Ice Hockey In The Land Down Under

What do professional hockey players do in the off-season? More and more, the boys of winter go searching for, well, more winter! Where do you find winter from April through August? Down under in Australia, of course.

The Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) has been in operation since 2000. Although the league does not pay their players yet, the off-season option of playing in Australia is attracting more and more players from North America and Europe.

What the league does offer its imports is financial assistance in the form of accommodations, travel expenses, use of a vehicle and help with getting employment. Hockey is growing in popularity in Australia and along with it, the AIHL. A league that started out with just three teams in 2000 now has eight and a ninth, the Perth Thunder, is hoping to enter for the 2012 season. This season, 2011, Perth will play exhibition games against the other eight teams to test their viability in the ice hockey market.

The eight teams that currently make up the AIHL are: Adelaide Adrenaline, Canberra Knights, Gold Coast Blue Tongues, Melbourne Ice, Mustangs (Melbourne), Newcastle North Stars, Sydney Bears and Sydney IceDogs. The Mustangs are a new franchise entering the league for the first time this season.

The Newcastle North Stars have been the most successful team to date, winning the Goodall Cup as the AIHL’s playoff champion on four occasions. The Sydney Bears have won the trophy twice while the Sydney IceDogs, Adelaide Adrenaline and Melbourne Ice have each won once. The reigning champion is the Melbourne Ice.

There is a strong push to develop local talent in the league. Each team may only sign six imports (players from outside Australia). Of those six players, each game only four may dress. Typically, imports are North American and European born players that are on the rosters of European elite teams. Because the European leagues are typically done play before the late April AIHL start, the timing is ideal.

The teams in the league each play a 28 game regular season schedule, starting in late April and ending in August. The crowds are much smaller than those in North America and Europe, though the game is gaining rapidly in popularity.

One quirky difference in the AIHL game is the shorter length of the game at three periods of fifteen minutes each as opposed to the three at twenty minutes standard. The reasoning is the shorter game reduces ice time costs and allows for a smaller roster. With a smaller roster, costs are reduced right on down the line. Another reason given for the shorter game time is that a longer game might turn off potential new fans to the game.

This is definitely a league for the avid hockey fan to keep an eye on. The imports to the league include players that have played elite hockey as high as the NHL. At worst, the AIHL can provide hockey action through the North American summer months for the rabid fan that just can’t go without.

For more information and up to date news and stats, check out the AIHL official website.