Ice hockey has a place on Australian rinks

 
Ice Pete Roar Rookie

By AIHL_IceHockey, 2 May 2009 Ice Pete is a Roar Rookie

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Opening night in Newcastle April 26th 09. Newcastle North Stars came back from 3-0 down to beat the Sydney Ice Dogs 5-3. Photo by Mark Bradford

Opening night in Newcastle April 26th 09. Newcastle North Stars came back from 3-0 down to beat the Sydney Ice Dogs 5-3. Photo by Mark Bradford

For many Australians, it would seem that ice hockey has just crawled out from under a rock. But after 101 years of being played in Australia, the sport would beg to differ.

The technical marvels of indoor ice rinks in Australia attracted many thrill-seekers in the few years prior to the Great War, and their legacy lives on today in Australia’s elite level of the sport, the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL).

By 1911, Australian ice hockey players were using modern Canadian rules and equipment, and the sport was on its way to the nadir of the 1960 Winter Olympics in California, USA and the 1962 World Championships in Denver Colorado, where Australia shocked the padded hockey pants off Denmark for their first ever International victory.

Now, just like in 1960, 1962 and pretty much every year, those new to the concept of ice hockey in Australia argue that an Aussie’s natural environment is in the surf, the pool, the cricket pitch and footy field. But for seven teams and their fans, the ice rink is heaven on earth.

The AIHL runs from late April until the end of August or the first weekend of September, making it an ‘off season’ league for 99 percent of the ice hockey world.

The off-season timing for players in Europe or North America is a boon for the AIHL, which attracts players of much higher calibre than it would if it ran in competition to leagues in the latter, or for that matter, in the growing hockey market of Asia.

Players up to and including NHL level have played in the AIHL, including Steve McKenna, Tyrone Garner, Rob Zamuner and ‘Mad’ Mel Anglestad. A number of players have gone on to second-tier hockey in elite leagues such as the American Hockey League (AHL) and Sweden’s Allsvenskan.

Mostly, however, the AIHL is made up of surprising accomplished local guys with a handful of overseas ring-ins, the ‘imports’.

With the growing profile of the AIHL overseas, the level of import players being accepted into AIHL teams has increased to the point where most imports have played high-level college or Junior A hockey, if not professional stints beyond the Juniors.

The teams are as varied as the rinks and the players in them.

Victoria’s critical shortage of ice has caused a loss of opportunity and success for the state’s players, while NSW how has eight rinks to develop players.

Melbourne makes the most of its elderly rink in Oakleigh, while those involved wait anxiously for the world-class Ice House of the Docklands to open in 2010.

The glut of rinks in NSW sees three teams in the AIHL, with Canberra Knights representing the ACT.

Two teams in Sydney (Bears and Ice Dogs) are flanked by the North Stars further North in Newcastle.

Adelaide has had back-office problems, but with new ownership since last season and a new identity, Adelaide Adrenaline hope to recover their lost glory of the early days in the AIHL when they were a dominant force.

Finally the Gold Coast Blue Tongues is a team that relocated from Brisbane in 2007, where the golden beaches and Hollywood lifestyle attract winter-weary hockey players wanting to keep their skills sharp.

Crowds are thrilled to see the game being played only a few metres away, especially when a game gets intensely physical or the rare fight does break out.

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