It’s with a very heavy heart that I’ve decided the time is right to put down the microphone at the Skydome Arena and call time on one of the biggest and most ridiculous chapters of my life.

(THE DPD) Coventry Blaze.

I don’t make this decision lightly. Not even slightly.

Ice hockey came into my life 23 years ago, almost by accident. Back in my Kix 96 days, we used to have Tasker, a player, coming on doing random love advice. Somehow that eventually led to me being invited along to watch the Blaze.

My first experience was a game against the Devils. Absolute chaos and a bench clearance. I remember sitting there thinking, “What on earth is THIS?”

I was hooked. I fell in love with the sport almost instantly.

Not too long afterwards, the club saw what I was doing down the road at Coventry City and asked me if I fancied taking on the microphone at the Blaze.

What followed became so much more than announcing a few names and reading a few scores.

I became part of a family.

And what a journey we have had.

I was lucky enough to be there through some of the greatest nights in the history of this club. The Grand Slam season will stay with me forever.

Absolute euphoria.

The club cementing its place in British ice hockey history and making this city incredibly proud.

And Mr Paul Thompson. What a leader. An inspiration to the players, the supporters and everyone behind the scenes. Definitely an inspiration to me.

There were huge highs. There were also some very difficult lows.

When the club hit financial trouble, everyone dug in. Staff. Players. Supporters. Volunteers. People did whatever they could to make sure our club survived.

That probably tells you everything you need to know about Coventry Blaze.

And then there are the memories that probably should never make it into an official club history book.

The fan nights. The charity events. The community events. The testimonials. The dressing up. The competitions. The skating.

And yes, even after all these years, I STILL don’t really know how to stop on the ice.

Ladies Night deserves an entire chapter of its own. There was one involving JG, stood on a chair and me trying to remain vaguely professional.

That is all I am prepared to say till I put all this in a book one day!

I have ridden a hobby horse around the arena. I have done the Zorba. I have embarrassed myself more times than I could count.

And I have loved every second of it.

Then there was Referee Boniface, who actually sent me off after calling a Blaze penalty in a PATRONISING way…

But I remember the atmosphere going through the roof.

The crowd loved it. I loved it.

Looking back, those are the moments that made the Skydome what it was for me.

It was never about having a perfectly polished announcer. It was about having fun, knowing the crowd, winding people up and creating noise.

It was about making a freezing cold ice rink in Coventry feel like the greatest place on earth for a couple of hours.

And you lot made that very easy.

One of the greatest things ice hockey has given me is friendship. Old friends. Newer friends. People who came into my life because of this club and who I know will remain in it long after I’ve put the microphone down.

I have to give a massive shout-out to my amazing team. These are people who give up their time freely because they love this club.

Sally Smith on the clock. My hockey mum. You’ve looked after me for years and somehow kept me vaguely under control.

Daniel Chambers, Luc, Phil and Trudy, I’ll never forget working with you.

Rob, Megan, Steve, Ethan, Pete and James. Thank you for putting up with my crazy ideas, my last-minute plans and the occasional diva mood. There have probably been quite a few.

Dr Matt and Nikki. Announcers get injuries too, you know! But you were always there! Lol.

Mike and Andy. Thank you for believing in me, giving me free rein and letting me be me. Thank you for somehow continuing to keep me in the job for this long.

What you have built in Coventry sport is something incredibly special.

To the coaches I’ve worked alongside: Paul Thompson, Matty Soderstrom, Chuck Weber and Danny Stewart.

And not forgetting Kevin Moore.

Kevin, I am genuinely going to miss you, mate. Good luck with the new season!

Sally Mahers… Where do I even start?

You introduced me to this sport. You made me love this sport. You have been one of my biggest supporters and probably my number one fan, even on the nights when I was absolutely awful.

You have been part of the backbone of this club for so many years. You constantly championed the Blaze and somewhere along the way you also became a very good friend.

And it would be wrong for me not to pay respect to Andre, Calds, Domish, John Crook, Keeno and Wade, who we miss but will forever be in our Blaze hearts.

WOW… this is a lot, but I have watched generations of players come and go. I have seen young fans grow up, bring partners, have children and then bring those children to the Blaze.

I have made friendships that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

I have laughed until I couldn’t speak. I have celebrated championships. I have experienced heartbreak.

I have watched this club change, rebuild, struggle, succeed and somehow keep going.

And I have had the enormous privilege of having one of the best seats in the house through all of it.

There is never going to be a perfect moment to say goodbye. A part of me would probably keep turning up with that microphone forever.

So, to every player, coach, owner, member of staff, volunteer, sponsor and supporter I have met along the way…

Thank you.

Thank you for trusting me with your microphone. Thank you for laughing with me and occasionally laughing AT me. Thank you for letting me be part of your club.

Most importantly, thank you for making me feel like one of you.

I will miss you all more than I can probably put into words.

My Sunday nights certainly won’t be the same.

I arrived at my first Blaze game having absolutely no idea what I was watching and, being honest, I still don’t really have a clue.

BUT together we made it work!!!

My last game on the mic will be Sunday 11th September v Cardiff (full-circle moment).

WHEN I SAY COVENTRY… YOU SAY BLAZE 💙