we're friends with
04:37Nicholas and Mikko from our team this year and last year and then you know Levins is
04:42a Toronto guy who's played with a bunch of guys and you know Marco and Michele are guys
04:47who a lot of us have played against in the Austrian League and you know playing international
04:52hockey and then the same with Sasha too so they're all familiar faces and I think they
04:57all came in here knowing that you know we don't just want to play hockey this year to
05:02collect a paycheck, we came in to win trophies and we came in here to compete every day and
05:07on the ice, off the ice and you know they're fitting in perfectly doing that.
05:10There's a lot to look forward to this year, there's a lot that you'll want to achieve,
05:14how much would it mean to you as a group at this early stage to make it through to the
05:17next phase of the Champions Hockey League?
05:19Yeah I mean like I said there's a belief in this team, we know the talent that we have,
05:25we know the chemistry that we have and you know we just want to win and you know we've
05:31been doing a good job of doing that, sticking to our systems and it would definitely mean
05:35a lot but you know we just want to prove to people that we're a good hockey team.