Tony Hand
Encyclopedia
Tony Hand MBE
(born 15 August 1967 in Edinburgh
) is a Scottish
ice hockey
player who became the first British-raised player to be drafted by an NHL
team when he was picked by the Edmonton Oilers
in 1986. He is currently player-coach of the Manchester Phoenix
. He holds several national records, and has scored over 4000 points in his career.
Hand grew up in the Muirhouse
area of Edinburgh, the second son to David and Lorraine Hand and attended St Augustine's Catholic School. He started his ice hockey career with the Edinburgh based Murrayfield Racers
, playing for their junior team the Raiders and working part-time at the rink. His older brother Paul was also an ice hockey player.
when the Murrayfield Racers had a player shortage. He gained his first point against the Billingham Bombers on 17 October 1981 with an assist to a Chris Kelland
goal. He finished the 1981/82 season having played 19 games with figures of 4 goals, 7 assist and followed it up the following year with 20 goals and 22 assists from 24 games.
He established himself as a regular first choice player for Murrayfield side that finished 5th in the 1983/84 season, scoring 52 goals and 43 assists in 30 league games after scoring 12 goals and 8 assists in 7 Autumn Cup games. He reached his first Championship Playoff Final with Murrayfield but despite Hand scoring 10 goals and 5 assists in 6 games, they lost 5–4 to Dundee Rockets
. He went on to represent Great Britain at the World Junior Championships scoring 6 goals and 3 assists.
In the 1984/85, Hand clocked up his career 100th league goal against Durham Wasps
, scoring 72 in the season and broke Roy Halpin's league assists record with 107
. He also scored 44 goals and 50 assists in 14 Autumn Cup and Championship Playoff games. With Murrayfield, he reached his second successive final after the Racer finished 3rd in the league but again they lost, this time to Fife Flyers
. Representing Great Britain at the Pool C European Championships in Feltre
in Italy
, he played 3 games and scored 4 points. He also scored 2 goals while guesting for Dundee in the European Cup.
In the 1985/86 season, Hand continued to clock up the points scoring 72 goals and 110 assists from 35 games to help Murrayfield finish 2nd in the League behind Durham, including his 200th goal against Peterborough Pirates
on 8 February 1986. In 15 cup and playoff games, he also scored 35 goals and 36 assists as Murrayfield won both competitions. They beat Durham 8–5 in the Autumn Cup and Dundee 4–2 at Wembley. Personally, he was awarded the Young Player of the Year award winning a couple of weeks attendance at the Calgary Flames
training camp to train with NHL players.
' training camp after they had selected him in the 12th round (252nd and last overall) of 1986 NHL entry draft. There he survived the full fourteen days of camp without being cut, despite breaking his one and only stick on the first day and having to borrow one from Marty McSorley
. Playing alongside players such as Wayne Gretzky
and Mark Messier
, he impressed coach Glen Sather
and was offered a contract to play Junior Hockey for a year. Suffering from homesickness, Hand turned it down but agreed to return the following year. Hand was the first of only two British born and trained player ever to have been drafted by an NHL team (the second being Colin Shields
).
Before returning home to Scotland, Hand played briefly for the Junior Western Hockey League
's Victoria Cougars
, with whom he had trained before the Edmonton camp, scoring eight points in only three games, but returned to Scotland a few months later due to exhaustion from the demands of training, playing and press interest.
Despite the interest of other British clubs Hand returned to play for the Racers, where he won his first Heineken League Premier title, the Regal Scottish Cup and Scottish League. He broke the 200 league point barrier for the first time, scoring an amazing 105 goals and 111 assists in 35 games, scoring his 300th career goal against Nottingham Panthers
in February 1987. He also won a bronze medal with the Great Britain Under-21's in Pool C of the World Championships in Denmark
. However, they lost the play-off to Durham Wasps.
The following season, Hand went back to Canada to train with the Cougars before heading to Edmonton where he played for the Oilers against Team Canada and assisted a Kevin Lowe
goal. Again he was offered a contract with the farm team in Nova Scotia
but again turned it down, afraid of being stuck in Junior hockey earning less than his contract in Edinburgh.
In his autobiography, Hand concedes that this was perhaps a mistake and that perhaps he should have re-negotiated the offer. In the foreword, Sather expressed his disappointment that "he didn't accept my deal because he could have advanced in North America. His progress would have been celebrated." Indeed, Sather also says "At the training camp I could see that he had a great ability to read the ice and he was the smartest player there other than Wayne Gretzky. he skated well: his intelligence on the ice stood out. he was a real prospect."
and Germany
.
On the domestic front they again won the Heineken League as well as the Scottish League and Cup double. However, in the Norwich Union Cup & Championship play-offs, Durham Wasp again proved to be their nemesis. After beating Murrayfield 11–5 in the final of the Autumn Cup competition, Durham also knocked them out of the Wembley Semi-final 11–8 despite Hand scoring a Championship record 7 points in the match. Hand ended the 1987–88 season with 125 goals and 135 assists in 52 league and cup games having scored his 400th league goal against Whitley Warriors on 13 March.
During the close season, Hand trained with Geneve-Servette and was offered a contract as their fourth import, but in the top Swiss league which allowed only three imports to play in game, he turned it down. Instead he returned to Murrayfield where, in an indifferent year, he scored 114 goals and 162 assists in 49 games, including his 1,000th point and 500th goal.
Having won the Scottish league and cup double with Murrayfield, Hand was selected for the GB senior team for the first time, making his debut in the World Championships Pool D competition in Belgium
. In 4 games, he scored 6 goals and 12 assists to help Britain to a third-place finish and receiving his first World Championship medal.
At the end of the 1989–90 season, after winning the Norwich Union Cup and the Scottish double, Murrayfield reached the Wembley play-off for the fifth time in seven years but lost to Cardiff Devils
on penalty shots with Hand missing the deciding shot. He played 45 games, scoring 73 goals and 117 assists. In March 1990, he won a Gold medal and the MVP award during Great Britain's Pool D promotion campaign in Cardiff
scoring 5 goals and 8 assists in 4 one-sided games against Australia
and Spain
.
The following season was a disappointing one for Hand as Murrayfield won only one trophy, the Capital Foods Scottish Cup and Great Britain could only finish fifth in the Pool C competition in Denmark
. On a personal front, Hand scored his 600th league goal against Durham Wasps
and a record 11 assists against Trafford Metros in the quarter-final stage of the Norwich Union Cup. Overall, he scored 85 goals and 147 assists for Murrayfield in 52 games plus 9 goals and 12 assists in 8 games for the GB side.
1991–92 started badly for Hand with an eight-game ban for a drug offence when a cold remedy gave a positive result for traces of ephedrine
. However, the domestic season got better for him personally as he was awarded a place on the All-Star team and was voted Players' Player of the Year. He was also the League's top scorer with 60 goals and 80 assists in 36 games and captained the Scotland
side that beat England
7–6 in the 49th Home International, scoring three of the goals. For the Murrayfield team though, the season was full of controversy and disappointment which ended without qualifying for the play-offs.
In March 1992, the Pool C competition was held in Hull
and in a group containing Australia
, Belgium
, Hungary
, North Korea
and South Korea
, the GB team won the gold medal and promotion to Pool B. Hand finished top scorer with 6 goals and 12 assists in the 5 games to win the Best Forward award.
, in the Superleague
. Four years later, another return to Scotland came with a move to the Ayr Scottish Eagles
. It was also around this time that Hand was offered a place on the roster of HPK
of Finland's SM-Liiga
of the newly formed Dundee Stars of the British National League
, before returning to Edinburgh to coach the Edinburgh Capitals
, where he has coached twice (2003–2004 and 2005–2006). Between these two spells at Edinburgh Hand was player-coach of the Belfast Giants
. In 2004 Hand received an MBE
for services to ice hockey.
On 19 April 2006, Hand was announced as the head coach of the Manchester Phoenix
for the 2006–07 season. Hand has now released his autobiography, Tony Hand: A Life in British Ice Hockey, telling all the stories from his career. It is written with Ice Hockey Journalists UK
member, Mike Appleton. Still playing aged 41, in November 2008 he scored his 4000th career point against Hull Stingrays
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 15 August 1967 in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
) is a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player who became the first British-raised player to be drafted by an NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
team when he was picked by the Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
in 1986. He is currently player-coach of the Manchester Phoenix
Manchester Phoenix
Manchester Phoenix are a professional ice hockey team from Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. The club was formed in 2003 as a result of the efforts of supporters group Friends of Manchester Ice Hockey to bring top-level ice hockey back to Manchester after Manchester Storm folded in...
. He holds several national records, and has scored over 4000 points in his career.
Hand grew up in the Muirhouse
Muirhouse
Muirhouse is a district in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is west of Granton and the housing estates of East Pilton and West Pilton, and East of Davidsons Mains...
area of Edinburgh, the second son to David and Lorraine Hand and attended St Augustine's Catholic School. He started his ice hockey career with the Edinburgh based Murrayfield Racers
Murrayfield Racers
The Murrayfield Racers were an ice hockey team in Edinburgh, Scotland, founded in 1952 changing their name to the Racers in 1966. The team won the British Championship 4 times in 1969, 1970, 1971 and 1972...
, playing for their junior team the Raiders and working part-time at the rink. His older brother Paul was also an ice hockey player.
Early playing career
He made his senior debut on 20 September 1981 at the age of fourteen against the Fife FlyersFife Flyers
The Fife Flyers, established in 1938, are the oldest ice hockey team in Scotland, and also in the United Kingdom, beating the Nottingham Panthers by 8 years...
when the Murrayfield Racers had a player shortage. He gained his first point against the Billingham Bombers on 17 October 1981 with an assist to a Chris Kelland
Chris Kelland
Chris Kelland is a retired Canadian ice hockey defender who played his entire professional career in the United Kingdom. He also played for the Great Britain national team between 1991 and 1994. He was inducted into the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002...
goal. He finished the 1981/82 season having played 19 games with figures of 4 goals, 7 assist and followed it up the following year with 20 goals and 22 assists from 24 games.
He established himself as a regular first choice player for Murrayfield side that finished 5th in the 1983/84 season, scoring 52 goals and 43 assists in 30 league games after scoring 12 goals and 8 assists in 7 Autumn Cup games. He reached his first Championship Playoff Final with Murrayfield but despite Hand scoring 10 goals and 5 assists in 6 games, they lost 5–4 to Dundee Rockets
Dundee Rockets
The Dundee Rockets were an ice hockey club based in Dundee, Scotland. Founded in 1963, the club were founder members of the Northern League in 1967 and the British Hockey League in 1982. The club won eight titles before closing in 1987....
. He went on to represent Great Britain at the World Junior Championships scoring 6 goals and 3 assists.
In the 1984/85, Hand clocked up his career 100th league goal against Durham Wasps
Durham Wasps
The Durham Wasps was an ice hockey team located in Durham and was one of England's most well-known names in ice hockey. The team was bought by Sir John Hall and moved to the neighbouring city of Newcastle Upon Tyne in August 1996...
, scoring 72 in the season and broke Roy Halpin's league assists record with 107
. He also scored 44 goals and 50 assists in 14 Autumn Cup and Championship Playoff games. With Murrayfield, he reached his second successive final after the Racer finished 3rd in the league but again they lost, this time to Fife Flyers
Fife Flyers
The Fife Flyers, established in 1938, are the oldest ice hockey team in Scotland, and also in the United Kingdom, beating the Nottingham Panthers by 8 years...
. Representing Great Britain at the Pool C European Championships in Feltre
Feltre
Feltre is a town and comune of the province of Belluno in Veneto, northern Italy. A hill town in the southern reaches of the province, it is located on the Stizzon River, about 4 km from its junction with the Piave, and 20 km southwest from Belluno...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, he played 3 games and scored 4 points. He also scored 2 goals while guesting for Dundee in the European Cup.
In the 1985/86 season, Hand continued to clock up the points scoring 72 goals and 110 assists from 35 games to help Murrayfield finish 2nd in the League behind Durham, including his 200th goal against Peterborough Pirates
Peterborough Pirates
Peterborough Pirates was an English ice hockey team. It was established in 1982, as the senior adult semi-professional team of the newly formed Peterborough Ice Hockey Club....
on 8 February 1986. In 15 cup and playoff games, he also scored 35 goals and 36 assists as Murrayfield won both competitions. They beat Durham 8–5 in the Autumn Cup and Dundee 4–2 at Wembley. Personally, he was awarded the Young Player of the Year award winning a couple of weeks attendance at the Calgary Flames
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...
training camp to train with NHL players.
NHL draft pick
Instead of attending the Flames training camp, Hand went to the Edmonton OilersEdmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
' training camp after they had selected him in the 12th round (252nd and last overall) of 1986 NHL entry draft. There he survived the full fourteen days of camp without being cut, despite breaking his one and only stick on the first day and having to borrow one from Marty McSorley
Marty McSorley
Martin James "Marty" McSorley is a retired Canadian professional hockey player, who played in the National Hockey League from 1983 to 2000. A versatile player, he was able to play both the forward and defense positions. He is also a former head coach of the Springfield Falcons of the American...
. Playing alongside players such as Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...
and Mark Messier
Mark Messier
Mark Douglas Messier is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre of the National Hockey League and current special assistant to the president and general manager of the New York Rangers. He spent a quarter of a century in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, and Vancouver...
, he impressed coach Glen Sather
Glen Sather
Glen Cameron "Slats" Sather is the President and general manager of the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League . He has also served as the head coach of the Rangers, as well as General Manager and coach of the Edmonton Oilers of the World Hockey Association and later NHL...
and was offered a contract to play Junior Hockey for a year. Suffering from homesickness, Hand turned it down but agreed to return the following year. Hand was the first of only two British born and trained player ever to have been drafted by an NHL team (the second being Colin Shields
Colin Shields
Colin Shields is a Scottish ice hockey player currently playing for Pingouins de Morzine-Avoriaz of the Ligue Magnus in France.-Early career:...
).
Before returning home to Scotland, Hand played briefly for the Junior Western Hockey League
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada...
's Victoria Cougars
Victoria Cougars
The Victoria Cougars were a major league professional ice hockey team that played in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association from 1922 to 1924, and in the Western Hockey League from 1924 to 1926...
, with whom he had trained before the Edmonton camp, scoring eight points in only three games, but returned to Scotland a few months later due to exhaustion from the demands of training, playing and press interest.
Despite the interest of other British clubs Hand returned to play for the Racers, where he won his first Heineken League Premier title, the Regal Scottish Cup and Scottish League. He broke the 200 league point barrier for the first time, scoring an amazing 105 goals and 111 assists in 35 games, scoring his 300th career goal against Nottingham Panthers
Nottingham Panthers
The Nottingham Panthers are a British professional ice hockey club based in Nottingham, England. They are members of the Elite Ice Hockey League...
in February 1987. He also won a bronze medal with the Great Britain Under-21's in Pool C of the World Championships in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. However, they lost the play-off to Durham Wasps.
The following season, Hand went back to Canada to train with the Cougars before heading to Edmonton where he played for the Oilers against Team Canada and assisted a Kevin Lowe
Kevin Lowe
Kevin Hugh Lowe is a retired defenceman and coach in the National Hockey League and the current President of Hockey Operations for the Edmonton Oilers. As a defenceman, he played for the Edmonton Oilers and the New York Rangers....
goal. Again he was offered a contract with the farm team in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia Oilers
The Nova Scotia Oilers were a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League based in Halifax, Nova Scotia from 1984 to 1988. The Oilers played their home games at the Halifax Metro Centre, and were the AHL affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers, whose logo theirs resembled.The Oilers...
but again turned it down, afraid of being stuck in Junior hockey earning less than his contract in Edinburgh.
In his autobiography, Hand concedes that this was perhaps a mistake and that perhaps he should have re-negotiated the offer. In the foreword, Sather expressed his disappointment that "he didn't accept my deal because he could have advanced in North America. His progress would have been celebrated." Indeed, Sather also says "At the training camp I could see that he had a great ability to read the ice and he was the smartest player there other than Wayne Gretzky. he skated well: his intelligence on the ice stood out. he was a real prospect."
Return to Britain
Hand returned in October 1987 for Murrayfield's first ill-fated trip onto the continent to play in the IIHF's European Cup where, after beating Bulgarian side Slavia Sofia in a preliminary round, the semi-pro team from Scotland were thrashed by full-time sides from Holland, SwedenSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
On the domestic front they again won the Heineken League as well as the Scottish League and Cup double. However, in the Norwich Union Cup & Championship play-offs, Durham Wasp again proved to be their nemesis. After beating Murrayfield 11–5 in the final of the Autumn Cup competition, Durham also knocked them out of the Wembley Semi-final 11–8 despite Hand scoring a Championship record 7 points in the match. Hand ended the 1987–88 season with 125 goals and 135 assists in 52 league and cup games having scored his 400th league goal against Whitley Warriors on 13 March.
During the close season, Hand trained with Geneve-Servette and was offered a contract as their fourth import, but in the top Swiss league which allowed only three imports to play in game, he turned it down. Instead he returned to Murrayfield where, in an indifferent year, he scored 114 goals and 162 assists in 49 games, including his 1,000th point and 500th goal.
Having won the Scottish league and cup double with Murrayfield, Hand was selected for the GB senior team for the first time, making his debut in the World Championships Pool D competition in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. In 4 games, he scored 6 goals and 12 assists to help Britain to a third-place finish and receiving his first World Championship medal.
At the end of the 1989–90 season, after winning the Norwich Union Cup and the Scottish double, Murrayfield reached the Wembley play-off for the fifth time in seven years but lost to Cardiff Devils
Cardiff Devils
The Cardiff Devils are a Welsh ice hockey team who play in the British Elite Ice Hockey League. The team currently plays in the temporary Cardiff Arena...
on penalty shots with Hand missing the deciding shot. He played 45 games, scoring 73 goals and 117 assists. In March 1990, he won a Gold medal and the MVP award during Great Britain's Pool D promotion campaign in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
scoring 5 goals and 8 assists in 4 one-sided games against Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
The following season was a disappointing one for Hand as Murrayfield won only one trophy, the Capital Foods Scottish Cup and Great Britain could only finish fifth in the Pool C competition in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. On a personal front, Hand scored his 600th league goal against Durham Wasps
Durham Wasps
The Durham Wasps was an ice hockey team located in Durham and was one of England's most well-known names in ice hockey. The team was bought by Sir John Hall and moved to the neighbouring city of Newcastle Upon Tyne in August 1996...
and a record 11 assists against Trafford Metros in the quarter-final stage of the Norwich Union Cup. Overall, he scored 85 goals and 147 assists for Murrayfield in 52 games plus 9 goals and 12 assists in 8 games for the GB side.
1991–92 started badly for Hand with an eight-game ban for a drug offence when a cold remedy gave a positive result for traces of ephedrine
Ephedrine
Ephedrine is a sympathomimetic amine commonly used as a stimulant, appetite suppressant, concentration aid, decongestant, and to treat hypotension associated with anaesthesia....
. However, the domestic season got better for him personally as he was awarded a place on the All-Star team and was voted Players' Player of the Year. He was also the League's top scorer with 60 goals and 80 assists in 36 games and captained the Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
side that beat England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
7–6 in the 49th Home International, scoring three of the goals. For the Murrayfield team though, the season was full of controversy and disappointment which ended without qualifying for the play-offs.
In March 1992, the Pool C competition was held in Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
and in a group containing Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
and South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, the GB team won the gold medal and promotion to Pool B. Hand finished top scorer with 6 goals and 12 assists in the 5 games to win the Best Forward award.
End of an era
Despite good offers from many teams over the years, Hand had remained with the Murrayfield Racers until they folded in 1994. Even then he joined the newly-formed Edinburgh Racers, scoring over 200 points in a season for the third time in his career. However, after a single season with the Edinburgh Racers who also went bankrupt, Hand finally moved to the Sheffield SteelersSheffield Steelers
The Sheffield Steelers are a British ice hockey club, from Sheffield, England. They were formed in 1991 and play their home games at the Sheffield Arena. They are currently members of the Elite Ice Hockey League...
, in the Superleague
Ice Hockey Superleague
The Ice Hockey Superleague was a professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom between 1996 and 2003. Formed in 1995, it replaced the Premier Division of the British Hockey League, it was the highest level of ice hockey competition in the United Kingdom...
. Four years later, another return to Scotland came with a move to the Ayr Scottish Eagles
Ayr Scottish Eagles
The Ayr Scottish Eagles were a professional Scottish ice hockey club, from Ayr, Scotland. They were formed in 1996 and played their home games at the Centrum Arena. The team competed in the Ice Hockey Superleague and the club's main sponsor was Barr Construction...
. It was also around this time that Hand was offered a place on the roster of HPK
HPK
HPK is an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga. They play in Hämeenlinna, Finland at the Hämeenlinnan jäähalli. HPK was established in 1929. The full name of the club is HPK-Edustusjääkiekko Ry and the team is sometimes promoted as the "Hockey Playing Knights", with the logo representing a knight...
of Finland's SM-Liiga
SM-liiga
The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice...
Coaching career
In 2001, Hand started a coaching career as player-coachPlayer-coach
A player-coach, in sports, is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. The term can be used to refer to both players who serve as head coaches, or as assistant coaches....
of the newly formed Dundee Stars of the British National League
British National League
The British National League is a defunct second-level professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Although no formal promotion and relegation existed during its period of existence, it was considered to have a standard below that of the Ice Hockey Superleague and above that of the...
, before returning to Edinburgh to coach the Edinburgh Capitals
Edinburgh Capitals
The Edinburgh Capitals are a Scottish ice hockey club, playing in the UK-wide Elite Ice Hockey League.They are based in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh...
, where he has coached twice (2003–2004 and 2005–2006). Between these two spells at Edinburgh Hand was player-coach of the Belfast Giants
Belfast Giants
The Belfast Giants are an ice hockey team from Belfast, Northern Ireland that compete in the Elite Ice Hockey League. Home games are played at the 7,100-capacity Odyssey Arena in Belfast....
. In 2004 Hand received an MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
for services to ice hockey.
On 19 April 2006, Hand was announced as the head coach of the Manchester Phoenix
Manchester Phoenix
Manchester Phoenix are a professional ice hockey team from Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. The club was formed in 2003 as a result of the efforts of supporters group Friends of Manchester Ice Hockey to bring top-level ice hockey back to Manchester after Manchester Storm folded in...
for the 2006–07 season. Hand has now released his autobiography, Tony Hand: A Life in British Ice Hockey, telling all the stories from his career. It is written with Ice Hockey Journalists UK
Ice Hockey Journalists UK
Ice Hockey Journalists UK, abbreviated to IHJUK, is an organisation which was set up in 1984 to promote the interests of ice hockey and its writers, photographers and broadcasters...
member, Mike Appleton. Still playing aged 41, in November 2008 he scored his 4000th career point against Hull Stingrays
Hull Stingrays
Hull Stingrays are a British ice hockey club from Kingston upon Hull. They were formed in 2003 and play their home games at Hull Arena.The Stingrays replaced previous clubs Hull Thunder 1999–2002, Kingston Hawks 1996–1998, Humberside Hawks 1993–1995, and Humberside Seahawks 1988–1992...
.
Honours and awards
- Scottish National League 1985–86 (Murrayfield Racers)
- British National League 1986–87, 1987–88 (Murrayfield Racers)
- Best Forward (World Championships D) 1990
- Best Forward (World Championships C) 1992
- ISL Second Team All-StarISL All-Star TeamThe All-Star Teams for the now defunct British Ice Hockey Superleague were voted for by members of The British Ice Hockey Writers Association to honour the best players at the end of each season.- 1996-1997 :...
1997–98 - Awarded the Ice Hockey Annual TrophyIce Hockey Annual TrophyThe Ice Hockey Annual Trophy is an ice hockey trophy in the United Kingdom which is awarded to the British player who has scored the most points during the season in league competition only....
as leading BritishUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
scorer in 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07 - Sekonda Face to Watch December 1999 and November 2000
- ISL First Team All-StarISL All-Star TeamThe All-Star Teams for the now defunct British Ice Hockey Superleague were voted for by members of The British Ice Hockey Writers Association to honour the best players at the end of each season.- 1996-1997 :...
2000–01 - British National league Coach of the YearCoach of the Year Trophy (IHJUK)The Coach of the Year Trophy is an award given by Ice Hockey Journalists UK to the best coach in the Elite League and the English Premier League at the end of each season. In previous seasons it has been awarded to coaches in the British Hockey League's Premier and First Divisions, the Super League...
2001–02 - British National League top points scorer 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04
- British Ice Hockey Writers' AssociationIce Hockey Journalists UKIce Hockey Journalists UK, abbreviated to IHJUK, is an organisation which was set up in 1984 to promote the interests of ice hockey and its writers, photographers and broadcasters...
Player of the YearPlayer of the Year Trophy (IHJUK)The Player of the Year Trophy is an award given by Ice Hockey Journalists UK to the MVP in the Elite League and the English Premier League at the end of each season. In previous seasons it has been awarded to players in the British Hockey League's Premier and First Divisions, the Super League and...
1988–89, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2010-11 - Best British ForwardBest British ForwardThe Best British Forward award is an annual British ice hockey award made to the best British forward as voted for by members of Ice Hockey Journalists UK.The award was first made in 2003 and has since been won five times by Tony Hand and twice by Ashley Tait....
2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08 - EIHL First Team All-StarEIHL All-Star TeamThe All-Star Teams for the British Elite Ice Hockey League are voted for by members of Ice Hockey Journalists UK to honour the best players at the end of each season.- 2003-2004 :First Team...
2004–05 - EIHL Second Team All-StarEIHL All-Star TeamThe All-Star Teams for the British Elite Ice Hockey League are voted for by members of Ice Hockey Journalists UK to honour the best players at the end of each season.- 2003-2004 :First Team...
2005–06 - British Ice Hockey Writers' AssociationIce Hockey Journalists UKIce Hockey Journalists UK, abbreviated to IHJUK, is an organisation which was set up in 1984 to promote the interests of ice hockey and its writers, photographers and broadcasters...
All Star Teams 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11 - British Ice Hockey Writers' AssociationIce Hockey Journalists UKIce Hockey Journalists UK, abbreviated to IHJUK, is an organisation which was set up in 1984 to promote the interests of ice hockey and its writers, photographers and broadcasters...
Coach of the YearCoach of the Year Trophy (IHJUK)The Coach of the Year Trophy is an award given by Ice Hockey Journalists UK to the best coach in the Elite League and the English Premier League at the end of each season. In previous seasons it has been awarded to coaches in the British Hockey League's Premier and First Divisions, the Super League...
2010-11
Club
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1983–84 | Murrayfield Racers Murrayfield Racers The Murrayfield Racers were an ice hockey team in Edinburgh, Scotland, founded in 1952 changing their name to the Racers in 1966. The team won the British Championship 4 times in 1969, 1970, 1971 and 1972... |
BHL British Hockey League The British Hockey League was the top-flight ice hockey league in the United Kingdom from 1982 until 1996, when it was replaced by the Ice Hockey Superleague and the British National League... |
30 | 52 | 43 | 95 | 28 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 6 | ||
| 1984–85 | Murrayfield Racers | BHL | 36 | 72 | 92 | 164 | 36 | 6 | 13 | 11 | 24 | 4 | ||
| 1985–86 | Murrayfield Racers | BHL | 32 | 79 | 85 | 164 | 49 | 6 | 13 | 13 | 26 | 4 | ||
| 1986–87 | Murrayfield Racers | BHL | 35 | 105 | 111 | 216 | 86 | 6 | 9 | 19 | 28 | 4 | ||
| 1987–88 | Murrayfield Racers | BHL | 36 | 81 | 111 | 192 | 54 | 5 | 17 | 6 | 23 | 16 | ||
| 1988–89 | Murrayfield Racers | BHL | 35 | 86 | 126 | 212 | 57 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 12 | ||
| 1989–90 | Murrayfield Racers | BHL | 32 | 53 | 91 | 144 | 26 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 10 | ||
| 1990–91 | Murrayfield Racers | BHL | 34 | 60 | 96 | 156 | 46 | 7 | 8 | 17 | 25 | 8 | ||
| 1991–92 | Murrayfield Racers | BHL | 36 | 60 | 80 | 140 | 46 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 2 | ||
| 1992–93 | Murrayfield Racers | BHL | 35 | 66 | 119 | 185 | 100 | 7 | 14 | 19 | 33 | 8 | ||
| 1993–94 | Murrayfield Racers | BHL | 44 | 73 | 149 | 222 | 44 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 10 | ||
| 1994–95 | Edinburgh Racers Murrayfield Racers The Murrayfield Racers were an ice hockey team in Edinburgh, Scotland, founded in 1952 changing their name to the Racers in 1966. The team won the British Championship 4 times in 1969, 1970, 1971 and 1972... |
BHL | 42 | 71 | 136 | 207 | 28 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 34 | 20 | ||
| 1995–96 | Sheffield Steelers Sheffield Steelers The Sheffield Steelers are a British ice hockey club, from Sheffield, England. They were formed in 1991 and play their home games at the Sheffield Arena. They are currently members of the Elite Ice Hockey League... |
BHL | 35 | 46 | 77 | 123 | 65 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 4 | ||
| 1996–97 1996–97 ISL season The 1996–97 Ice Hockey Superleague season was the inaugrual season of the Ice Hockey Superleague .The league was formed by the owners of the Ayr Scottish Eagles, Basingstoke Bison, Bracknell Bees, Cardiff Devils, Manchester Storm, Newcastle Cobras, Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers... |
Sheffield Steelers | ISL Ice Hockey Superleague The Ice Hockey Superleague was a professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom between 1996 and 2003. Formed in 1995, it replaced the Premier Division of the British Hockey League, it was the highest level of ice hockey competition in the United Kingdom... |
41 | 13 | 32 | 45 | 26 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 4 | ||
| 1997–98 1997–98 ISL season The 1997–98 Ice Hockey Superleague season was the second season of the Ice Hockey Superleague .There were no changes in the teams taking part during the season – Ayr Scottish Eagles, Basingstoke Bison, Bracknell Bees, Cardiff Devils, Manchester Storm, Newcastle Cobras, Nottingham Panthers and... |
Sheffield Steelers | ISL | 28 | 9 | 30 | 39 | 16 | 9 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 4 | ||
| 1998–99 1998–99 ISL season The 1998–99 Ice Hockey Superleague season was the third season of the Ice Hockey Superleague . Having reached a sponsorship deal with Sekonda, the league was now formally known as the Sekonda Ice Hockey Superleague.... |
Sheffield Steelers | ISL | 36 | 11 | 27 | 38 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 1999–00 | Ayr Scottish Eagles Ayr Scottish Eagles The Ayr Scottish Eagles were a professional Scottish ice hockey club, from Ayr, Scotland. They were formed in 1996 and played their home games at the Centrum Arena. The team competed in the Ice Hockey Superleague and the club's main sponsor was Barr Construction... |
ISL | 40 | 8 | 35 | 43 | 52 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2000–01 2000–01 ISL season The 2000–01 Ice Hockey Superleague season was the fifth season of the Sekonda Ice Hockey Superleague .Belfast Giants, a new team formed in Northern Ireland, were granted a franchise, although they did not take part in the Benson & Hedges Cup... |
Ayr Scottish Eagles | ISL | 46 | 19 | 36 | 55 | 42 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 2001–02 | Dundee Stars | BNL British National League The British National League is a defunct second-level professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Although no formal promotion and relegation existed during its period of existence, it was considered to have a standard below that of the Ice Hockey Superleague and above that of the... |
44 | 25 | 79 | 104 | 18 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 24 | 4 | ||
| 2002–03 | Dundee Stars | BNL | 35 | 22 | 56 | 78 | 99 | |||||||
| 2003–04 | Edinburgh Capitals Edinburgh Capitals The Edinburgh Capitals are a Scottish ice hockey club, playing in the UK-wide Elite Ice Hockey League.They are based in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh... |
BNL | 36 | 21 | 63 | 84 | 38 | 11 | 2 | 14 | 16 | 2 | ||
| 2004–05 2004–05 EIHL season The 2004–05 Elite Ice Hockey League season was the second season of the British Elite Ice Hockey League . Manchester Phoenix did not ice due as they could not agree a deal with the Manchester Evening News Arena.... |
Belfast Giants Belfast Giants The Belfast Giants are an ice hockey team from Belfast, Northern Ireland that compete in the Elite Ice Hockey League. Home games are played at the 7,100-capacity Odyssey Arena in Belfast.... |
EIHL Elite Ice Hockey League Several competitions fall under the jurisdiction of the Elite League. In 2006–07, the EIHL ran a total of four competitions: the league, playoffs, Challenge Cup and Knockout Cup. The league consists of a single division, each team playing three home games and three away games against the other... |
30 | 10 | 27 | 37 | 48 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 34 | ||
| 2005–06 | Edinburgh Capitals | EIHL | 45 | 15 | 38 | 53 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2006–07 | Manchester Phoenix Manchester Phoenix Manchester Phoenix are a professional ice hockey team from Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. The club was formed in 2003 as a result of the efforts of supporters group Friends of Manchester Ice Hockey to bring top-level ice hockey back to Manchester after Manchester Storm folded in... |
EIHL | 51 | 17 | 55 | 72 | 60 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | ||
| 2007–08 2007–08 EIHL season The 2007–08 Elite Ice Hockey League season began September 5, 2007 and ran until April 6, 2008. It was the fifth season of Elite League competition.The defending league champions were the Coventry Blaze, who were also the holders of the Challenge Cup... |
Manchester Phoenix | EIHL | 61 | 24 | 63 | 87 | 60 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2008–09 2008-09 Manchester Phoenix Season -Season standings:-September:Record for month: 6–1–1 .-October:Record for month: 6–2–0 .-November:Record for month: 4–5–0 .-December:... |
Manchester Phoenix | EIHL | ||||||||||||
| 2009-10 | Manchester Phoenix | EPL English Premier Ice Hockey League The English Premier Ice Hockey League commonly abbreviated to EPIHL, or simply EPL, is a senior ice hockey league in England, and is run and administered by the English Ice Hockey Association... |
54 | 25 | 95 | 120 | 52 | |||||||
| 2010-11 | Manchester Phoenix | EPL | 54 | 25 | 108 | 133 | 65 | |||||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Great Britain | World Junior Championships Pool C | 5 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 6 |
| 1991 | Great Britain | World Championships Pool C | 8 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 12 |
| 1992 | Great Britain | World Championships Pool C | 5 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 4 |
| 1993 | Great Britain | World Championships Pool B | 7 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 2 |
| 1994 | Great Britain | World Championships Pool A Ice Hockey World Championships The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation . First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European... |
6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | Great Britain | World Championships Pool A Qualifiers | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 2000 | Great Britain | World Championships Pool B | 7 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 2 |
| 2001 | Great Britain | World Championships Division I | 5 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 0 |
| 2002 | Great Britain | World Championships Division I | 5 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 |
| 2007 | Great Britain | World Championships Division I | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |