Interview: Nottingham Panther's Jeff Heerema and Rob Lachowicz

You two obviously have very different backgrounds. How did you end up as Panthers?
Rob: My parents used to come along and watch when I was a little kid. I just wanted to try it, so started when I was about five. I guess I was pretty good at it and enjoyed it, so just carried on from there and went through my seven skating grades: forwards, backwards, crossovers, that kind of stuff.

Jeff: Last year I didn’t really have a job anywhere: the season starts here in August and it was December when I got here. Then Corey (Neilson, the head coach) got hold of me and, yeah, I just took the opportunity.

What’s it like to play in a city where ice hockey isn’t the dominant sport?
Well, we have such good fans here - five thousand plus almost very night, so it’s fine. I’ve played in cities in America where hockey’s not the biggest thing - like Lowell, Massachusetts, where we had a thousand people each game and gridiron was the big sport.

Nottingham’s one of the bigger cities in the UK with a pro team. What kind of reputation does it have with players from other teams? Is it a more appealing place to play than, say, Slough or Telford?
Rob: I’d probably say it was one of the better places to play, but you do see guys playing on other teams that don’t like the Panthers - probably because we’re one of the stronger teams and they want to beat us.

The nearest sport we could associate ice hockey with for toughness is rugby. Do you socialise with the opposition afterwards, have a beer and discuss the game, like they tend to do?
Jeff: Sometimes if we spend the night at an away game, but usually teams are on the bus and out of town again.

But you don’t avoid them for fear of losing your edge?
No, it’s fine. A lot of the time, you’re friends with a lot of the opposition…

Rob: Especially the lads in the UK national squad, who know each other pretty well.

Is the Slapshot myth true - that the sport is just an elaborate ruse to have a good old punch-up?
Jeff: Maybe back in the day that used to happen, but not much any more – although, it did
last year…

Rob: You still get a few players who like to mix things up a bit. A lot of the time it’s triggered by players interfering with the goalie - ‘cos if your goalie gets injured, you’re kinda screwed.

Do you relish it when that happens?
Jeff: Well, personally I’m not much of a fighter myself…

Rob: Me neither. But it’s part of the game and if it happens then you just have to deal with it. Like last year we had a bench clearance - where everyone, including the subs, gets involved. It started when Alex Penner, who’s a bit of an idiot, kept running into Coventry’s goalie. One of their guys did the same, and then it all went a bit crazy…

We’re guessing that Sheffield is the grudge match...
Jeff: Yeah, since I’ve been here…
Rob: Since forever.

Football has a real problem with atmosphere and intensity since the stadia went all-seater, while supporters at ice hockey games seem right on top of the action. Do you notice the intensity in the supporters? Does that transfer to the ice?
Jeff: Absolutely.

Rob: Yeah, there’s a lot of chants going on in the stands and it kinda gets you going a bit more than when it’s quiet.

Does it annoy you that arguably the most successful sporting club in the city gets a fraction of the coverage that two lower-league football clubs get?
Jeff: Not really. It’s just nice that hockey’s starting to grow in the UK and I’m glad that we have a good organization here and it’s helping the game.

Rob: Mick Holland does the Evening Post coverage for us and gets good stories in there pretty much every day of the week, and Radio Nottingham is one of the few stations in the country to broadcast live games.

How important is that media coverage, and do you think the sport can continue to grow?
Gary Moran, the team manager, does a good job of getting us out there. There are teams that maybe don’t have as much money who aren’t doing so much to raise the awareness but it’s good to have the radio coverage. And Sky Sports have a weekly show, which is good.

Jeff: But it would be nice to have a few more live games on TV. I mean, I played one year in Winnipeg and every day it was three papers TV and radio - and that’s just in the AHL, which is one of the minor leagues. When you get to the NHL in Canada it’s absolutely insane.

But then again, the lack of high-profile media means you can go about your personal life without being bothered. Do people recognize you in the street?
Not really, unless if they’re not a fan. It’s kinda nice that way, too.

Rob: One guy on the tills in Beeston Tesco recognised me and asked for an autograph, but nothing weirder than that.

So where do you go on the batter?
Well, if we’ve had a good couple of wins and have a day off, we might head out – maybe on a Sunday night. We end up in Tantra quite a lot. We’ve seen a few footballers in there, but they’re a bit more high-profile than us so find it harder to get away with going out. I like us being able to go out without worrying about being seen doing something you shouldn’t be doing.

Rob, do the supporters prefer local lads like you, or overseas stars like Jeff?
Probably people like me, because we’re here for a longer period of time, whereas the imports tend to stay for a year or two then move on. We’ve got a core of Brits, some of whom have been here for eight, nine years now and the fans, I think, feel closer to them ‘cos they see them regularly.

With ice hockey squads being so cosmopolitan, with players from all over North America and Europe, does being a Brit come with responsibilities to help the newcomers integrate?
Yeah, you have to show them what’s what, explain how to drive on the roundabouts and stuff. But it’s not a problem, helping the new guys until they get a feel for the city.  Sometimes you get little groups that like to do their own thing, but tonight for example everyone’s going out to the cinema together.

The Winter Classic, where the NHL plays a game in an outdoor NFL or baseball stadium, has done a great job of raising the profile of ice hockey in America. Would you like to play an outdoor game in Notts?
Jeff: It wouldn’t hurt at all; it could only help the game. It’d be awesome. When I was in Croatia we played a couple of games outside, it was snowing throughout and it was just a cool experience.

Rob: Yeah, it’d be great. I guess the Square would be the prime location. You don’t even need to sell tickets. People walking by can stop and have a look.

Well, they’ve had a beach there for the last month…
And they have the rink in the winter. I’m sure they could make a bigger one and throw some lines on there…

Jeff, what’s the true standard of the Elite League, compared to where you’ve played?
Jeff: it’s hard to say. I played in the AHL in North America and then came over and played in Germany for a couple of years, then Austria. Depth-wise, it might not be as good as those places, or Switzerland, which has really good hockey, but every year you see more and more players coming over and I think the league’s getting better.

What do you think of the National Ice Centre as a venue?
This rink’s awesome. It’s perfect. About seven thousand capacity and our fans near fill it up. You can’t ask for much more.

Is it really the best in the country? How does it compare with the NHL?
I’d say it has to be pretty close, yeah. Some NHL and AHL rinks can hold twenty thousand, but this is big enough.

Seeing as the playoff finals are held here, doesn’t that give the Panthers an unfair advantage year after year?
Rob: I don’t think so, ‘cos the tickets get spread evenly among the teams so our fans don’t dominate the rink.

Jeff: There is an advantage, though - we’re used to the dressing room and we don’t have to stay in a hotel. But then again, there are tons of other fans rooting against us.

What’s your opinion of UK ice hockey fans?
From what I’ve seen, I think they know their hockey here. I played in Croatia and the fans there didn’t know half as much as the Brits.

What do you like about Nottingham, Jeff? Do you think you could settle here?
I think it’s a great city. The people are really friendly. It’s big, but not too big. You’re never stuck in traffic very often, so I really enjoy myself here. I don’t think I’d settle here but it’s nice to come for the winter, for sure.

So, why should our readers get down and check out the Panthers?
Well, for a new hockey fan it would be an awesome experience. We bring a pretty exciting game to the table.

Rob: It’s good for families, too. Not like sitting out in the freezing cold like when you’re watching the football!

Nottingham Panthers website