Dundee Rockets have set their sights on emulating their legendary predecessors after clinching the league title in front of a possible record crowd.
The iconic club marked their dominance of the British ice hockey scene in the 1980s by winning the grand slam three years in a row.
After the Rockets’ fell apart in 1987, the club reformed in September 2023.
And the new version of the club have taken the first step towards a grand slam of their own by sealing the Scottish National League on Saturday with three games to spare.
Grand slam target after Edinburgh Capitals put to the sword
This was achieved by a 4-1 win over their main title rivals Edinburgh Capitals at a packed Dundee Ice Arena on Saturday night.
They will take the grand slam if they win the playoffs and Scottish Cup final.
Both ice hockey events take place in Dundee on consecutive weekends in April.
Rockets co-chairman Stuart Barnett, a lifelong Dundonian, told The Courier: “The target was always going to be the grand slam as this was the legacy of the initial Rockets.
“It’s an unbelievable situation.
“If you could write the story this is how you would do it.”
The Rockets reformed due to a merger of Dundee’s two Scottish National League teams, the Comets and the Tigers.
Former Dundee Stars boss helps merged side soar
Stuart, who played for the Tigers, shaped the merger idea with his co-chairman Rab Brown of Dundee Comets.
They pushed out the boat to bring in retired Canadian professional player and former Dundee Stars boss Jeff Hutchins as head coach.
And the decision appears to have paid off handsomely.
“He has been the main reason the guys have come together and performed the way they have,” said Stuart, 44.
“When we brought the two teams together we had so many high-end players we felt the only way to bring them together was to bring someone neutral and with the credentials to teach these guys.
“We needed to set the bar high and he has been the driving force behind it.
“But he has had to be put in a position to do that – and the background staff from top to bottom have also been colossal.”
Captain celebrates with Gladiator Sheli McCoy
Around 1,700 fans – a possible attendance record – watched the Rockets seal the title on Saturday.
Many of them joined the players on the rink afterwards for photos.
It was a “complete performance”, Stuart said.
Captain Sam McCluskey opened the scoring.
The defender later celebrated on the rink with a famous spectator, Gladiator Sheli McCoy.
The pair own SweatBox CrossFit Gym on Dundee’s Camperdown Road.
Ben Brown bagged a brace and Cameron McGiffin scored the other as they put the Capitals to the sword.
The win meant Dundee have won 19 of their 21 league games in their first season since reforming.
Edinburgh are the only side in the seven-team league to have beaten them in regulation time this term.
Dundee Rockets ‘a team – not a group of individuals’
“We were always going to win the league – even if we’d lost on Saturday,” Stuart asserted.
“The only way we couldn’t would have been to have lost all three games left this season.
“It was a convincing performance from the guys.
“Our captain, Sam, has obviously led the way, scoring the first goal.
“He is the best player in the league but our team is so deep, so I wouldn’t want to single out anyone.
“We are a team – not a group of individuals.”
Elite League just one option as exciting future beckons
There is a temptation for this successful team to target the top flight – the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) – inhabited by Dundee Stars and eight other clubs.
The elite league has no formal relegation or entry system, but the notion that the Rockets and Stars could face-off regularly is not out of the question.
“We want to elevate as far as we can possibly go – the sky’s the limit,” Sam said.
“And there are options to progress into elite.
“But the other option is to grow our current league to a better standard.
“When you jump up a level the gulf is quite big and the running costs are different.
“We just want to stay engaged and are looking to improve – not plateau.”
- Dundee Ice Arena will host the league playoffs on April 19 and 20 and face the Kirkcaldy Kestrels in the Scottish Cup final on April 26.
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