Rocket Ready For Take Off: The Alan Yarrow Story

Last Sunday's game between the Whitley Warriors and Sheffield Spartans  witnessed a heart warming moment when a former hero returned to the Hillheads ice.
Alan Yarrow appeared for the Warriors for the first time in nearly twelve years, and what a cameo appearance it turned out to be. Yarrow, affectionately called 'Rocket' by his friends and fans alike was applauded off at the end of the game following a fight with Spartans defenseman Stephen Weeks. Yarrow had been angered by Weeks, roughing up youngster Liam Smedley and ended up  dropping the gloves after taking a cross-check to the face.

'I was asking him what he was doing with Smeds, then he cross checked me in  the face! But it was great to hear the crowd shouting rocket afterwards.'





Despite that cheap shot on him, Yarrow had been surprised with how the game has changed since he last played in 2004.






'It's been very hard to adjust to. Not just physically but mentally as the game has changed so much. For a start the two line pass is new to me, as well not being able to change on an icing call. The game also seems less physical than in previous years. There is less hooking on players now and if you want to drop the gloves, its done much more in a gentlemanly manner.'
An extended period sitting on the bench at the start of this season has given Alan the perfect opportunity to get to know some of his new team mates and has been really impressed with their performances to date.



'I have been very happy with the team's performances so far this season. Playing with Andre [Payette], Barnsey [Jordan Barnes], Lobby [David Longstaff], Watto [Callum Watson], DJ Good and Callum Queenan has been great. I have got a soft spot for Harry Harley too, he is a funny guy and great to have around the team. We have a great team spirit here, and I honestly think we can do well as a team this season.'

The Beginning

Rocket, though is an old-school player and has been there and done it all, since first making his Whitley debut in 1991. Hockey is clearly in his blood, but what got him into the sport in the first place?
'My uncle Kevin Hull used to play for the Warriors and GB, I used to watch him as a kid and my love of the sport started there I suppose. Then I met Lobby [David Longstaff] and Leachy [Simon Leach] at 9 years old. They were playing hockey then, so I started skating too and started to play at 13.'

'The first game I can remember is one against the Cardiff Devils from 1991-92. It was a Saturday game shown on T.V. The BBC had it on Grandstand. I was about 16-17 years old and only got one shift, but what an experience.'

During his first stint with the Warriors, Rocket got to line up alongside some of the best players in the teams history; Mike Rowe, Hilton Ruggles, Claude Dumas, Scotty Morrison, David Longstaff, Simon Leach, John Iredale and Bobby Brown. He also served under coaches Peter Bender and Mick Mishner, but he points to two team mates who he enjoyed playing alongside the most.

'The best line I played on was with Peter Markham and Darren Walton, we destroyed teams, as they couldn't handle our physicality.'

Alan played one season for the Sunderland Chiefs as he was unable to turn out for Whitley for a while, but returned in time to play at the then Telewest Arena for the Newcastle Warriors, alongside Scott Campbell, who had joined that season from the American Hockey league.

The 1997-98 season proved to be Yarrow's career year as he netted 14 points [11+3] and collected 237 penalty minutes. Amongst those minutes included a fight with Mark Dowd, a goalie from the Billingham Bombers.


With the Warriors priced out of joining the Superleague, they found themselves in the English Premier Division, with a reduced number of imports on the team. That saw Finnish pair Kimmo Saarinen and Timo Loukasvuori join the team. They would combine for 298 points as the Warriors finished runners-up to the Solihull Barons, but the Finns would leave Tyneside having had their eyes opened to some of the local lads antics.




'Those two,' Rocket said laughing 'I think the pranks we played on them must have scared them for life, but it was all good natured.'

The First Comeback

With Yarrow's numbers up, he surprisingly took time away from the game due to work commitments. A job in security lead him to work close protection for the Saudi Royal family for Four years. But once he returned to his native Tyneside, Rocket decided to make his first comeback.






'I went back to hockey in 2004 as I was going to Australia in the April and I was going to play out there when I moved. I went to Oz as I wanted to move there for a better life.'

His first game back was in January 2004 at Hull, where he put in a disciplined performance, even showing restraint when a Kingston Jets player tried to provoke him into a fight and taking a penalty.






A further Four games that 2003-04 season saw Rocket earn 98 penalty minutes, but Whitley were a struggling side during that time and failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 1999. In his last outing, against the Flintshire Freeze, Yarrow had put up with a series of slashes from the visiting goalie. During the post-game handshakes, back up goalie Phil Verstappen decided to taunt the Whitley Forward to the point where the two dropped the gloves.

Life Down Under

Rocket started a new adventure when he headed for Australia. His first year there, saw him turn out for the Perth Flyers. He even had Warriors Legends David Longstaff and Simon Leach come over to Perth and do a hockey school.

But the following year saw hockey opportunities limited. Perth pulled out the league, leaving Rocket with time to concentrate on his successful hockey equipment business in the Western Australian city, 'Pro Shop Hockey Locker'. Then he was offered the chance to own his own team and so sold up his home in Perth and moved to Adelaide.

'At the time Perth didn't have a team competing in the league due to cost. With my hockey equipment business doing okay I got offered the Adelaide Avalanche as the current owner was selling.'

After buying the team Yarrow, was interviewed by the official Adelaide Avalanche website and said at the time:
“We are very happy with the purchase of the team and believe we can continue with the passion shown by both Steve and the Adelaide Ice Arena management. We would like to assure all involved with the Avalanche and South Australian Ice hockey that we intend to develop the future of the club and aim to maintain the Adelaide Avalanche as one of the best ice hockey team’s in Australia, not only in the short term but also in the future. This is why Steve and I will be working very closely together through out the season.” Alan went on to say. “It has been a very busy few weeks and already plans are well underway for the start of the new season in April. The amount of interest we are getting from the UK and North America is great. We plan to bring the right people to the club that can carry out our plans. We are both 100% committed to the long term future of Adelaide Avalanche and dream of seeing the team packed with local talent but we know we need to call on some support from abroad in order to get to the level the AIHL is now  at . We plan to bring in players and coaches who can deliver our promise to Steve and secure the long term success of the sport in Adelaide. We have two young boys Alex and Owen and one day I would love to see them both skate out for the Avalanche.”




Buying the Adelaide Avalanche from Steve Oddy, proved to be a roller coaster couple of seasons for Yarrow, as he invested heavily in the team, signing former NHL players and even getting Simon Leach to move over to Australia too. The two most prominent members of the team were Mel Angelstad and Steve McKenna.




'Mad' Mel Angelstad has a storied career all on his own, having seen ice time in the NHL with the Washington Capitals and collected thousands of PIMS throughout the minor leagues of North America. Before playing for Rocket in Australia, 'The Mangler' went on to play for the Newcastle Vipers where he played seven games alongside both David Longstaff and Andre Payette.


His full career stats can be seen here: http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=6012
With some of his fights here:
Mangler v Darcy Hordicuk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkh2ooymuYM
Mangler v Bob Probert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VcY6guWgv4




Steve McKenna played 373 games in the NHL, mostly for the Los Angeles Kings and Pittsburgh Penguins, but he also played for the Minnesota Wild during their inaugural season and the New York Rangers. During the NHL lockout of 2004-05 McKenna spent time with the Nottingham Panthers in the UK Elite League before moving on to Italy and then Adelaide with Rocket.
Career Stats: http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=22548




In just his first season of owning the team, things couldn't have gone much better for Rocket, landing the league championship at the first attempt.




'I Got Leachy to move over to Adelaide in 2007, then sacked Steve McKenna and replaced him with Mel the Mangler and won the league.'

But all good things come to an end and despite that early success on the ice, Yarrow had a series of issues he faced throughout the second year.




'I sold my house to buy and support the team for that first year as the owner made me promises he couldn't keep. He promised there was a AU$100,000 sponsor, but there was nothing. The Second year they changed the name to Adelaide Adrenalin and kept all the points I had got that season. We played 8 games but then folded.'

Rocket Returns Again

They say you can always have too much of a good thing and two years ago, Rocket decided it was time to take off, on a return voyage to the U.K. for a number of reasons.
'Australia was great and I had a good life, but I wasn't enjoying it out there any more. There really is no place like home, I have been all over the world and there is no place like it.'

Rocket, a proud family man, with two sons, Alex 17 and Owen 10. Said it was his youngest son that convinced him to return to the Maroon and Gold.






'Owen was born out in Perth, he really wanted me to take up hockey again as he has never seen me play. When I found out Lobby was coaching I wanted to be a part of it if I could. After seeing the first game against Kirkcaldy, I was hooked again. I have been to every game home and away to show my commitment to the team and have been training as hard as I can. It has finally paid of after being selected for the last few games.'

Alan Yarrow will be known within hockey circles as a real 'Tough Guy', an enforcer who would go out and protect his team mates, but away from the ice he has a much softer caring side to his personality. A keen conservationist has now seen him become a taxidermist.

'I love animals. I went to study in South Africa, Alaska and Australia. The

taxidermy needs a lot of concentration and a steady hand, similar qualities I have used out on the ice other the years.' he joked.


With two games under his belt since he returned, the Rocket's season has definitely taken off.