Corey Beaulieu – The SuperLeague Defenceman Who Crossed the Sheffield-Nottingham Divide

From Sheffield to Nottingham

Legends of the Game | Old Time Hockey UK

Big, physical and uncompromising, Corey Beaulieu was exactly the sort of defenceman who made his presence felt during British ice hockey’s SuperLeague era.

For three seasons in Britain, the Canadian blueliner wore the colours of two of the country’s biggest rivals — first the Sheffield Steelers, and then the Nottingham Panthers.

And while many supporters will immediately remember the fights, the penalty minutes and the physical side of his game, there was considerably more to Beaulieu’s story.

By the time he arrived in Sheffield in 1996, he was already an experienced North American professional with hundreds of games behind him.

From Winnipeg to Professional Hockey

Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Corey Beaulieu came through the Canadian junior system before embarking on a professional career that would eventually take him across North America and then over the Atlantic to Britain.

A 6'2" defenceman weighing well over 200 lb, Beaulieu was built for the physical hockey of the period.

He established himself in the American Hockey League, most notably with the Springfield Indians, where he spent three full seasons.

Those years underline the kind of player he was.

Beaulieu played 245 games in the AHL, accumulating 806 penalty minutes along the way.

He wasn't a player opponents were likely to overlook.

His North American career also took him into the International Hockey League, with spells that included the Cleveland Lumberjacks, Atlanta Knights, Chicago Wolves and his hometown Manitoba Moose.

By the summer of 1996, however, a very different hockey adventure was about to begin.

He was heading to Britain.

Sheffield Steelers – 1996

Beaulieu joined the Sheffield Steelers for the 1996–97 season, just as British hockey entered the new Ice Hockey SuperLeague era.

And he joined quite a collection of players.

The Steelers of the period featured names that will immediately bring back memories for British hockey supporters — including Tony Hand, Ken Priestlay, Ron Shudra, Mike Ware and Scott Allison.

Into that line-up came Beaulieu.

A big Canadian defenceman with extensive professional experience and a willingness to play the game physically.

It didn't take long for British hockey fans to discover exactly what Sheffield had acquired.

More Than Just the Penalty Minutes

There is always a danger when remembering players like Corey Beaulieu that the fights and penalty minutes overshadow everything else.

Yes, he could fight.

Yes, he accumulated plenty of penalty minutes.

And yes, opposing players knew perfectly well when Beaulieu was on the ice.

But he was also an experienced professional defenceman who had spent years playing at a good level in North America.

During the 1997–98 SuperLeague season, Beaulieu recorded 2 goals and 7 assists in 35 league appearances, while accumulating 154 penalty minutes.

He also appeared in the Autumn Cup that season.

It was a style of player that fitted the period.

The SuperLeague of the late 1990s contained plenty of size, experience and physicality, and Beaulieu was very much part of that world.

Fisticuffs Friday – Basingstoke, 1997

One piece of footage recently featured in our Old Time Hockey UK Fisticuffs Friday series provides a perfect snapshot of the era.

The date was 4 October 1997.

Basingstoke Bison v Sheffield Steelers.

At the beginning of the clip, the Basingstoke netminder uses his goalie stick to slash Beaulieu across the back of the legs.

Beaulieu reacts immediately and goes after the netminder.

That brings Basingstoke's Jason Kendall into proceedings — and suddenly we have Kendall and Beaulieu going toe-to-toe.

Taken without the opening few seconds, it might appear that Beaulieu simply went after the Basingstoke goalie.

Watch what happens beforehand and you get the context.

It is one of those little pieces of British hockey footage that instantly transports you back to the SuperLeague years.

Then Came THAT Move...

After two seasons in Sheffield, Beaulieu's British hockey career took an interesting turn.

For 1998–99, he left the Steelers.

His next destination?

Nottingham Panthers.

Even then, moving between Sheffield and Nottingham was guaranteed to get supporters talking.

Beaulieu crossed the divide and became a Panther under coach Mike Blaisdell, joining another roster packed with familiar names from the period.

Among his Nottingham teammates were Paul Adey, Jamie Leach, Greg Hadden, Mike Bishop and Simon Hunt.

Beaulieu made 26 SuperLeague appearances for Nottingham, scoring once and adding four assists, as well as appearing in the Autumn Cup.

For Panthers supporters who had previously watched him wearing Sheffield colours, it must have taken a little getting used to.

One season you're watching Corey Beaulieu in a Steelers shirt.

The next, he's wearing Panthers colours.

That's British hockey rivalry for you.

A Player From a Very Different Era

Looking back now, Corey Beaulieu seems almost tailor-made for the hockey Britain was watching during the 1990s.

The game was different.

The imports were different.

And the expectations placed upon certain players were different.

Teams wanted players who could protect teammates, clear the front of the net and make opposing forwards think twice about taking liberties.

Physical confrontation was simply a much bigger part of the spectacle.

Beaulieu arrived with years of North American professional experience and had no difficulty adapting that physical approach to British hockey.

But reducing him simply to the label of "tough guy" would miss part of the story.

He was a defenceman who had already played 245 AHL games before he ever stepped onto British ice.

That experience mattered.

Sheffield to Nottingham

Perhaps one of the most interesting parts of Beaulieu's British career is that he experienced the Sheffield-Nottingham rivalry from both sides.

There are players who become closely associated with one club.

Others become part of the history of a rivalry itself.

Beaulieu falls into that second category.

Two seasons in Sheffield.

One season in Nottingham.

Three seasons during the formative years of the Ice Hockey SuperLeague.

And plenty of memories left behind.

The Steelers-Panthers rivalry remains a major fixture in British ice hockey today, with Nottingham's own coverage still describing Sheffield as their arch-rivals decades later.

Corey Beaulieu – A SuperLeague Original

The SuperLeague years produced a fascinating collection of imports.

Some were goalscorers.

Some were playmakers.

Some were spectacular netminders.

Others provided the physical edge that could change the atmosphere inside an arena almost instantly.

Corey Beaulieu belonged firmly to that era.

A big Canadian defenceman.

A seasoned North American professional.

A player who wasn't afraid of the physical side of the game.

And a man who represented both the Sheffield Steelers and Nottingham Panthers during one of the most memorable periods in modern British ice hockey.

For supporters who watched the SuperLeague during the late 1990s, the name Corey Beaulieu will undoubtedly stir a few memories.

And probably one or two involving dropped gloves.

What Do You Remember?

Were you watching Corey Beaulieu during his time with Sheffield or Nottingham?

Did you see him play live?

Do you remember a particular game, hit, confrontation or moment involving him?

Or perhaps you supported an opposition team and dreaded seeing him step onto the ice?

We'd love to hear your Corey Beaulieu memories.

Share them with Old Time Hockey UK and help us preserve the stories of British hockey's past.

🏒 Legends of the Game – Corey Beaulieu

Old Time Hockey UK – Keeping British hockey memories alive.

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Two Nottingham Panthers imports. Two major characters from the SuperLeague years.

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