When a young fresh-faced Matthew Myers arrived in Nottingham in time for the 2004/05 season, few Panthers fans would’ve expected the then rookie Brit forward to still be turning out in the Black and Gold nearly twenty seasons later. His longevity in British Ice Hockey, demonstrated by over 1,000 Elite League appearances, in addition to more than 100 caps for the GB national side, speaks volumes of a playing career which Matthew can look back upon with the greatest of pride and satisfaction.
Having broken through into the senior ranks with his hometown Cardiff Devils, coinciding with their short stint outside top-flight hockey, Matthew arrived at the Panthers as a somewhat raw and unpolished forward. An early sign of his dedication to making it in the sport saw him regularly travel back and forth to South Wales each week during his first year of studies at the University in Nottingham to train and play for the Devils. Perhaps realising this arrangement was impacting his academic prospects, Matthew signed for the Panthers to enable him to better combine his education with his formative steps as a professional hockey player.
By now already an important player for the GB national team, Matthew had to wait a little while as a Panther to experience his first silverware in Nottingham. But once a Play-Off title was won in 2006-07, ironically against his hometown club Cardiff, Myers next few seasons saw an unprecedented run of trophies hoovered up, becoming an increasingly important part of a resurgent Panthers outfit. A desire to further his hockey experience saw #8 try his hand overseas in the East Coast Hockey League for the 2009-10 season – firstly with the Bakersfield Condors before a longer spell at the Johnstown Chiefs. Sadly for Matthew, injuries quickly put paid to his North American adventure. Keen to remind the Nottingham fans of his talents, a return to the National Ice Centre saw Myers deliver his most productive season in senior hockey notching 57 points, contributing strongly to another Challenge Cup and Play-Off championship double.
The Grand Slam winning season of 2012-13 saw Matthew depart the Panthers on the very highest of highs, electing to return to the Devils for a couple of years. His time in Nottingham was not at an end however, although a return in 2015-16 proved fleeting before once more heading back down the M5 and M50 for another tour of duty in South Wales, adding a second and third EIHL league title to an impressive ever-growing resumé of personal accolades. Just when Panthers fans thought they’d seen the last of the tall centreman, Matthew returned to the East Midlands for one last stint in the Black and Gold uniform where he played out his final two seasons in the UK before once again venturing overseas to hang up his skates with the French club Morzine. Whilst his last spell in Nottingham proved barren in terms of trophies, his final year with the Panthers saw Matthew given the ‘C’ which he wore with immense pride and was a fitting testament to the efforts he’d shown across eleven seasons with the club, always bringing his energy to the rink, game after game, year after year.
Often the target of opposing fans early in his career who, rather unfairly, mocked his busy and frenetic skating style, Matthew proved the doubters wrong over the longest period and has the medal collection to back that up. Never the flashiest or most naturally gifted of players, his unrelenting compete level and consistently high work ethic saw him become an essential member of multiple Panthers rosters, with coaches and players alike appreciative of the gritty skillset and quietly effective leadership Myers displayed. No one could ever doubt his excellence in the face-off circle either, and his ability to win a draw during clutch moments when a game was on the line was a massive asset which time and again benefitted the teams he iced for across the course of his career, both domestically and on the international scene with GB.
One of the most decorated British ice hockey players of his generation, Matthew Myers near two-decades at the top, characterised by the hard work put in to become the best possible version of himself and the dedication he showed to the sport that he grew to excel in, makes him a highly worthy inductee into The Cats Whiskers Hall of Fame.
Words: Adam Reddish
Picture: Panthers Images
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