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Justin Daigle plays for the West Auckland Admirals in the NZIHL (Photo: Chen Huang)
Justin Daigle plays for the West Auckland Admirals in the NZIHL (Photo: Chen Huang)

SportsNovember 5, 2022

The rise and rise of ice hockey in Aotearoa

Justin Daigle plays for the West Auckland Admirals in the NZIHL (Photo: Chen Huang)
Justin Daigle plays for the West Auckland Admirals in the NZIHL (Photo: Chen Huang)

Ever since a bunch of 1930s South Canterbury farmers first played on a frozen pond, ice hockey has had a presence in New Zealand. And while it may still be niche, its numbers are rapidly growing.

It’s 8.00am on a Sunday morning and I’m freezing my butt off at a sports arena in West Auckland. There’s an almost palpable feeling of excitement in the air as a machine on wheels –the Zamboni – works its way methodically around the rink, shaving off a thin layer of ice and laying down a smooth surface ready for action. With the blow of a whistle, 80+ girls and boys padded up to their eyeballs in protective equipment and oversized jumpers spill chaotically onto the ice, ready to play their little hearts out in games of ice hockey. The sport has always been pretty fringe here in Aotearoa, but it’s starting to gain momentum.

Ice hockey is famous for being the fastest game in the world, and because it’s a full-contact sport of body checking and high-speed collisions, it’s not for the faint hearted. The sport includes a veritable dictionary of aggressive terms like slashing, hooking, roughing and tripping, and has something of a reputation for the fights that are unofficially tolerated at a top level overseas. But old-school thuggery aside, it is a hugely thrilling game to watch and play … that is if you can keep track of the puck.

When I was raising a half-Canadian family in the frozen North where ice hockey is the national religion, the sport became a big part of our lives. We watched professional games, learnt to skate and eventually gave it a go on our neighbour’s backyard rink. While my hockey career was short-lived (due to injury and embarrassing lack of skill), my son Charlie took to it from the age of four, and our neighbourhood arena with its distinctive smell of ozone and sweat became our second home. On making the big move back home to New Zealand we assumed that Charlie’s hockey days were over, but on a whim I Googled “ice hockey Auckland” and was stoked to find the game actually existed back here.

Rachel Judkins on her backyard rink in Canada (Photo: Supplied)

A haka on skates

As it turns out, ice hockey has been played in New Zealand for over 80 years, after some sheep farmers in the South Island started playing on a frozen pond in the 1930s. There are over 2,000 players currently registered at all levels, from beginner to beer leagues to competitive, and we even have our own senior national teams who play internationally – the Ice Blacks and Ice Fernz. The men’s team even honours our country’s tradition of a pre-match haka, but on ice skates. During New Zealand’s first international competition in 1987 we were famously thrashed by Australia in a world record 58-0 loss, but though we may never make it to the Winter Olympics, the Ice Blacks have come a long way since then and are currently ranked 42nd in the world.

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Where we do almost make it onto the podium is in the advancement of the sport — we’re actually ranked fourth in the world in growth among hockey-playing nations. With rugby on the decline, it seems less traditional disciplines are filling that gap and more and more New Zealanders are embracing the game both as players and spectators.

There has been a huge push in recent years by the New Zealand Ice Hockey Federation (NZIHF) to recruit young players, as getting kids on the ice from an early age will eventually make us more competitive on the world rink. Learn to Play runs year-round for ages five to late teens, and anyone is welcome to show up for a free trial. Because it requires an intense amount of protective gear – from a helmet with a face cage to a jock for the nether-regions – equipment is supplied so you don’t have to invest in the whole kit and caboodle. Once beginners master the art of skating, they move on to hockey skills, with the goal of eventually joining a league.

Rachel Judkins’ son Charlie plays goalie for Auckland Flash, a team put together for the under-12 nationals held this month (Photo: Supplied)

If being a spectator is more your thing, then consider hauling your ass to a game of the national men’s or women’s leagues. They really are an entertaining and affordable night out. I went to my first NZIHL game this year, and was surprised to find the arena packed with around 800 screaming fans and an electric atmosphere. The presentation definitely had a more amateur vibe than overseas, with no hotdog cannon or discordant organ riffs accompanying the game, but there were beers on tap, mascots revving up the crowd and some bloody exciting hockey being played.

Canadian Justin Daigle, whose aspirations of a pro hockey career were derailed by injury, has played for the West Auckland Admirals since he was “discovered” waiting tables here during his OE ten years ago. He and the other imports were pleasantly surprised by what they found. “When you think of a small warm-climate country like New Zealand, you wouldn’t expect there to be much of a hockey culture, but everyone is always really impressed by the quality and level of play.” Daigle was stoked to also land his dream job coaching in Auckland, and is one of the lucky few people in the country on the hockey payroll.

For the love of the game

One of the challenges of being a minority sport is that there’s very little money in the game. “It’s hard,” says Andy Mills, President of the NZIHF. “No one cares unless you’ve got an oval ball or a round ball and you’re on a court or field.” A jewellery maker by day, Mills is one of hundreds of volunteers who work tirelessly, donating up to 20 hours per week to make the sport they love thrive. When big tournaments like the recent Under-12 nationals in Christchurch come together, it makes all that slog worthwhile. “Seeing those young kids on the ice smiling and having fun, that’s what gets me up in the morning.”

Auckland Flash vs Wellington Avalanche at this month’s under-12 ice hockey nationals in Christchurch (Photo: Supplied)

With only ten rinks in the whole country, an ongoing barrier to growth is capacity. “Ice time” for players is already a precious commodity, and spectator games routinely sell out, with no room for more bums on seats despite a growing appetite for the game. But Mills is hoping to get municipal support and see more rinks built in the future. “For us to grow and have more success, we need more facilities, simple as that.”

In contrast to well-resourced Canada, ice hockey here is definitely rough around the edges, but delightfully so. As Daigle points out, without the megabucks and the lure of potentially lucrative careers in the NHL, there aren’t the overbearing parents killing the fun. “There’s less pressure put on the kids for competing and committing. It’s more about enjoying the sport for what it is, which is refreshing.” I personally love the low-key vibe, and think they have got the tone exactly right – coaches push the kids to challenge themselves but not at the expense of a good time.

Coach Pete with the Black Panthers, the Auckland under-12 super league (Photo: Supplied)

Back at the Sunday morning game, amid the racket of banging boards and thwacking sticks I can hear a bunch of different languages and accents mixing in with our local twang. Many parents are expats from hockey-centric places like North America and Eastern Europe, but there are also a lot of Asian countries represented as it becomes more popular there. For new migrants, it’s a great way to stay connected with their culture, and being welcomed into this international family can also be a game changer on a social level. My Canuck husband, who often feels like a fish out of water in Aotearoa, leapt at the chance to coach our son’s team and finds himself right at home with his new hockey mates.

I wonder if there’s also something about the underdog mentality of a niche sport that binds this small community together and creates a sense of pride. There can be fierce competition on the ice and plenty of hooting and hollering from the stands, but when the buzzer sounds marking the end of a game, it really feels like hockey is the winner on the day.

Watch our trans-Tasman rivalry hit the ice when the Ice Blacks take on the Mighty Roos this weekend (November 4 , 5 and 6). Links to the livestream of each game can be found on the Ice Blacks Facebook Page on game day.

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Image by Tina Tiller
Image by Tina Tiller

SportsOctober 29, 2022

The humble scrunchie is the real MVP of the Rugby World Cup

Image by Tina Tiller
Image by Tina Tiller

There are two New Zealand rugby games on at the same time tonight, and only one of them will feature a line-up of vibrant and exciting scrunchies. 

There was a lot to take in at the opening day of the Ruby World Cup earlier this month. Rita Ora crouched on the field, touched our hearts and engaged our minds. Hinewehi Mohi sang the national anthem and everyone wept. The Wallaroos were up for far too long and everyone screamed. But there was another aspect of the momentous match that I couldn’t stop thinking about throughout – the excellent array of hair accessories within the Black Ferns. 

Aotearoa has a tried and true tradition of both celebrating and deriding the stylistic choices of our rugby players. Over the years we have taken note of Dan Carter’s bad fade, Jonah Lomu’s tuft, Justin Marshall’s frosted tips and Ma’a Nonu’s eyebrows and eyeliner. In 2022, the Black Ferns lookbook is just as varied. In just one game we were treated to everything from the red racing stripe in Ruby Tui’s ponytail, to Renee Holmes’ iridescent pink and blue mermaid ribbons. 

But no accessory dominated the debut quite like the scrunchie, an easy-going, personality-packed, fabric-covered elastic that first rose to prominence in the 1980s. Portia Woodman sported an on-theme black and white shiny number, while Stacy Fluhler went for a beautiful rich magenta. In the Black Ferns games since, we’ve been treated to hot pink, bright red and even a sneaky paua print scrunch. Ensemble said it first: the scrunchie is back, baby

Black Ferns back and scrunchie entrepreneur Stacey Fluhler has loved the scrunchie ever since she was a kid, “even when they went out of fashion”. When she started travelling the world for rugby, she would pick up scrunchies in different places and then test them out at games. “For me, comfort is key and making sure my hair doesn’t come out,” she explains. “It’s not perfect when you might be getting smashed into rucks and whatnot. But it’s just a cool accessory for me to feel cool on the field.”

Stacey Fluhler, potentially injured but happy with her scrunchie. (Photo: Getty Images.)

Although Fluhler loved the aesthetic of the scrunchie, she quickly encountered a quality problem. “I’d buy all the cheap ones but my head gets real sweaty, so they would constantly get wet and stink a little bit afterwards,” she laughs. It was only when she got sent an assortment from Canadian business Aptoella Rugby that the god tier sports scrunchie was unlocked. “They were really tight and I’ve got real thick hair, so it takes a lot for my hair to kind of stay in place,” she explains. “I also love the fact that they were water slash sweatproof.” 

Eventually, Fluhler’s passion for scrunchies came off the field entirely. In 2020 she launched Stacey Fluhler Scrunchies with a local business partner (“I definitely don’t have enough time to make them and, to be fair, I don’t know how”). The brand has since found popularity among local sports teams, with scrunchies being sent across the country to various netball, hockey and rugby tournaments. “I don’t make a lot of money from it but that was never the intention,” she says. “I just wanted to make people feel good and happy on the field like I do.”

With that in mind, is there any hope in hell of ever getting an official Black Ferns scrunchie? “I wish,” Fluhler laughs. “I just need to pitch that to New Zealand Rugby to allow it.” 

Beyond looking cool, hair forms an essential part of the Black Ferns pre-game ritual. In the brilliant two-part documentary series Black Ferns: Wahine Toa, Tanya Kalounivale cackles as a comb disappears into her bright pink curls, while tight french braids are plaited against scalps and ribbons flutter around ponytails. “Every athlete has their own unique pre-match ritual,” sports broadcaster Kirsty Stanway explains. “With the Black Ferns, it always involves braiding each other’s hair and a lot of music, dancing and singing.” 

Portia Woodman is also a huge scrunchie fiend. Photo: Getty Images

Fluhler confirms that this is an essential part of their pre-game process. “Every time we play, we definitely have a little bit of a salon going,” she laughs. “Being females playing in a male-dominated sport, it’s important that we just feel good.”  The main braiders on the team are Kennedy Simon, Amy Rule and Portia Woodman, but Fluhler is quite happy to stay the scrunchie queen. “It’s kind of funny, because you don’t want to make it too known that you can do it, because otherwise you’re going to get a whole line.” 

There’s a sense of fun within the idea of picking out the perfect scrunchie and lining up for braids that sets the Black Ferns apart from their male equivalents. “Probably the easiest way to explain the difference between the men and the women – the men need to play well to feel good,” coach Wayne Smith told The Telegraph earlier this month. “The women need to feel good to play well. We have a lot of fun in the team – I won’t tell you how we do that – but there’s a lot of laughter, a lot of fun and we’re all making the most of it.”

Fluhler agrees. “For us, if we’re having fun, then I feel like that outweighs the result. It’s our whole mindset: you focus on the process, not the outcome.”

She currently has about 20-30 scrunchies with her for the World Cup, and has some strict rules about which ones she chooses to wear – no scrunchies twice in a row and they must match her outfit or kit that day. She sometimes lets her fans decide which scrunchie she should wear on her Instagram, or will FaceTime her nieces and let them choose. She keeps the black and white scrunchies for finals and one-off matches, and stays away from yellow entirely –  “I’ll never ever wear the same colour scrunchie as the opposition team’s colours.”

So while Fluhler hasn’t figured out which scrunchie she will be sporting for tonight’s match against Wales, one thing is certain.

“It definitely can’t have red in it.”

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Liam Rātana
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