How a Rock Star’s Son Helped Bring Attention to Ice Hockey in New Zealand
Financial hardships have gotten in the way of growing the sport. However, the die-hard community keeps the sport alive.
Avondale, NZ — Ice hockey had its rock star moment during the New Zealand Ice Hockey League’s 2019 season.
Liam Stewart, the son of British rocker Rod Stewart and Kiwi supermodel Rachel Hunter, joined the Skycity Stampede in the southern ski resort town of Queenstown.
His arrival soon became national news and interest followed around the country.
“I had a few teachers at school who asked me about it, they’re like, ‘Oh, are you playing against Liam Stewart?’” Admirals defenceman Alex Regan said. “There were many videos and reports of him playing in Queenstown so that helped get the message out a bit. There is ice hockey in New Zealand, you just have to find it a bit.”
While Stewart helped the sport gain national attention, there still is a need for international attention.
No NHLer has been born in New Zealand, but fellow trans-Tasman country Australia set the precedent when Aussie Nathan Walker won the Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals in 2017.
“We need our Walker, we need the first Kiwi to make the NHL,” West Auckland Admirals captain Justin Daigle said. “And then you’ll have so much more coverage.”
The league relies on players, volunteers, and supporters to attract attention to the games. Every game is streamed live on the league’s YouTube channel, but few actually know the league exists.
Volunteers for teams do their best at social media and Puck Yeah!, a New Zealand-based ice hockey website, provides the only consistent media coverage. The sport is built around a simple marketing tool: word-of-mouth.
Coverage not only brings more fans, but it also provides worth to potential investors.
Every team has their own sponsors, but the players want a national sponsor to cut registration fees league wide. The effect could also open the door for more players.
“When you turn 18, between the 18 and 25 year old bracket, mom and dad aren’t paying for anything anymore. Life takes over, you’re partying, you got a girlfriend and the summers are great. There’s a lot of things pulling you away from ice hockey, so if it’s free, it’s a lot easier to stay involved with,” Daigle said.
Financial hardships have taken their toll on the sport’s exposure in the country in all levels. The national team previously held training camps around the country before a world championship, but cut those to save costs.
More support has come over the years, especially after the Admirals won their first championship in 2018. However, outside forces like unavailable ice times and a warmer location have capped the popularity in West Auckland. In a colder location like Queenstown, game times for the Stampede are later at night, while the Admirals have a late afternoon slot.
Admirals fans do love their ice hockey though. Those within the community are “die-hard crazy.”
“I hear people say all the time that they have never seen a game before and will come to one game and they’re hooked for life,” Daigle said.
He uses his fiancé and her family as prime examples. They didn’t know about ice hockey when they met him. Now his fiancé’s brother drives two-and-a-half hours every weekend for the games.
“I’ve never met anybody who saw their first game of hockey and didn’t fall in love with it,” Daigle said.
The 15 year-old league is past the ‘growing pains’ stage, but officiating issues stunt its positive growth.
NZIHL referees are typically new to the sport, and with that comes challenges of missed communication and calls. These missed calls have proved costly to careers.
“I think the skill level was improving but it’s at a standstill because people are getting hurt and leaving,” Regan said.
Regan named Ollie Curtis, a former Admirals forward in 2016, as one player who quit due to concussions. Curtis had a promising career, which included representing New Zealand in the Youth Winter Olympics in 2016, but his career ended before he turned 17.
“I think it is slowly improving, but in a way it’s also at a standstill because of the barrier of contact and New Zealand hockey being not the most disciplined hockey,” Regan said.
Admirals manager Tim Ratcliffe recalled a culture rooted in blaming the referees for losses when he joined the team four years ago. He said the team worked through this issue the past few years, but officiating is still an ongoing issue.
When the managers get together for their annual end of season meeting, officiating is a popular subject. There’s even been talk of bringing an imported official for a season.
However, that’s a pipe dream for the league.
Ratcliffe estimates it would cost around $40,000 to 50,000 NZD to bring an official. That’s big money for a league without a national sponsor.
“How do you best use them? Do they go to each game? Do they coach the other refs?” Ratcliffe said. “They can only do one game at a time. There’s a lot of issues around it. It costs $100,000 to run a team for one of the seasons, and there’s only five teams.”
The talks between teams and officials haven’t gone well either. The officials remain “nonchalant” about their critiques.
“That’s been part of the problem because they haven’t acknowledged that they have a problem,” Ratcliffe said.
Ratcliffe hopes more money could improve officiating and move closer to the level of the Australian Ice Hockey League. The AIHL not only boasts the early development of Walker, but they also have a larger fan base with at least one game nationally televised once a week.
If the NZIHL were to catch up to the AIHL, Daigle would want a league similar to the National Rugby League where both countries combine forces.
“Big picture, ten years down the road, hopefully that’s something that we’re discussing,” he said.
Either that, or a Kiwi in the NHL.
