Gary Moran joined the Panthers in July 1996 as commercial manager. He worked as journalist, writer broadcaster and commentator before finally becoming general Manager for the Panthers and it was in that role that he had the greatest effect on the team. Over the years he brought to the club a professional infrastructure both on and off the ice.
During his tenure at the club the Panthers moved to a new arena, increased their average attendance and won one Elite League Championship, five EIHL Play-Off Championships, eight Challenge Cups, one IIHF Continental Cup and the 2021 Elite Series.
He should also be remembered for a number of innovations including the introduction of the premium rate telephone line for Panthers news. If you couldn’t wait for the result of that week’s away game to appear on Ceefax at 11 o’clock on Sunday night or on Radio Trent at about the same time then this service was for you. You could get up to date end of period reports and information long before the internet ever existed. The short-lived charity shield that saw the winners of the league take on the play-offs in pre-season was also his idea.
Fiercely loyal to the Panthers it would be easy to say that he would do anything for the team. From accompanying Alex Nikiforuk to the airport from the Continental Cup in Ritten so he could attend the birth of his first child to the numerous spats with Dave Simms over various issues, including the scheduling of the 2016 challenge cup semi-final between the Panthers and Sheffield Steelers. Panthers had the right to play the home leg first but claimed they couldn’t schedule it in time before the final, which meant that the first leg was played in Sheffield first but Sheffield had similar issues and it had to be played at Ice Sheffield after Panthers flatly refused to change to their leg to a different date, claiming it was impossible. This led to Sheffield introducing draconian measures around ticketing to try and stop Panthers fans getting in but that didn’t really work. Now I’m not saying all that caused the ensuing result but…
Gary also edited the Panthers yearbook for a number of years and released his own book “Broken Heart” which detailed his open-heart surgery in 2018.
Regardless of the decisions he made and whether or not you agreed with them you can’t argue with the fact that those decisions were made for the good of the club. And that, I believe is his legacy to the club. The professional infrastructure on and off the ice coupled with a strong commitment to the keeping an eye on the balance sheets helped in a large part to put the club where it is today.
Gary stepped down from the Panthers in December 2021 and died only a few days later on the 27th December from cancer.
He was recognised by the Ice Hockey UK for his impact on the sport here in Nottingham and more widely and was inducted to the UK Ice Hockey Hall of Fame in 2024.
Words: Paul Balm
Picture: Panthers Images
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