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For the third year running, an exhibition series in support of the not-for-profit Stop Concussions organisation has drawn a large number of Sydneysiders to the Allphones Arena, for a glimpse of the fastest and most exciting game on earth.
Co-founded by NHL star Keith Primeau, European hockey sensation Kerry Goulet and, as well this year, Brain Injury Australia, Stop Concussions was created to educate and raise awareness on the cause, effects, and consequences of concussions.
This year the star attraction was San Jose Sharks blue-liner and Canadian captain Brent Burns, whose long 80-plus game season climaxed here in Australia. This comes just a few weeks after helping Canada win World Championship gold, where Burns was named the leading defenceman, and showed he has a slap shot that makes the hardest of goalies worried.
Given that this is an exhibition series, the fact that another giant crowd descended upon the Allphones Arena shows how passionate Australian hockey fans are. Whilst there were two small sections on the top deck curtained off, there was still a large attendance, considering that the total capacity there is over 21,000. The players must have loved playing inside such a large venue, particularly those who play in leagues where the arenas are considerably smaller.
The series, which will play games in Brisbane and Perth over the next two weekends, features a mixture of current and former NHL players led by Burns, Jerry D’Amigo, Matt Frattin and Garnet Exelby, with AHL players who’re at or near the top of the American Hockey League talent class. David Booth is a 500-game veteran, and will join the series for Brisbane and Perth.
For those who thumb their noses at the number of AHL guys, try and remember one thing: you don’t have to just be very good to crack the NHL, you have to be absolutely astoundingly brilliant. The AHL features a lot of very good players, who are waiting for their opportunity to have a crack at the big show.
I remember two years ago, social media types declared one particular player, Mike Latta, as being nothing more than a brawling hack. Now, Latta is an NHL player in Washington. The point being that just because rosters don’t have an all-star list of names that jump out at casual fans, doesn’t mean the guys on the ice aren’t talented.
There is a lot of talent on show and the players here are worthy ambassadors for both the game of hockey itself, and the Stop Concussions organisation. Anyone who pays attention to sport of any sort knows that head injuries are a major issue now, and the more recognition that Stop Concussions, Brain Injury Australia and other such charities get, the better the post-playing future of thousands of athletes will be.
Overall, it’s a great spectacle, even at a slightly slower speed and without the usual battering that goes on in a full-on game. A friend of mine who had never seen ice hockey before joined me for the game, and went home incredibly impressed. There was enough feeling in the game to make it interesting, however surprisingly there were no fights.
Seeing Team USA’s goalie Garret Sparks with his mask off, clawing at a Canadian skater was worth the price of admission. The Toronto Marlies product was on fire all night, stoning wave after wave of Canadian attack.
Watching Burns tearing it up was a real privilege as well, he is head-and-shoulders above everyone else. Getting the San Jose Sharks star out here was a major coup for the promoters, and has really raised the profile of both this series and ice hockey full stop, which is never a bad thing.
If you don’t go into the arena expecting a contest like an Olympic final or the seventh game of the Stanley Cup Final, then you’ll definitely come away entertained. You get goals, you get kiss cam and dance cam, two staples of the NHL arena experience, and you get to be deafened by a goal horn that may or may not have been appropriated from the RMS Titanic.
Let’s not rag on the players for not hitting the stuffing out of each other– there was a little, but not a lot. They’re here in the off-season for a charity tournament. Some fans expect them to play at full speed, thus risking serious injury.
If you’re at the lower end of the totem pole, and you’re injured in the off-season, chances are good that someone else will take your place. The fact that these guys are here at all should be commended. It’s a free trip, but they didn’t have to make it.
At any rate, it’s an excuse to put on an NHL jersey and spend the evening amongst hockey fans, who are hands down some of the best people on earth. Hopefully these games make the NHL sit up and think that playing a game or three in Australia, even in pre-season, wouldn’t be such a bad idea. That’s my hope.
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