Inductee 2013:
Tony Hand, MBE.
Tony hand is a legend in British ice hockey. The first British born player to be drafted by the NHL back in his teens, Tony chose to stay in the UK and forge a truly iconic career. Known to fans affectionately as ‘Sir’ Tony Hand, his achievements almost speak for themselves.
Tony joined the Phoenix as player/coach in 2006/2007 when the Phoenix returned from a 2 season absence to the EIHL. Seen as being somewhat of a coup, having Tony Hand on board at the freshly relaunched club allowed them to recruit playes who with a different coach may have been beyond the clubs grasp. After 3 seasons of keeping the club punching above its weight more often than not, Tony stayed on as the club dropped down to the semi pro EPIHL.
Here, Tony has prolonged his career, and brought the club its first ever league title, and play off title, which surely secured him his Hall of Fame status if nothing else. During his stay in Manchester Tony also passed the incredible 4000 career points barrier, a record unlikely to ever be beaten anywhere in the world. Indeed, during his time in Manchester, Tony has added almost 700 points to his career total, a number that keeps climbing with every game.