When President Bill Clinton namechecked the Belfast Giants during a speech at the Odyssey Arena
in December 2000, it gave Northern Ireland's newest sport the kind of publicity other teams could only dream of. In a city still divided by politics and religion, the Giants sought to redefine the parameters of sport with their 'no anthem, no emblems' policy and promoting tolerance and unity amongst its fan base. In The Icemen Cometh, reporter Nigel Ringland looks back at the team's highs and lows over the last 17 years and its transition from sporting novelty to sporting giant.