Shawn of the Giants

In a season which will probably be remembered as the year an NHL legend plied his trade in Belfast, Shawn Skiehar has gone quietly about his business. Shawn has put in a consistent, season-long effort reminiscent of former Giant Dave Matsos.

The 27-year-old native of Yorkton, Saskatchewan has stepped into the role of the Giants’ enforcer, a role previously filled by fan favourite Paxton Schulte and NHL hard man Paul Kruse. Whilst the fans haven’t been chanting his name ad nauseum or hero worshipping him as they did Schulte, “Ski” has proved to be just as effective in protecting his team.

Throughout the season, Skiehar has shown a willingness to drop the gloves and stick up for his team mates, and despite being just a shade over six foot, Shawn has fared well against the Elite League “heavyweights”.

The time Skiehar rocked Graham Belak with a straight right and his knock-down of Jeremy Cornish will rank alongside Fleury’s skill, Minard’s goaltending and Courtenay’s goals as Belfast fans’ favourite memories of this season.

Shawn has played 45 games, notching 10 goals, 7 assists and only 96 penalty minutes. When Skiehar’s time spent in the penalty box is compared with Brad Voth’s 295 minutes or Payette’s 282, it goes a long way in portraying him as a player who can fight when the need arises and not someone who takes major penalties for fun.

This interview was conducted moments after Shawn and the Giants had paraded the Elite League trophy in front of a small band of traveling fans at the Nottingham Ice Centre.

I’d just like to start be congratulating you on winning the Elite league title. Have you enjoyed your time in Belfast?

“Yeah definitely, you know it’s been a good year. Obviously you can tell that by us winning the cup and I’ve had a good time here so far. It was nice to win this but we’ve still got the playoffs and the other cup yet so we’ve still got a few things on our plate left to accomplish.”

How does the Elite League title rank in your career highlights?

“Definitely it’s at the top. It’s a little different coming here, at home if you win the league it’s nice but here if you win the league you get a championship. It’s the top thing I’ve won so far in my career.”

How did you end up coming to Belfast, did you know there was hockey there?

“Yeah I had heard, I’ve had a few friends who have been over here and played, and I’ve played with a few of the guys on the team before. I played with Eddy a couple of years before. He gave me a call in the summer and asked me if I’d want to come and play here and I decided half way through the summer that I’d like to come and try it for a year and see how things went.”

What did you understand your role to be on the Giants roster this year?

Just like it’s been on any other team, the same thing. I’m out there to try and make room for the other, smaller players. I finish all my hits all the time and hopefully chip in with a few points here and there. It’s not a change from the rest of my career, I’m a grinder really. I knew that that’s what I would have to do to come here and be successful I guess.”

Did you expect to have quite so many fights this year?

“Yeah I guess, you know there’s a lot of tough guys in the league. Hockey is a game with a lot of intensity. I knew when I was coming here that there were a few other physical players but that I’d have to come in and do that a little bit.”

Against teams like Newcastle, do you know before the game that you’ll have to go out and drop the gloves?

“They’re one of the most physical teams in the league. Even before the game you know that they’ll play hard and physical. This year I’ve had to (fight) pretty much every game. They always come out hard and you just have to out and play the game and if something happens, it happens I guess.”

You must be pretty pleased with how well you’ve done against the Vipers players this year, knocking down Cornish etc.

“Yeah, you know things like that happen in hockey, a lot of it I think is luck too but I think I’ve done fairly well and obviously they have some tough players. It felt like I just went out there and did what I had to do to help my team out.”

When one of your team mates goes out and starts something and then you’re left to come in and finish it, are you happy doing that?

“Yeah like I said, it’s part of my job and that’s what I’ve done in my whole career so far, so it’s just something I have to do. I don’t mind going out to help my team mates and I’m sure they would do the same for me too.”

What has it been like playing alongside an NHL legend this year?

“He’s obviously the best player I’ve played with in my career. He brings a ton to the team and plays his heart out every game and you can tell by his points total that he’s helped us out a lot. I’m sure he’s going to finish off strong too.”

What’s the greatest thing you’ve learnt this season, in hockey terms?

“Play through adversity I guess. Obviously everyone has to, but I think we’ve been through a lot of adversity this year, like a lot of injuries but we’ve played hard and we’ve played through it.”

How do you rate the Giants’ chances now for the rest of the season?

“Obviously they’re pretty good, we’ve won the league and we know we can go out and play hard and beat any team out there, so all we’ve got to do is bring our game like we have the whole year and I think we should do fine.”

Would winning the playoffs mean more to you than winning the league?

“Yeah I think they would to me. It always has in my years previous, the playoffs are what determine the best teams. We’re going to play three hard teams and they’ll all come out gunning for us. If we play hard every game I think we’ll be successful.”

Will you be back next year?

“We’ll see, we’ll have to see what happens in the summer, but I’d like to come back next year.”

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