I WAS at the Fife Flyers match against Dundee Stars recently (a comfortable 5-2 win for the Flyers) and was once again struck by the impact that ice hockey has made in Scotland over the last few years.
Of course, ice hockey isn't some fresh new arrival to the country. The Flyers are the oldest UK ice hockey club to still be in existence, having been on the go since 1938.
I can also remember the game having waves of popularity before. When I was a kid, the likes of the Flyers and the then Murrayfield Racers were regulars on Sunday afternoon TV.
This time just feels that little bit different though. Ice hockey crowds in Kirkcaldy now rival those of Raith, while Braehead Clan (based at Glasgow or Paisley's Braehead shopping centre depending on the hometown of the person you're speaking to!) are selling out matches at an arena that takes 4000 people when set up for ice hockey.
The thing is, the Clan are a fairly new entity, only being formed in 2010. Ice hockey has managed to achieve its current popularity without any history of stability or organisational calm.
While at the Flyers vs Dundee match, I was looking around the arena at the different flags that were hanging from the walls. They celebrate victories in tournaments like the Scottish National League, the Celtic League, the British National League and more. It tells the story of a sport that didn't know where it was going.
Over the past 20 years, ice hockey also had to deal with being a sport suffering from limited media attention in Scotland. Despite all that, it's now having the kind of impact that should really be making Scottish football clubs and authorities take note.
We frequently hear about (and I've written about) which countries' footballing models we should be influenced by. Perhaps it's time to stay in this country but start looking to the puck rather than to a football for inspiration.
After all, one interesting parallel with football is the impact of a higher-quality product being available via our TV screens. Premier Sports screens NHL matches and the annual World Cup tournament yet, if anything, the availability of these events to ice hockey fans seems to increase their desire to experience it in the flesh.
Looking around the Fife Ice Arena, I saw people sporting various NHL tops – Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks and Washington Capitals (complete with the name of ice hockey superstar Alex Ovechkin) shirts were all on show. Of course, we'd feel a little bit sad if we looked around at a Scottish football match and could only see Manchester City and Real Madrid shirts but money through the turnstiles isn't something that Scottish football can turn its nose up at.
I've also mentioned before how well Scotland's ice hockey clubs are doing when it comes to reaching out to fans via social media. Many Scottish football clubs are also doing well on this front but I still think there's a fear factor which accompanies many clubs' interactions.
They need to remember, any opportunity comes with a degree of risk. The only way to avoid risk is to avoid opportunity… and that's no longer an option.
Hopefully, I'll be back at the Fife Ice Arena soon and hopefully I'll bump into Stewart Regan clutching a notepad while I'm there.
Agree or disagree with what Teddy has written? You can tweet him @RossTeddyCraig or online via his website, ascottishwriter.com I WAS at the Fife Flyers match against Dundee Stars recently (a comfortable 5-2 win for the Flyers) and was once again struck by the impact that ice hockey has made in Scotland over the last few years.