Robert Dowd’s hunger as strong as ever ahead of Sheffield Steelers season No.19
Captain Robert Dowd is back for yet another season at Sheffield Steelers
Nineteen seasons in Sheffield have done nothing to diminish Robert Dowd’s appetite for success.
The Steelers captain is preparing to embark on another campaign in Orange and, despite everything he has already achieved during an extraordinary career with his hometown club, Dowd believes the desire to win becomes even greater with age.
“I think it’s probably even more so as you get older,” said Dowd.
“I’m not ready to retire, but you know that with every season that goes by, so does another opportunity to lift a championship.
“You appreciate those chances more and more and I’m as hungry as ever to be successful with this club.”
Dowd will lead a very different-looking Steelers side into the 2026-27 campaign following a summer of significant change for Head Coach Aaron Fox.
Nine new import signings have arrived in Sheffield as Fox reshapes his roster, but Dowd says the players have complete confidence in the man responsible for putting the team together.
“We trust Aaron to do the right thing, whether that’s during the summer with recruitment or making decisions during a game.
“I think we’ve got a really nice mixture this year.
“We’ve brought in some experienced players who have played at the very highest level. Guys like Tim Gettinger and Sean Collins both have NHL experience and have played a lot of hockey at a very high level.
“On the flip side, we’ve got some younger guys as well.
“I particularly like that we’ve brought two players up from the Sheffield Steeldogs in Ivan Björkly-Nordström and Liam Steele. I think that shows we care about developing the talent we have here as well.”
With the recruitment completed and the players now in Sheffield, attention has switched to training camp and the four exhibition fixtures that will prepare the Steelers for the competitive action ahead.
For Dowd, the next couple of weeks will be crucial in turning a collection of new and returning players into a team.
“This two-week camp and the four exhibition games will give us an opportunity to gel and start looking at different line combinations.
“Having said that, over the course of a season we'll probably all end up playing on a line with one another at some point. That's just the way hockey works.
“Years ago, training camp was perhaps more about getting yourself fit. These days everyone looks after themselves so well throughout the summer that the guys arrive in really good shape and ready to go.
“That means we can concentrate on the hockey and getting ourselves ready as a team.”
And while there may be no league points on offer this weekend, don't tell the Steelers captain that the result doesn't matter.
“These games might not count in the standings, but they're really important.
“We have to start as we mean to carry on. We want to establish good habits and, most importantly, get into the habit of winning hockey games.
“Cardiff started a couple of weeks before us and they've already got a few games in their legs, so they'll perhaps be a little further down the road.
“But I'm happy with our preparations and I'm confident that by the time the league comes around, we'll be purring just fine.”
The Steelers open their home campaign against the Cardiff Devils this Sunday at the Utilita Arena, face-off 4.00pm.