He's only just signed for the Panthers and, according to the press release that accompanied his arrival, new Nottingham defenceman Mario Larocque has already got two nicknames: "Super Mario" and "The Rock."

Jeez, why not just call him, "The Great One," while we're at it?

Unlucky Mario, when you have a name like that it doesn't take too much imagination for someone to come up with a moniker, or two.

Larocque: Panthers signing

Larocque's arrival is typical of Nottingham's approach to making roster moves in recent years. Things aren't going so well - sign somebody. Top of the Elite League - sign somebody. Had a bad game - sign somebody. Conceded a goal we shouldn't have - sign somebody. Playing Sheffield on the weekend - sign somebody. We just signed somebody, but somebody else who's a better player just became available - sign somebody.

The Panthers had already used the ten "on-ice" imports rule this year by employing Johan Molin as a freelancer. Now they've made a permanent import move, well - about as permanent as you can get in this league, which means that player-coach Corey Neilson will be choosing which player sits out. That could be benching himself to coach full time, or it could mean cutting another import skater on the roster. The Panthers website stated that: "A decision will be made on who will make room for Larocque shortly when the club's injury problems are more clear-cut."

Injury problems? According to the Elite League website only two Panthers regulars have been out of action this season. Kevin Bergin and Cameron Mann have missed six games combined, but Molin covered two of those. There may be somebody hurting this week, but it's not like the Panthers have lost five out of seven league games entering this weekend because of being short benched. You want injury problems - go see Sylvain Cloutier.

It may well be that Nottingham have players icing at 80 per cent (who doesn't?) and Larocque will allow them a spell on the sidelines to recover. In fact, now that the import definition has been changed it makes sense for teams, who can afford it, to roll with the extra import. The extra player can cover suspensions and injuries or just maintain healthy competition for a place in the team.

Big vs Small

While it's a common sense approach for the big arena teams, having one-import too many is considered by some to be a slap in the face for the likes of Newcastle, Hull and Edinburgh, who have been playing without a full import quota.

Nottingham's addition to the squad led to a Newcastle Vipers press release hyping the meeting with the Panthers on Sunday as "a David vs Goliath battle." The match takes place after the other "David vs Goliath" bout of the weekend between Britain's David Haye and Russian colossus Nikolai Valuev on Saturday night, which has been scheduled to go 12 rounds, not three periods.

Big weekend for the Panthers then, eh? On Saturday they contest the so-called "biggest hockey rivalry in Europe" with the Steelers and on Sunday it's "David vs Goliath" against Newcastle. Wow. Who's promoting the Elite League nowadays - Don King?

Facing the Giants

Besides stirring up the Nottingham locker room, Larocque's arrival might stir up Belfast's Sean McMorrow. The Panthers meet the G-men in a weekend double-header later this month and Larocque has a fight card to suggest that he's capable of taking on big Sean. Larocque has previously danced with Regan Darby, Brad Voth, Carlyle Lewis and Georges Laraque to name a few. Imagine being the announcer calling that scrap: "Laraque connects with a right... and Larocque nails him with a left."

Until now, McMorrow has waltzed through the Elite League, practically taking everybody else's lunch money. Shame he wasn't here when Brett Clouthier and Jeremy Cornish were.

But McMorrow's not the only Belfast Giant dominating the Elite League at the current time. New arrival Jeff Szwez has jolted them into action, scoring 5 and adding 4 helpers for an impressive 9 points in 5 games and Colin Shields (14+15) is lighting up the scoreboard. Bobby who?

Ups and Downs

Chasing the Giants are the Devils, who jumped into contention with an impressive October, and started November in style with a 2-1 victory over Coventry in the Skydome.

Key players have hit form and Cardiff are creating scoring chances on every line. There's still a question mark on the defence (47 goals allowed in 14 league games), however, which will be tested in the coming days. The Devils face offensive powerhouses Belfast (twice) and Nottingham in their next three games this month in a stretch that should help us find out exactly what they're capable of.

While the Devils had a happy October, announcing an upswing in attendance, the financial picture wasn't quite so pretty on Tyneside. Newcastle GM Jamie Longmuir's statement about the club's future sent a shiver down the spine as the Vipers confirmed their relocation to Whitley Bay, instead of playing at the Metro Radio Arena.

Longmuir's statement wasn't the only story of note on the Vipers website as the club also announced Todd Griffith's departure, which was a result of both on and off-ice performance, according to the press release. It was the second time that Griffith parted company with the snakes in the middle of the season. Something tells me there won't be a third.

Speaking of players and teams going separate ways, how about Jeff Hutchins? He's fired by the Steelers, immediately signs for the Capitals and proceeds to tally four points as his new team win two games against his former employers. Capitals coach Christiansen deserved some luck after his start to the season and the Hutchins deal paid off immediately for him. Not only that, but Andrew Sharp scored too. You couldn't make it up.

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