BRISTOL – COLISEUM 1934 - 1940

Tentative enquires by young enthusiastic skaters, and Canadians resident in the area, regarding ice hockey were discouraged. The Coliseum management would not risk the financial outlay, citing the small ice surface and insufficient seating to make the game pay.
Then, nearly halfway into the 1936/37 season rink manager Angus Baxter approached Ronald May, a speed skater, saying he wished to try the experiment of a Friday evening exhibition game. Buy their own equipment the local lads were coached by the more experienced Canadians Les Keel ( a lanky Defender), Norm Plummer, Jack Tweedie and Roy Button. Three inter-club exhibitions between Bears and Cubs in the late January and February were well received by press and public, although the standard was low. Cubs then merged with the Bears.

BRISTOL FROGMORE STREET

The rink located on the first floor, originally as part of a multi-purpose entertainment complex, developed by Mecca within a concrete-clad building. The fabric did not lend itself to ice hockey as the barriers presented a plastic sloping face to the ice and the first floor bar overhung one end.

Mecca’s apathy to the sport was overcome after the amateur Southampton Redwings were shown the door at their Rank-owned rink. In November 1971 a phone call, then a quick dash to Bristol by Colin Bennett and Tony Highmore, resulted in the ice for Practice. Courageous rink manager Barrie Wilson braved head office to permit the staging of matches in front of the public from January. The first such attracted a crowd of around 600. Most came back for more .

‘ Wings achieved respectable position in the league over the next four years, including a runners-up slot in the second winter. Experienced players living nearby, and sometimes not so near, joined, including Devon-based ex- Glasgow Dynamos Tom Taylor. Swedish-born Hans Kedelv and Canadian Walter Dirks, Both aged twenty-four , signed for 1973/74. Veteran ex-pros Roy Shepherd and Mike O’Brien, both in their early forties, iced a few times in the next winter. The biggest attendance, recorded before Redwings decamped back to Southampton, occurred in the final campaign when 700 turned up on 7th February to watch them take on the Avon Arrows.

From autumn 1971 local skaters were encouraged to take up hockey. Several joined Redwings prior to the founding of the local Avon club in January 1974. The Wiltshire family provided massive support behind the scenes as Stan sr had watched the sport at the pre-war Coliseum. Arrows first entered the ‘B’ League for a season before taking Redwings’ place at the higher level. Under-23 Darts replaced Arrows.
John Livley had picked up the basics of hockey in Canada. Goalie Chris Lowden, Paul Farmer on Defence and Seventeen-year-old Steve Couzens had previously iced with the Redwings. Arrows won the ‘ B’ League at their first attempt in 75. During their eight years in existence Arrows hovered mid-table, slipping a little by the early 1980s. Canadian students in the city helped out.
One of the most talented – Paul White, a twenty-three- year-old drama student, at left-wing, topped the inaugural Inter-City League in points with 33 (25+8) for 1978/79. He also gained an All-Star ‘A’ team placing. Canadian teenage defenceman Richard Tucker, a pupil at nearby public school, amassed most goals and assists for Arrows during 1981/82 with 34 points.

Following the success of ice hockey at their refurbished Streatham rink, Mecca installed Britain’s second set of pexi-glass at Bristol in 1981.
Two attempts at launching semi-pro hockey have not been successful, no doubt due to the limited seating, some with restricted views of the ice, and the generally basic off-ice facilities.

At the beginning of 1982/83 Nick Harris, a Canadian-born member of the now defunct Arrows, entered Blackhawks into the Heineken-sponsored British League – Division 1. The enterprise, backed by Ian Wright Sponsorship to the tune of £6,000, Failed after three months. Casual management was probably a factor.

The rink closed on the 31st August 1991. Purchased by John Nike Leisursesport (owners of Bracknell) it reopened in April 1992 with ex-Bee Jamie Crapper(Craiper) as manager. By early autumn Bristol Bulldogs were ready. Good imports in Derek Higdon and Darren Mattias, with Lee Odelein as coach and the hockey programme co-ordinator, were leavened with former Avon Arrows. These included Robbie Morris, the best of the locals, Paul Farmer, Justin Young and Tim Steadman.
Winning 19 of their 32 games, to finish runners-up to longer-established Solihull, in Conference ‘A’ of the English League, was no mean accomplishment. With home game attendances running at 200-400 spectators and lacking major sponsorship, expenditure outstripped income. Bulldogs withdrew from further competition.