Classic! As a member of the London Knights in the British Super League, circa 2001-3, we were not so heavily recruited to join the More Fire Crew, a UK Garage hip hop band in the making of their video, “Back Then.” We used our practice facility, the Lee Valley Arena in Hackney, East London. At the time Hackney was a pretty tough area of the city. I’ve heard that recently, due in part to London 2012 Olympics, that the area has undergone some huge changes, to the point it’s now the hip area of London. Why there are ‘ice hockey players’ in the background of this video, we haven’t quite figured out yet, but it was a blast.
The goalie in the video, Dave Trofimenkoff (draft pick of the New York Rangers), and I were reminiscing the other day about the ‘ol days in East London. We were laughing about all the great opportunities we had during those years, and how they felt they would go on for ever, and how we often took them for granted. Enter stage left, YouTube. Not 20 seconds later, we were howling over the random close up shots of Dave, managing the crease with the fluidity of mercury. Ok, maybe I commented on his old straight pads, and the position of goalie has changed even in the 9 years since we played together in London. He quickly reminded me I’ve lost a bit of hair, my quads, and a fair bit of speed. Touche.
