Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.12.2006, Blaðsíða 22
30_REYKJAVÍK_GRAPEVINE_ISSUE18_006_RECREATION/SPORTS
Forget everything you think you know about
Icelandic hockey.
For Icelanders this will mean accepting
that hockey is at least fairly popular here
(500 players and counting). For outsiders,
know that what Disney’s 1994 film D2:
The Mighty Ducks implied about Icelandic
hockey was not exactly accurate. The vision
presented of a Scandinavian hockey culture
(played by some tall, silent, blond dudes)
is probably more aptly illustrative of the
situation in Finland, if anywhere. Iceland
itself has been forced to overcome a series
of obstacles imposed by its small population
and rapidly changing climate conditions to
build its emerging hockey culture. Iceland
does not currently compete in the Junior
Goodwill Games, against a team of American
hoodlums or otherwise.
Icelandic hockey was born in Akureyri
around the middle of the 20th century, and
the northern city continues to pride itself on
its locals’ skills with a puck. Originally played
on frozen ponds and rivers in wintertime,
unpredictable weather made practising
difficult in the north and impossible in
warmer areas of the country. By 1990
Iceland had built two outdoor artificial rinks.
Though manmade ice was an improvement
on previous “facilities,” Viðar Garðarsson,
Chairman of Ice Hockey Iceland, told the
Grapevine that melting still caused problems.
Reykjavík’s rink “often looked more like a
duck pond” than an ice rink.” Covers for
the existing arenas in Akureyri and Reykjavík
were constructed by 2000 and later, a third
indoor rink was added in Reykjavík.
Since the creation of a national competitive
league in 1991, Icelandic hockey culture´s rise
has been perceptible. The national league is
currently composed of three men’s teams –
Skautafélag Akureyrar (SA) in Akureyri, and
Skautafélag Reykjavíkur (SR) and Björninn
in Reykjavík – and two women’s teams – SA
and Björninn. While this bodes well for the
international and domestic competition in
years to come, a rising interest in hockey,
and ice sports in general, has led to more
logistical problems for current programmes.
Even with no speedskating to speak of,
and curling still in its infancy (introduced in
1996 and only competitive for the past three
years), ice-time at the nation’s rinks is booked
solid. Between figure skating programmes
and hockey’s junior and competitive leagues
(many of whose male players cross-upwards
through the three age divisions to play for
multiple teams while they can) there is
only barely enough time to fit everyone in.
Considering that regular season games go
untelevised and are barely attended by local
press, the enthusiasm is impressive.
Icelandic hockey culture, as such, might be
somewhat new domestically, but Icelanders
have been competing in hockey abroad since
the early 20th century. Icelandic emigrants to
Canada attempted to gain entrance to the
nation’s hockey teams. After being repeatedly
denied, they formed the Winnipeg Falcons.
The Falcons won the prestigious Allan Cup
in 1920. Icelandic national team jerseys
commemorate their Canadian hockey playing
ancestors with a maple leaf and falcon crest.
A native of Canada, new SR and Icelandic
national team head coach Ed Maggiacomo
brings the crest’s symbolism full circle.
Speaking with the Grapevine,
Maggiacomo, former Danish women’s
national team coach, said the schedule was
tight. “Of course, you always want more
ice… but people are pretty good about
sharing with the national team.” Though
ice-time is currently a logistical problem, it
doesn’t appear to be a sensitive issue for
those involved. Ice Hockey Iceland’s Chairman
Viðar Garðarsson told the Grapevine that,
though it is difficult to continue to build
Iceland’s hockey enthusiasm without more
space, he feels there is definitely a developing
hockey culture here. Pausing for a moment
after seeing his son send his second puck
that week flying into a light fixture and
showering the ice with glass, Garðarsson said
that expansion in ice facilities will come. The
process is slow, but growing local support for
hockey will help, and eventually more ice will
be available for Iceland’s athletes, he stated.
Maggiacomo isn’t the only Canadian
with the Icelandic programme this year.
Icelandic teams recruit foreign players for
the regular competitive season. This year
two Czech citizens, brothers, are playing for
SR as well as one Canadian. When I asked
Coach Maggiacomo if the relative shortage
of players growing up in the sport in Iceland
was a problem for the national men’s team
recruitment he replied no, stating that
every country’s programmes are different.
“Some have big junior leagues and some
don’t,” Maggiacomo explained. “It’s not a
problem.”
When Coach Maggiacomo returned to
the ice, his wife Carol told me he is training
some of the older players to act as coaches
to younger players. Teaching strategies of
instruction in the sport of hockey could be
his “legacy to leave behind,” as Carol put it,
for hockey playing Icelanders down the road.
Carol explained that the players brought in
from abroad aren’t “super-star players…
And the team is starting to see that… They’re
here to help them improve.” Carol also
commented on the idea of a hockey culture
here in Iceland. “You’re instantly embraced
by hockey people,” she told me, going on to
say that even so far away from Canada she
feels at home at the ice rink.
Last year was Maggiacomo’s first
in Iceland. It was also the year that the
Icelandic team hosted and won the Division
III World Championships, competing against
Turkey, Luxembourg, Armenia and Ireland.
The championship brought “about 2,500
people, most of whom had never seen a
game before,” Carol told me. Iceland’s win
at that tournament earned them a spot in
Division II for the 2007 event. I asked Coach
Maggiacomo what Icelandic fans can expect
from team Iceland this year. “We’re looking
to stay in Division II,” he said, “and to get
stronger” in the process.
Icelandic Hockey Suffers for Lack of Ice
Text by Virginia Zech Photo by Skari
Since the creation of a national competitive league
in 1991, Icelandic hockey culture´s rise has been
perceptible. The national league is currently com-
posed of three men’s teams and two women’s
teams.
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