Reykjavík Grapevine - 11.03.2011, Qupperneq 31

I admit it. Disney duped me. I saw D2: The Mighty
Ducks in 1994 and walked away thinking that all
Icelanders eat, sleep, and breathe hockey. So
imagine my shock seventeen years later when
I came to Reykjavík and learned that the locals
weren’t casually playing hockey while skating to
work. Perhaps my expectations were unrealistic,
but nevertheless Iceland stands as the lone Scan-
dinavian country where hockey is not widely fol-
lowed by the public. While football and handball
dominate the sports headlines, hockey is relegated
to a small blurb at the end of the local sports page
and rarely televised.
Most Icelanders pay no attention to hockey, but
that’s not to say all. Small groups of hockey lovers
have kept the sport alive for years. Organised clubs
have been playing in Iceland since the 1940s. But
in the last ten years, hockey in Iceland has gone
from the hobby of a few to an emerging national
pastime. Advancing any sport on a national level
comes with challenges, and hockey is no excep-
tion. Iceland’s hockey organization, Ice Hockey
Iceland, is taking on the task and finding success.
AchiEVinG A hiGhER lEVEl oF plAY
I spoke with Viðar Garðarsson, president of Ice
Hockey Iceland, at the Laugardalur Sports Centre.
Viðar, like most Icelanders, never played hockey as
a child, nor was he an avid follower. That changed
when his son Þórhallur started playing nearly sev-
enteen years ago. Hockey has since become a
major part of Viðar’s life, as his son now plays for
Skautafélag Reykjavíkur in the Icelandic league,
and Viðar has gone from hockey dad to president
of Ice Hockey Iceland. He now faces the challenges
of improving the national team, expanding the do-
mestic league, and promoting participation among
young Icelanders.
Viðar acknowledges that hockey’s standing in
the Icelandic world of sports is far from where he
would like to see it, but that things are changing.
“The hard fact of reality is that our playing level is
nowhere close to expect to play top teams in US
or Europe.” Nonetheless, Team Iceland is steadily
improving its level of play. For years, Iceland fluctu-
ated between Division III and Division II within the
International Ice Hockey Federation, though now
the team feels comfortable in their position in Divi-
sion II. They cemented their spot last year with a
bronze medal finish in their division tournament.
Despite the promotion, Iceland still faces some
hurdles. The level of play in the lower divisions can
be inconsistent, as was evident when Iceland suf-
fered a 20-0 smackdown at the hands of Lithuania
in 2002, or when Iceland delivered a massacre
of their own in a 50-0 win over Armenia in 2006.
Though increasing the overall skill level is certainly
crucial, advancing the state of hockey in general is
a war fought on many fronts.
MoRE RinkS MEAn MoRE pARTicipATion
The state of hockey in Iceland has been making
long strides since the establishment of the coun-
try’s first domestic league in 1991. The Icelandic
hockey league is currently made up of three mens
teams: Skautafélag Akureyrar, Skautafélag Reykja-
víkur, and Björninn in Reykjavík, and two women’s
teams: Skautafélag Akureyrar and Björninn. Upon
its establishment, the league had only two outdoor
rinks, upon which the presence of ice, and there-
fore the ability to practice, was entirely weather-
dependant.
All that changed in 1998, when Iceland built its
first indoor skating rink. Since then, two additional
indoor rinks have been added and the playing level
in Iceland has progressed dramatically. However,
more rinks are needed, Viðar says. As of now,
hockey teams must compete with other sports for
time on the ice, such as figure skating and curling,
as well as public skating. So more ice means more
time to for hockey practice.
One community in Egilsstaðir has taken on
that challenge in a grass roots initiative. A group
of hockey enthusiasts has come together to build
their own rink with a plastic roof to shelter it from
the rain and wind. With the new roof, Egilsstaðir is
giving Iceland its newest hockey club, where Viðar
is jetting off for the inauguration after our inter-
view.
Getting more youngsters to take up the sport,
or “widening the base” as Viðar puts it, is another
important role in expansion efforts. From children
to senior players, there are around 600 hockey
players in Iceland, and from those you might get
one or two who grow up to be truly gifted stars.
Viðar compares Iceland’s hockey situation to that
of handball, in which the national team ranks a re-
markable 13th in the world. “If we had a pool of six
or seven thousand kids, [as in handball] we would
be playing in top ten!” he laughs. “And that is the
long term goal.”
REAchinG ouT To ThE puBlic
Viðar is also reaching out to the media, and in this
aspect hockey has seen some surprising success.
Local newspaper Morgunblaðið now includes re-
ports on Icelandic league games, where there was
nothing only four years ago. The most resounding
indicator came last year when the state television
station televised the Icelandic league’s champion-
ship game, unsure of how the ratings would play
out. Viðar explains his amazement that the game
scored 22 percent of the viewership, beating the
top games in the English Premier League. “It was
unbelievable! And even the TV station did not be-
lieve its own eyes!”
The strength of hockey’s emerging fan base
can be seen in the consistent figures of live at-
tendance. At most league games Viðar estimates
between one hundred-fifty and three hundred
spectators. Compare that to handball, which sees
around twenty or thirty, and hockey seems to be
really taking off. That dedication no doubt led to
Iceland being chosen as host to the 2011 Women’s
World Hockey Division IV Championship. As the
spotlight begins to shine more and more on hock-
ey, the media and the public are taking notice.
MoVinG on up
The World Championship tournament (under 18,
Division III) in Mexico City begins March 13, and
Iceland's Young Men's National Team is on its way
there. The winner of the tournament will move up
to Division II. To do that, Team Iceland will have
to defeat Israel, Ireland, South Africa, and Mexico.
This tournament is especially important for Iceland,
as they have recently struggled to secure their spot
in Division II. They have made it there twice, but
each time they have ended a season in last place,
causing them to fall back into Div. III, as was the
case last year. But Viðar thinks their chances are
good. "We are always on the edge of Division II and
Division III, so we have a definite possibility."
With significant gains in facilities, participation,
and media attention, it seems hockey’s continuing
progress is inevitable. Viðar attributes the success
so far primarily to the group of dedicated volun-
teers within Ice Hockey Iceland who give immea-
surable amounts of time and effort for the better-
ment of the sport.
So where does the president of Ice Hockey Ice-
land see his programme in five years? “In the el-
evator, between first and second division.” He goes
on to explain that he has faith in hockey because
the sport seems to fit well with the mentality of
Icelanders. “We like the speed. We like the action.
We like the sport.” With all the success Icelandic
hockey has seen in the last few years, it appears
this elevator is only going up.
30
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 3 — 2011 Ice hockey in Iceland, huh? Who'd have thought it!
More info at www.ihi.is
An ironic lack of ice in iceland
let hockey long go unnoticed in
the world of icelandic sports.
But thanks to a dedicated
group of puck-handling
enthusiasts, hockey is rapidly
cross-checking its way into the
national spotlight.
Words
Steve Ganey
photography
Jói Kjartans
Sports | Hockey
pucks in Motion
Is ice hockey in Iceland really such a crazy proposition?
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www.airiceland.is
websales@airiceland.is / tel. +354 570 3030 Contact Air Iceland or
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