TESTIMONIALS
“To this day when someone mentions Belfast, a smile comes across my face. It isn’t like playing in another hockey town for another team. You become part of the city, you love the people, the culture, the nightlife. It’s hard to describe what it means to be a Giant in Belfast. They don’t have a lot of heroes in Northern Ireland that kids can cheer for and that’s what we became. We were folk heroes there. We gave those people something they never had before, a team that everyone can cheer for, no matter what background they came from. I played in the East Coast League, and in mainland Europe for alot of different teams but I never experienced anything close to what we had in Belfast. We became more than hockey players to Belfast, you don’t get anything close to that anywhere else.”
- Former Giant legendary goal scorer Colin Ward
2000-2004 (4 seasons)
“I will never forget my years in Belfast or the Championships we won. I still remember bringing the trophy back to Belfast after winning it on the road and 3,000 people were waiting for us at the airport waving banners and singing songs. I felt like we won the Stanley Cup! We were treated like gods in Belfast, we became legends in a city that had never seen hockey before. I feel privileged to this day that I got to be a part of that.
- Giants Legendary tough guy and most popular player of all-time Paxton Schulte
2000-2004 (4 seasons)
“There is a reason why every time teams travel across here to play us they all want to talk to our coach and GM after the game. Once they see our Arena, our city, our fans, they realize that its not like this in any other town. These players come in and see this great Arena, they play in front of these big crowds then they walk next door to the bars and restaurants and they are treated like celebrities. Of course they want to play here.”
- Legendary Giants defenceman and fans favourite Shane Johnson
2000-2009 (9 seasons)
“If you have the chance to play for the Giants, take it and work your ass off to keep it because next season, the rest of the players in the league are going to want your job.”
- Former Giant star Mark Dutiaume
2006-2008 (2 seasons)
“My only regret about Belfast was not coming sooner. It took me two seasons and two offers from them to actually believe what they were telling me, but once you get there you see that it is the best place to play in the UK. We won a title in Belfast and although I played on some great teams in the NHL and the minors, that year in Belfast was one of the most fun I had in professional hockey.”
- Former NHLer and Giant Captain Paul Kruse
2002-03 (one season)
“Belfast saved my life. The people, my teammates, the whole experience got my life back on track. We had a great team and we ended up winning the Championship but that season was more than that. I will never forget my time with the Giants or the guys I played with.”
- Stanley Cup Winner, Olympic Gold Medalist and NHL Legend Theo Fleury
2005-06 (one season)
“Think of it this way, someday next season you will wake up and go to practice, hit the weights at the best Gym I have ever seen, go play 18 holes on a world class golf course, take a walk along the sea before dinner, and be in a pub with a pint of Guinness listening to a traditional Irish band with your buddies at night. People pay big bucks to fly over from the States and travel around Ireland and do this on vacation, You’ll be living this every day.”
- Former NHLer and 1st Round Draft Pick and Legendary Giant Jason Bowen
2000-2006 (5 seasons)
“I have seen Belfast change alot over the 8 years that I have been here. It’s completely the opposite of what people expect. I look around today and it’s a city filled with great restaurants, a fantastic nightlife, tons of Culture to experience, world class venues for concerts, it’s not what you expect from a city in Northern Ireland. I lived all over the UK and I chose Belfast to settle down after my playing days because it’s the first place that felt like home.”
- Former Legendary Giants Defenceman and Head Coach Rob Stewart
2000-2006 (6 seasons)
“If I had to describe the Giants Organization with one word it would be ‘Professionalism’. They make it tough for guys to have any excuses not to win. You never have to worry about not having a nice place to live or not driving a nice car, they will take care of their players and in return they expect their players to perform on and off the ice.”
- Current Great Britain National Team Netminder Stevie Lyle
2007/09 (2 seasons)
