Firstly, let me say hello to everyone – I suppose I should probably introduce myself.

My name is Hazel, I’m 27 and I’ve been a fan of ice hockey for two years now. I’ve been writing my own blog, Chasing the Puck, for just over a year.

I also contribute interviews to the Coventry Blaze magazine OnFire and write for an American blog for fans of the Washington Capitals called NoVa Caps.

I started out watching the NHL and became a fan of the Washington Capitals and was then introduced to British Ice Hockey by a friend who is a fan of the Sheffield Steelers.

I support Coventry, but I enjoy interviewing players from all teams and not just those from the Blaze.

One of my first big interviews was with Zack Fitzgerald in the wake of the John Scott NHL All-Star debacle of 2016.

I’ve since interviewed him a few times including for this month’s OnFire magazine and there’s a teaser of that on my blog here.

I’m also in the process of completing a feature called Behind The Mask, which I hope will feature all ten EIHL starting goaltenders and eventually, with the addition of the MK Lightning, them as well.

When I was asked to write and contribute to British Ice Hockey I’ll admit I was surprised. Part of the reason I began my own blog was because I didn’t know if I’d be accepted into what is predominantly a male dominated world.

At least that way I could hone my skills, get a little experience and share some of the interviews I did manage to get with the world.

Initially it was set up to be a place to showcase what I was capable of to a potential employer, but since then it’s become far more than just an online portfolio.

Being approached by BIH for a contributors position with this website was an opportunity I just couldn’t say no to.

I don’t know if I have a specialty per-se. I do tend to stick mainly to the Elite League, purely from the view point that that is the arena I know.

The players, the arenas, some of the coaches. It’s a comfort zone that I’m quite happy to stay in just now.

I hope to contribute many things to this website in the coming months, mainly interviews with players. I’ve never been maths minded and I know I don’t find it awfully interesting to read interviews full of questions that if I simply Googled Elite Prospects, I could find the answers to.

I very much enjoy sitting down with the players and getting a little more personal. I enjoy writing something that hasn’t been written before from a perspective that you don’t see around all that much. I like to try and humanise these guys.

Some fans never get a chance to get closer than seeing them from behind the plexi-glass, I want to take my readers beyond the plexi and into the minds of those players, to show you that yes, they’re your idols but they are also just regular guys like everyone else.

They try their hardest every night, they’re not superhuman, although at times, Brian Stewart might be close!

Here’s hoping I can bring something to British Ice Hockey that you’ll enjoy and that I’ll be able to keep up with the rest of the guys who make this site what it is.