BORN TO FIGHT
Hamilton's Jeff Joslin Will Be Kick'n Ice With the Blast
UFC fighter and MMA champ Jeff 'The Inferno' Joslin, will be appearing at the Brantford Blast home opener to perform the cermonial puck drop and join Blast fans as they ignite the 2007/08 MLH season! The game is scheduled for Friday, October 5th when the Mighty Tillsonburg Vipers visit the Civic Centre for a 7:30 pm start.
Joslin made an impressive debut on the welterweight card for UFC Fight Night at the Marine Corps Air Station on the Miramar Base in San Diego, California in December 2006.
The Hamilton native has amassed over 200 first place titles in striking, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and submission wrestling competitions over the past two decades. Jeff took gold at the Pan American BJJ championships as a purple belt and won the Arnold/Gracie World BJJ Championships open weight division as a brown belt. www.jeffjoslin.ca
Blast fans will have the chance to meet Joslin for autographs before the game and in between periods.
Advance tickets are on sale at the Civic Centre Box Office. Doors open at 6:30 pm.
This season marks the beginning of an historic countdown - a mere 6 months to the 100th edition of the Allan Cup which will be hosted by the Blast the week of April 15th, 2008. As host team, the Blast will gain entry into Cup which will be televised live on TSN coast to coast. Ticket packages are on sale now.
Scott Sheppard is a Blast
The talented right winger and former team mate of Chad Spurr signed with the Blast yesterday. Scott will be a tremendous asset to our team. After an illustrious Junior career Scott played the past three seasons in the American Hockey League with Rochester as well as in the CHL and the ECHL.
As the host team, the Blast will gain entry into the 100th edition of the Allan Cup which will be televised live on TSN coast to coast. The special milestone edition of this six team National Championship, emblematic of Canadian amateur hockey supremacy, is being played April 15 to 20, 2008 at the Brantford Civic Centre.
Blast add coaches
Ed O'Leary, Brantford Expositor - Saturday, July 14, 2007
Dan Caco, a former assistant coach with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL, has been named as an assistant coach to Brantford Blast’s new head coach Larry Trader for the 2007-08 season.
The announcement was made Friday by Peter Ham, president and general manager of the Major League Hockey team which will host the 100th edition of the competition for the Allan Cup next spring.
Ham also announced that veteran winger Andrew Taylor will be a player-coach with the Blast as he was last season for head coach Larry Van Herzele.
Trader met with Caco on Thursday night and approved the addition of Caco to the staff.
Dan has a wonderful way about him and, more importantly, he passed the Trader test,” said Ham.'' Dan has some very special talents to assist us on our journey down the road to the 100th Allan Cup.”
Caco, 47, was an assistant coach with the Bulldogs from 1998 to 2001. The Hamilton resident operates the Steel City hockey development programs in that area.
“We sat down, had a conversation and we felt we had the same ideas,” said Trader. “He has experience in the American League so maybe he can add to some of the things that I don’t know and it’ll be a good mix.”
Trader was the head coach of the Brantford Smoke in the professional Colonial and United leagues in the 1990s.
When he was handling the Smokies, he worked with Herb Raglan and Joe Hawley as player-coaches and enjoyed the experience.
“It won’t be a problem, if anything, it helps you get the players’ perspective,” Trader said of working with Taylor.
“Whether it’s a head coach, an assistant coach or a player-coach, we’re not walking in there as tyrants. It’s always good to have input from others.”
Taylor will be in his third said as a player with the Blast. The 30-year-old winger scored 16 goals and 20 assists in 29 regular-season games last season. He added four goals and eight assists in 11 games.
“Andrew Taylor has the respect of all the Blast players as well as his peers throughout the league,” Ham said.
“Our fans, sponsors and players will most certainly enjoy the results of the team that the aforementioned coaching staff will put on the ice.”
The Blast are the defending MLH champions but as the host team they gain automatic entry to the Allan Cup tournament.
The six-team tournament for Canadian senior AAA hockey supremacy will be played at the civic centre April 15 to 20. The championship game will be televised on The Sports Network.