Playing career Weight 85 kg Name Scott Neil Career start 1985 | Role Ice hockey player Career end 2002 Height 1.75 m Position Forward | |
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Born 1 August 1962 (age 61)
Edinburgh, Scotland ( 1962-08-01 ) Played for Murrayfield Racers, Sheffield Steelers, Edinburgh Capitals | ||
Andrew Scott Neil, known as Scott Neil, (born 1 August 1962 in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom) is a retired British ice hockey player who played in the United Kingdom between 1985 and 2002. He also played for the Great Britain national team between 1989 and 1994. He was inducted into the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007.
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Neil is currently the owner of the Edinburgh Capitals in the British Elite Ice Hockey League.
Club
After playing junior ice hockey in Edinburgh, Neil went to university in Canada. When he returned to the United Kingdom he rejoined the Edinburgh setup as a senior player with the Murrayfield Racers in 1985 playing in the Premier Division of the British Hockey League. In his seven seasons with the Racers, he helped the team to win the league championship in 1986–87 and 1987–88; the Norwich Union Trophy in 1985; and reaching the playoff finals weekend at Wembley Arena every year bar one and winning the playoffs in 1986. He was also twice named the British All Star team.
In 1992, Neil joined the Sheffield Steelers in Division 1 of the British Hockey League. In his five seasons with the Steelers, he helped them to gain promotion to the Premier Division as well as to win the grand slam of the Benson & Hedges Cup, the league championship and the playoff championship in 1994–95; as well as the playoff championship in 1996 and 1997 and the league championship in 1995–96.
Neil returned to Edinburgh in 1997 where he had helped form the Murrayfield Royals, who later changed their name to the Edinburgh Capitals. Neil retired from playing at the end of the 2001–02 season. He also coached the Capitals for the 2006–07 season after the previous coach, and his cousin, Tony Hand, left to coach the Manchester Phoenix. However, the following season, 2007–08, he hired Doug Christiansen to coach the Capitals.
International
Neil played for the Great Britain national team seven times between 1989 and 1994. During this time he helped the team gain promotion from Pool D to Pool A of the Ice Hockey World Championships and taking part in the Olympic Qualifiers in 1993. In total Neil scored 23 goals and 12 assists for 35 points in the games he played for his country.