Friday evening saw some sad breaking news for Sheffield Steelers fans when Canadian winger Levi Nelson announced his retirement from the sport. A popular player with the Steelers supporters, his absence will be felt when the new Steelers team takes to the ice in the middle of August.
A former Boston Bruins NHL draft pick from 2006, when he was selected in the 6th round (158th overall), Levi arrived in Sheffield in the summer of 2015 as one of Paul Thompson's new signing when he took over as Head Coach. Some people doubted Thompson's judgement at bringing him in as the player had suffered an injury curtailed campaign the season before when he could only ice in 19 games for the Idaho Steelheads in the ECHL and wondered if the winger could cut it in the hard and physical world of the Elite League.
Thompson obviously thought he could and felt the Canadian could replicate his form of 2013-14 when he captured a league and cup double with Ritten Renon; and picked up 64 points in just 56 games. The judgement was proved to be an accurate one as he helped the Steelers to a second successive Monteith Bowl, scoring almost a point a game. He also developed a great understanding with fellow winger and the GB internationalist in Robert Dowd with their crash, bang, wallop style of play which gave no team peace and quiet. Fans were loving it if they were wearing orange, whilst other teams fans were in awe at Nelson's destructive skills which often turned their team's defences to rubble.
After such a great dèbut season, could the Steelers retain his services for a second season? The fans were overjoyed just days after the play-off final weekend as Levi signed a new two-year deal with the Club. Whilst the silky Swede Markus Nilsson didn't return to reunite probably the best second line in the league, Thompson replacing him with the experienced Andreas Valdix, "The Bash Brothers" were reunited to cause more mayhem in 2016-17. Steelers failed in their bid to capture the Elite League's first ever three-peat but hit form at just about the right time in the play-off with equally popular French-Canadian Guillaume Desbiens playing a starring role but Nelson was to become the hero in a game which has already become known as probably one of the best games ever.
With Steelers and Cardiff, who were chasing a Grand Slam, locked at 5-5 after regulation time: few would have expected to see what would happen next. One period of 20 minute overtime failed to separate the sides, and we looked certainties to go into a third session as the game ticked past the 94 minute mark. Nelson picked up a pass on the right wing then cut inside before unleashing a superb wrist shot that went over the shoulder of GB internationalist Ben Bowns for his second of the game and seal a play-off triumph for the Steelers. Later on it was revealed that Nelson had played in overtime with the aid of injections and since January with delayed surgery on knee ligaments. Nelson's cult hero status went to a new level altogether.
Nelson iced for a third and final season in 2017-18 but couldn't help the Steelers to retain their play-off title yet posted some more than credible numbers. All in all, Levi played in 206 games for the Steelers and chipped in with 177 points of which 79 were goals. Not bad an effort. As I said at the beginning, his presence will be felt in the new season's roster as he was such a very popular player with fans and team-mates alike. if you're an opposing fan, you can breathe a little bit easier now.
Good luck with the future Levi, once a Steeler - always one.
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