As the Coyotes and Kings prepare to play two preseason games in Australia this weekend, many fans are discovering that there is hockey on the other side of the world.

In recent years, the National Hockey League (NHL) has hosted games around the world to promote its product. Several European countries as well as China and Japan hosted games.

But this time the NHL is innovating with a first visit to the Southern Hemisphere, where hockey is alive and well.

TVA Sports presenter Jean-Philippe Bertrand is well positioned to talk about it. In 2010, he went into exile in Dunedin, New Zealand for a season to play ice hockey.

“In Australia and New Zealand there is actually a semi-professional league. The Australian league has eight teams and the New Zealand league has six,” says the man who finished second in the league standings during his time with the Dunedin Thunder.

But what explains the sudden popularity of ice hockey in these two countries?

“Sidney Crosby’s golden goal at the Vancouver Olympics broke viewership records in Australia,” insists the former La Dose presenter.

Semi-professional leagues are therefore better organized than ever before, with teams able to accommodate five foreign players each. Canadians, Americans and Europeans travel the globe for an extraordinary experience.

Rugby music on the ice

The two countries of Oceania are known worldwide for rugby. And let’s just say that ice hockey is no exception.

“The ice hockey played there is not very technical, but it is definitely very physical. They are rugby players on skates, every opportunity is good to hit an opponent,” Bertrand mentions.

Like the All Blacks in rugby, the New Zealand national ice hockey team performs the traditional haka on the ice before every game.

Influenced by field hockey

Australia and New Zealand are two countries where a lot of field hockey is played, which is reflected on the ice when it comes to swapping shoes for skates.

On grass, all clubs are right-handed. It is impossible to be left-handed as most international competitions prohibit it. A regulation that has a direct impact when players play ice hockey.

“I would say 95% of the players there are right-handed! Normally the ratio is more like 75 to 25 in favor of left-handers,” explains the host.

Even though Australia falls well short of North American and European standards, the country has still produced a Stanley Cup winner. Australian Nathan Walker won the Cup with the Washington Capitals in 2018 (main photo).