Chelsea legend faces Sheffield Steelers - you couldn't make it up

Which Champions League winning footballer lined up against Sheffield Steelers in an ice hockey game?

Few people could have predicted the former Chelsea goalie would be a back-up netminder at Sheffield Arena.

He'll be in Belfast Giants' squad on Saturday night.

The reigning champions have injuries to ex-Steeler Jackson Whistle and third-string Andrew Dickson, leaving Tyler Beskorowany as the only fit custodian.

Earlier this week, Giants announced they had signed Cech as temporary emergency cover.

The millionaire sportsman, aged 41, plays for Oxford City Stars in the National League and guested for the Giants in a charity game earlier this year.

While he was a great football shot-stopper, his hockey level of talent might be a tad short of Elite League and he is unlikely to play as Beskorowany has recorded some great performances against Sheffield in the past.

Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see the 6ft 5ins Czech national, even if it is only in warm-up.

He says hockey was the game loved as a child and played for years before swapping ice for grass, full-time.

It was a lucrative decision for a player who kept a record of 220 clean sheets for Chelsea.

While the athlete has played in front of huge football crowds, he is not used to that at Oxford.

It will likely be a well-attended EIHL match on Saturday, despite the ongoing, unsettling off-ice situation surrounding Sheffield.

Coach Aaron Fox had expected less than 3,000 fans last Sunday in the overtime win over Coventry Blaze, yet 8,449 turned up.

Steelers, who also host Glasgow Clan on Sunday, expect the five millionth fan to be in his or her seat for a home game.

It is a long way from the first curious visitor who walked through the Arena doors with just 900 others on October 6, 1991 for an English League Division 1 game against Chelmsford.

A club spokesman said: "This landmark has arrived quicker than might have been expected thanks to the terrific crowds this season. Steelers haven’t averaged over 7,000 across a full season since 1996/7 but that’s now a very real possibility."

Steelers say the one-millionth fan will have watched the side beat Basingstoke Bison 4-2 in the Superleague with a hat trick from Ken Priestlay in 1996.

The two millionth fan also saw a 4-2 Superleague win, against Manchester Storm in 2002.

The three million mark arrived along with a Joey Talbot hat trick in a 6-4 win over Coventry Blaze in 2010.

Seven years to the day later the four millionth spectator watched Ervins Mustukovs shut out the Manchester Storm 3-0.