Mo’s Memories – Fife Flyers

“Al Sims was the reason why I ended up in Scotland playing hockey. Al knew the GM of the New Haven Nighthawks and contacted him in December of ’86. Al was a NHL player who was Bobby Orr’s Defence partner with the Boston Bruins. The GM told me of this opportunity and I eventually accepted it. I arrived in Scotland on New years Eve of 86 and was taken to this place called Kirkcaldy. The people of Kirkcaldy spoke a different language. I found myself nodding my head a lot, pretending to understand what they were saying! 

“There are a lot of funny stories I could tell in my spell in Fife. One of the first was a trip to Whitley Bay, shortly after my arrival. The temperature must have been about -50. On the way home the bus broke down and I can remember myself and a number of team-mates pushing the bus as we tried to “jumpstart” the bus. Professional hockey at its finest, I loved it!”

If you’ve got any photos of Steve from his hockey career – we’d love to showcase them on the website and in our commemorative programme. Just e-mail pr@stevemoria.co.uk or add them via the Facebook page or the Twitter account

Sponsors Pack Launched

Here’s the chance for you to support the Steve Moria testimonial, with the launch of the sponsorship pack for the event.

With the testimonial set to be one of the biggest events in 2012, we have put together three opportunities for companies, businesses and individuals to sponsor the event with prices to suit every budget with prices starting at just £50.

Although a date has yet to be confirmed for the game, ALL packages include tickets for the Testimonial itself as Steve brings together an All-Star Mo19 outfit to take on the Basingstoke Bison.

There are only a limited number of Gold packages available, so to avoid disappointment we are encouraging potential sponsors to get in touch as early as possible.

If you would like to sponsor, or wish to enquire further, then e-mail our corporate team (sponsors@stevemoria.co.uk) or Steve himself (mo19@stevemoria.co.uk) who will be delighted to assist you.

Steve says ‘Thank You’

“Since the announcement of my retirement, I have been touched by the number of messages of support I’ve received. I just wanted to write a quick thank you for all of your responses; they have meant a lot to my family and I.

“Today the Daily Star and the Fife Free Press phoned to interview me. Both of these papers asked what the motivation was to play for 25 years. The answer was simple and that was my love for the game of hockey.

“I hope a date can be confirmed this week so I can invite players and begin announcing them for team Mo19.”

Mo #19

Steve Moria announces retirement

After a 25 year career in British Ice Hockey, Steve Moria has decided to hang up his skates for the final time.

Since coming to these shores with the Fife Flyers in 1987, Steve’s career has taken in a host of clubs past his 50th birthday, ending with the Basingstoke Bison in 2012, leaving plenty of time for reflection after an illustrious career.

“Father Time tapped me on the shoulder and whispered in my ear that my time is up!  I never envisioned playing 25 years in British hockey. When I initially joined the Fife Flyers midway through my first season, it was meant to be a half season before moving on to play somewhere in mainland Europe.  However I fell in love with the British game and immediately knew I wanted to stay here.

“There is no doubt that I will miss the great game of hockey that I have played for so many years. There are so many great memories and fantastic people that I have met during my career.  I feel very privileged to have been able to play ice hockey for 25 years.  That was never the plan as each season for the past 15 years I wondered if this would be my last one.

“Thank you to British Hockey and all the people I have met along the way.”      

During his career, Steve became synonymous as a player who played hard and fair every night, scoring plenty of goals and assists as he led the way in the scoring charts with a career total of 3153 on these shores.

His career saw him compete at every level within British hockey, making over 300 appearances in each of the Heineken League, Superleague and English Premier League as well as starring in the British National League and Elite League.

Steve’s British career saw him ice for the Cardiff Devils (where his infamous #19 jersey is retired), Nottingham Panthers, Blackburn Hawks, Swindon Wildcats, London Racers, Milton Keynes Lightning and Slough Jets, as well as making 49 appearances for Great Britain.

Affectionately known as Mo, he moved into coaching towards the end of his career, reaching a pinnacle when lifting the Playoff Championship with the Slough Jets.

His career followed a successful spell in North America, becoming the then record point scorer in the NCAA, as well as making his mark on the American Hockey League before heading to Britain.

To celebrate Steve’s career, he will be having Testimonial Game at the Basingstoke Arena before the start of the 2012/13 season.

A Mo19′s team will take on the Basingstoke Bison in a special event to mark an incredible career.

As part of the event, Steve has launched an official testimonial website for fans to keep in touch with all the news at www.stevemoria.co.uk

All players who will ice for Steve’s team will be announced on his website, as well as providing a place for supporters to purchase merchandise and leave their memories of Mo’s career.

There will also be opportunities for corporate sponsorship which will be announced in due course.

Welcome from Steve

Hi there, and thank you for taking the time to visit my testimonial website.

I’ve had a wonderful 25 years playing hockey in the UK and this is going to be a tremendous opportunity to celebrate, not only my career, but also the sport as a whole.

I’m hoping to invite some good friends of mine to the testimonial match and take to the ice once more time. I’ll be unveiling my team on this website, along with all the other news ahead of the event, so keep checking www.stevemoria.co.uk for the latest news.

There will be plenty of opportunities for you to become involved, with tickets, merchandise and auctions all to come. It promises to be an exciting few months and I hope you can be a part of it.

Mo #19