The (British) Ice Hockey Experience

So having taken in my second British Ice Hockey game last night, I thought it was well nigh time that I shared the experience with others. So, here is the British Ice Hockey Experience according to Fraggle.

Part 1 - The Build Up

A couple of months ago, because I was missing hockey from home (not that there was any anyway), my friends Rich, Danni (Hobbes), Matt and I decided to go see the London Racers live at Lea Valley Ice Centre in East London. I suppose I got my first indication of what was to come when, upon reserving my tickets, the very Canadian sounding person who called me to confirm my credit card details told me I'd be able to pick them up at "The Ticket Table" prior to the game. With much anticipation, much singing the hockey night in Canada theme over and over the day finally arrived. By this time I had discovered that Sleeman and Moosehead were available in adundant supply, and upon also discovering that many of the players were Canadian to begin with, I was really quite excited! So excited in fact, that when hoping aloud in the car on the way there that we would be on the jumbotron I didn't even clue in that Rich's not knowing what a jumbo tron was, might also have prepared me for what was to come.

Part Two: The arrival.

It went something like this:

Rich: Here we are!
Jo: Where's the Ice Centre?
Rich: Right there!
Jo: That little bubbly thing? Are you sure? That's half the size of our community arenas! (Jo laughs uncontrollably)

Part Three: What awaited inside.

It was quite quaint. Picture a little community arena. Actually - smaller than a community arena. Picture a little rink that is surrounded by four (count them, four) rows of seats (that you don't need to reserve, by the way). Picture the snack stand that is out of Cornish Pasties, Candy Floss and most else of what it says it serves. Picture the bar upstairs that is manned by one..well...man, and another one who's heckling the first's bartending abilities. Picture the same man later operating the deepfryer while his fellow barman is now out operating the zamboni and later putting away the nets and clearning up the ice. They're probably the ticket salespeople and the voices on the other end of the phone answering machine too. The loos were just like community arena loos, except with slightly less graffiti. It is necessary to wear coats and scarves in these rinks (although they're slightly warmer than community rinks at home).

It was quite fun being so up close though. In fact, I had never been close enough to smell the players' sweat before... It was great to make eye contact with the players and know that were we to yell something (I didn't have the courage to) they would have been able to hear me! And it was also quite fun to hear the players talking to each other etc, etc.

Part Four: The Game

As it happens, they've won both games I've been to (yay Racers!) But it all seemed a bit slow motion. I guess that's because judging by their ages, they were mostly retired or injured former NHLers. It was also remarkably unviolent. A couple of times the body checks were followed with a glimmer of "If only I was younger..." in the check recipient's eyes, but that's about it. Not that I mind though, as I've never been much of a advocate of hockey violence. Many of the players (particularly the Scottish ones, as it turns out one game we saw was against Edinborough, the other against Fife) are quite small too. Teeny tiny, itsy-bitsy wee little hockey players that roll their rrrrrs when they say "Overrrrr herrrrrre McDuff". Actually, to be honest, most of them sounded remarkably...North American. See above.

Part Five: The Fans.

Polite Brits. They clap when a member of the other team gets up after being knocked down, they clap when the other team is introduced, they clap when the introduce the refs, and no joke, there's a "give three cheers for the other team" at the end of the game. Ahhhhh.... And yes, they do stand for God Save the Queen at the beginning.

Well, all this to say that they've made the playoffs (yay!) and I think I'm hooked. I may even get the shirt. Although with all of the Team Canada and Toronto Maple Leaf shirts in attendance at the games I might feel like a bit of an outsider wearing one that says "London Racers" on it...

I've added the link should anyone be interested...

www.londonracers.com