Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Episode 2: Ice Hockey, Aussie Style



Ice hockey in Australia isn't absolutely the most popular sport. AFL football and cricket are probably number one and two, depending who you ask, but the standard is still good. Adelaide's ice hockey team - which a couple of years ago was the Avalanche, then the As, and now the Adrenaline - is the reigning national champion in a league of seven teams. Our captain was the captain of Australia for a while, and we've got imports from Canada, Finland and all good hockey-playing countries.

Also, yeah, we're driving on the left. Freak out!

You get to see some of the best players in the country. Admittedly they're probably not international superstars, but that's okay. Hey, they're good enough to play for the Leafs.

[Enter the Ice Arena. Advance Australia Fair plays and the game begins.]

First period over. Nil-all. Fifteen-minute periods, smaller ice surface, but still good fun.

[A zamboni cleans the ice, an announcer welcomes the team back onto the ice, and the game continues. The crowd cheers two Adelaide goals.]

Two minutes left. Time out to the away team. Tension's on. Three-two.

[Canberra's goalie denies several Adelaide chances. The crowd counts down the final seconds until the game ends.]

With the game over, we shake hands like real sportsmen here in Australia.

So that's ice hockey, Aussie style. Stay tuned, folks.

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