Pond Hockey in the Mountains - Revistited

-30 C at sunrise in the Himalaya

At 7am, the sun is only just peeking over the snow-capped mountain ridges. Inside, we are warm, sipping hot chocolate and light garlic soup, the breakfast of champions. Outside, it is nearing -30 degrees Celcius with the windchill, and we are heading out there to play hockey. No roof, no heat, just a frozen lake at over 12,000ft.  It's Pond Hockey in the Himalayas.  This is Leh, Ladakh, India, and today is the finals of the Indo-Canadian Cup.

One year ago: I join a group from the Canadian High Commission to play ice hockey in the mountains.  I tried to play when I first moved to Delhi but no info came my way. The next year I was all over it, yet the Canadian team didn't get a bid. I missed out on playing in the game that set the Guinness World Record for highest altitude outdoor hockey game. Last year, I did get to play. We lost in the semi-finals. I had 6 goals and an assist, the most on my team. You can find that post here. It was a fun weekend but this year we wanted to do better.

Thursday: We flew up to Leh a day earlier than last year to acclimate better.  The first 24 hours were spent eating, hydrating and either sleeping or lying down. I watched a bunch of movies and relaxed. Last year we were delayed 3.5 hours on the plane because the smog was so bad. With games starting Saturday morning early, we did not want to risk a delay cutting our time to prepare short. Thankfully, the flight did go out (an hour late) and we got to Leh easily.  Right as we walked into the hotel, legendary hockey player Slava Fetisov was filming a final interview for his project, The Last Game. We got to meet him, and as a Red Wings fan, this was a real honor.

HOF legend Slava Fetisov

Friday: There was an opportunity to get out to an eco-friendly school (no fossil fuels, solar-powered, grown own food) for a visit and have a skate with the children there.  We helped them learn better skating and stopping and played a fun game.  Since it was light hockey, I only wore my skates and gloves.  A kid took a shot and hit me in the shin (which bounced to my other shin). Recovering from that I made a pass, caught my skate in a crack, and fell backwards on my elbow. I decided that was a sign to get off the ice.  About 10 min later my elbow felt wet, and I knew instantly it was blood. I'd split it open pretty good and took some very questionable first aid from a lady at the school.  Stitches were in my future.

That will need stitches

Taking a cab to the hospital, I was escorted by a woman from the hotel. We wandered around this building, trying to find a room, but with no signs, it was impossible. By happenstance, we came upon the doctor's office where he removed the hack-wrapping job, cleaned it, and ordered me for stitches.  We returned to the lobby to register. I was ordered to pay 5 rupees ($0.07 USD), and I pulled out a 500 (about $8 US). They didn't have change and said to forget it. We hunted for room #40 for a while longer and finally came to the surgical theater.  It looked like the move set of "Saw."  Fluid stains and bloody bandages littered the floor. Antiseptic cleansers lay open on tables. The bedsheet on the gurney was a canvas tarp like you would use when painting or cover a boat. It, too, was riddled with dark red stains.  The man said to jump up on the table and lay down. I stared at the filth, shook my head and said "no way."  He looked at me for a moment then down at the bed and back again, trying to make sense of my concern. He seemed to get it and flipped the canvas over, gesturing to hop up. I shrugged, prayed, and sat down, trying to keep as few points of my body in contact with the bed as possible.  They washed me down with iodine and, after verifying I was getting a clean needle, they tried to give me a local anesthetic. The woman opened the suture kit and stuck it through my skin. I tensed with pain. The medication had done nothing (it was probably water, or if I am lucky, saline), and proceeded to knot and aggressively tie four stitches in my arm. I winced each time, fighting the pulls of thread and the prick of skin with no numbing agent. A rough night followed as I had a very swollen arm that ached with pain and made me nearly scream out each time I touched it to the bed. I was uncertain I could still play hockey. It bled all night. I guess you get what you pay for (or don't pay for).

Saturday:  Morning came and I had to cut the wrap off. Circulation helped and I slapped on a large bandage and went to breakfast. We dressed in the hotel (since there are no locker rooms at the pond and it is very cold), and boarded the bus. Like last year, we arrived at the pond in town and started to shovel the snow off the ice. It took 1 hour to remove it and a lot of work at this elevation.

But then game 1 was on. We faced off against Randstad Blue, a mix of good skaters and weaker players.  Jeff had an early shot that was left lying in front of the net and I came in a banged it home for the first goal of the game. The rest went along nicely except for a semi-breakaway I had which ended in me getting cross-checked in the neck. We won 3-0 so I had the game-winning goal.

Slurpie Line (#s 7-7-11)

Game 2: After a half an hour off, we returned to the ice (after sweeping and shoveling of course) to face the Scouts, a military team-based high in the mountains of Ladakh.  Their oxygen capacity and physical fitness greatly outmatched ours, and it showed. Red was all over us every second of the game on that small ice surface. Our line never even registered a shot on goal. We would get the puck and three red jerseys were there, chipping and breaking up the play. We were outgunned from the start and suffered a 1-0 loss.

Exhausted trying to get something done

A frustrated Slurpie (7-11) line

I deflect a shot between my legs that goes wide of the net, the
closest we come to a shot on goal.

Game 3: We finished the morning playing the Randstad White team who also had a mix of players, though we expected them to be tougher. Their fast defenseman tried to carry the puck out and I went at him, chipped it away and went in. With him hanging on me I was able to beat him to it and slide it far side past the goalie for a 1-0 lead. I later had an assist on Jeff's goal.  We won 2-0 and again I had the game-winner plus an assist.

Charity Game:  A bus ride down to a river took us to a charity event. First, we hopped on a pond to play against the Indo-Tibetan Police Team.  Exhausted from our games, we expected defeat from these faster guys.  Right off the opening face-off I came at a guy just like Game 3 earlier in the day and picked him. I chased the puck to the corner, peeled back, kicked it ahead, and slid it to Jeff for a one-timer. It was about the last good play we had. It is in the video below. We were exhausted. We finished the game and helped pushed disabled athletes on sleds in a charity game. It was fun and felt good but soon the wind and the fatigue of the day caught up and we needed to be done.

Sunday: We rose early to bitter cold and prepared for the final games. The semis and finals were hosted on the "big rink", a purpose-built venue with seating and boards. As the #2 seed, we had to play #3 which was a rematch with the Randstad Blue team. We had a chance early on when Jeff and I went to the net. He opted not to pass and put a backhander over the net. They played us tight to a scoreless tie at the half.  On the first shift of the 2nd half, we struck. Ricky (D) picked off the puck and slides it to his other D-man, Sylvain, who taps it to Jeff. He sends it ahead to me and as I cross the line I pull a drop pass where Mike takes it and fires it home. Nothing like a goal where everyone touches the puck. 1-0.  That goal is below.

A few moments later Scott scores on line 2 and we are up a couple of goals. I missed a one-timer but then we get a break. Jeff wins a face off and Mike sends it down ice; meanwhile, I am racing up the left-wing and break into the zone. It is snowing and sunny but I am able to discern that one of the people breaking to the net is our guy. I hit Ricky, who jumped up from defense on the play, and he slams it home (see below).

In the final moments, I pick off their defensemen and might have been in alone but I am tripped and draw a penalty (below). At the horn, I have 2 assists, and we win the semi-final 3-1.

Finals: We have one last game and it is a rematch of the Scouts who just killed the White team 6-1. They are the home team, trained at altitude and have the fans. But we have big ice. No more of that small pond where they are all over us. No, now we have boards we can use and open ice to pass on. This is the hockey we grew up with. We are ready.

Face off with the Slurpie Line

Jeff and Justin - 7's

A little through the legs dangle

The pace is fast but it is apparent we have room to work. At about the 5-minute mark, I break for the net and Jeff sees me coming. It is a perfect pass for a one-timer, but I miss. Luckily it hits me in the foot and goes in (see below). We take what we can get. 1-0.

Moments later, our winger on the 2nd line plain outworks their defense and scores a lovely goal. We are up 2-0.  We have a solid lead at the half, but our team is worried. I try to give a speech, reminding them that this ice is different and that these guys are more tired than we think. I get laughs but I am serious - they lack the jump.  My guys don't look convinced but I know what is happening.  The Scouts up the pressure significantly in the 2nd half. They get to the puck first and want it more. However, they just don't seem to get quality chances and their shots come from bad angles or are deflected.  I see the puck go to their end at the end of a long shift and I bust ass to get there in time to pull a waster on the goalie.  The bench yells as it looks like it goes in, but the refs are far off and can't tell so it is called a no goal.  A shift later we ice the puck and the time runs out. 2-0 victory, and my 3rd game-winning goal in 5 games.

Delhi Sacred Bulls - 2020 Indo-Canadian Cup Champions

Champions

Pond Hockey in the Mountains

Before I moved to India, I learned of this great ice hockey tournament in the mountains. However, no matter who I contacted, no one could give me info. The next year I was determined to go, but again, it didn't pan out. This year I was resolute and, sure enough, the trip was on. The opportunity to play hockey, outdoors, on a pond, in the mountains of Leh at 12,000ft was worth the wait.

I played with a team of people from the Canadian High Commission. We were called the New Delhi Sacred Bulls and were 12 skaters in all. Luckily, most of us got a chance to play a few times before the tournament at a crappy rink in Gurgaon.  We flew out early on a Friday morning - or at least that was the plan. After arriving at the airport and boarding the plane, we sat on the runway for 3.5 hours due to "fog" (but we all know it was heavily influenced by pollution).

Can you see the plane next to us on the runway? No? It's less than 100ft away...

Eventually, we were off for the 1 hour flight to Leh, and were treated to some amazing mountain views on the way in. It was fairly cold in the mountains, with temps around -11 Celsius. We made our way to the hotel for lunch and a relatively uneventful day as acclimating was key.

Sleep is not easy at 3500m and we were up early for breakfast.  Because the games are on a pond, we dressed in our hotel rooms. Two teams boarded the bus, piling sticks and equipment in, and drove to the rink.  Snow had fallen over night and it took a good hour to "clean" the ice (shovel it then sweep it with straw brooms). I tell you, if you need a workout, try shoveling snow at 3500m. It leaves you gassed in seconds.

Dubai and Delhi riding to the rink

Overnight snow on the rink - it took more than an hour to clear the ice

Our first game was against the Dubai Buds.  This team had played together a bit in Dubai and that was an advantage for them (we had not skated as a team). However, we started out hot and I scored a few minutes in by coming across the middle and beating the goalie glove side.  We were tied  1-1 going into the second half when I scored a wrap around goal to give us the lead. We didn't have a team goalie so we had to have a local player in net, and this proved to be a disaster. He let in 4 goals, not one of them a legit shot. Long, half-ice shots bounced in. It was devastating to lose (4-2) when we could have skated with that team. I had both goals, and we now knew how to prevent the problem in the future - limit their shots.

AES Teachers - Michael, Kristin, and Justin

AES Teachers - Michael, Kristin, and Justin

The next game that morning was against the India Select team, basically an all-star team of the local players.  They were young and fast, but like the Qatari national team in Doha, they were one dimensional.  I didn't score in game 2, but I had to skate a lot on both ends of the ice to keep the attacking and defending happening. We rotated centers, so I played every other shift.  We played to a 1-1 tie with just a minute to go when one of our players got loose and scored. We won, 2-1, and had 30 min rest. Our final game was against a team from Bangalore who was very inexperienced. They mostly were learning roller hockey and some had never been on ice. They picked up a few women from the Indian national team.  We handled them pretty easily. I scored early, and then Kristin got one. An AES parent, Matt, wanted a goal since he was going to miss the 2nd day of the tournament, and I was able to bring the puck out from the corner and find him in front where he buried it for a 3-0 lead. Bangalore managed to get one but we still won.

I pull up on the boards against the India select team.

Our forward gets lose and scores against the India select team with under a minute to go to give us the win.

We loaded on to buses and headed down the mountain about 20 minutes to another couple of ponds. We were there to skate with several other teams in a charity event called the Ability Cup. One team was the India Army team, another a group of kids, and the last team a group of disabled athletes who played on sledges.  We laced up our skates and pushed some of the athletes on sledges around then joined them in a game. As tired as I was, it was invigorating to see all these different people of all ages and abilities learning the game and loving being out there.  We left, pretty toasted after 3 games and a fun skate event. We returned home to shower and had a few cocktails before dinner, which was  a banquet with local performers and music. If we weren't so exhausted, it would have been a wild night. 

Supporting the efforts of charities at the Ability Cup

Sunday was the final day of the tournament. I awoke extremely sore: my lower back was aching and my legs toast, but we had to get back out there. Luckily, there was no snow overnight so we didn't have to clear the ice. Unfortunately, cracks were forming in the ice and would only get worse throughout the day. We finished as the 2nd seed on day 1 so we drew the India select team for the elimination round. Again, I scored early in the game. Our task was to limit shots, but it made no difference: a long, rolling, slow shot trickled past our goalie. We did what we could but they just kept shooting and the goalie just didn't know how to stop the puck. We lost 4-2 in the semi-finals.

I scored this goal by going through 3 guys and roofing it while the D pulled me down

There was no time to lick our wounds as we played in the consultation game against Bangalore immediately after. I grabbed a water bottle and a puck between games to try and fill the cracks but it was to no avail. We started out strong and controlled the game from the start. I split the defense and buried a goal while being pulled to the ice. Then there was a hard shot from the point that rang off the post and behind the goalie which I tapped in with little effort. We were rolling and scored a couple of more. I tried desperately to set up Kristin and our defensemen for a goal. I won a few faceoffs back to them but they just didn't find that back of the net. We won easily.  We grabbed some beers and went to the rooftop to watch the final game: India select vs. Dubai Buds.  India won 2-1 with a goal late in the game. They completely out skated Dubai who looked like they could barely skate - altitude was definitely a factor. 

Leh hockey rink 

Watching the finals from the rooftop above the rink

Despite being exhausted, we wandered around town and stopped in Wanderers for some momos. We nearly froze waiting over 1 hour but all was well returning to the hotel where we enjoyed some drinks late into the night.  

I had 6 goals and 2 assists in 5 games, but more importantly, we played hockey outdoors in the mountains on the highest outdoor ice rink in the world. It was an amazing experience and I cannot wait to play again next year. 

Ice Hockey in the Desert

At the end of two years, I'll have little to say about my time in Doha. You will notice by the lack of posts that adventure here was slim. I intended to write about marathons in the Middle East but even that passion was gone. However, there is one thing I will truly miss about my time here, and that is playing ice hockey. Yep, ice hockey...in the desert.  Given this place is more expats than locals, and a good amount of them from Europe (as engineers and pilots), and many from Canada (a college here), a large amount of people familiar with the game could play.  What started as humble beginnings in a mall (and continues in a mall, just a better rink), now is 10 teams across two divisions battling multiple times a week for the illustrious title, given out twice a year, for the Qatar International Ice Hockey League Champions.  There are even tournaments in Dubai and Abu Dhabi for groups to travel.

Qatar Team - Abu Dhabi Fall 2015

Qatar Beer Team - Dubai Spring 2016

It's adult hockey, so no hitting, but it does get pretty physical.  Each game has 1-2 referees with a few of them pretty permanent staples; other times it is just a player coming out to help ref before his game starts. A score keeper runs the clock and keeps stats, but don't expect credit on that second assist. Skill level runs from beginner (in the B/C league) through decent guys that have gotten somewhat older and slowed a bit, right on through former collegiate and junior players in the top division.  This year there were even some former semi-pros and Olympians in the mix.  The A-league makes for some fast hockey. The Qatari National Team plays in A and is coached well and continues to get better and better. Guys are drafted by team captains behind closed doors at a local pub while the rest of the league sits at the bar and watches names come up, round by round (and drinking the same) on a tv. The same bar also hosts a party during the Desert Cup (Doha Tourney) and at the end of the season, a couple of dhow boats are rented - BBQ, swimming, and lots and lots of beverages accompany awards out on the water, ranging from most valuable player to best dressed.

For two years I have been playing in the A league and enjoyed every minute of it.  Drafted very late in my first season as an unknown, I put up some numbers and got noticed, finishing 11th in scoring. We played well the first season but lost in the finals. The next season I was drafted higher and played a more complete role, setting up the puck and helping on the defensive end. I finished 12th in scoring but we won the title after finishing in 3rd out of 4 in the league regular season.

First trophy - Season 2 Spring 2015

Then I was drafted on a dream team. The top line was full of Finnish players, two of them over 6 foot 6. The other guy had played semi-pro. It was disgusting. Remember when the Russians came to the NHL and the passing was so fast you couldn't keep up? That is what these guys made our league look like. They passed 5 times before a goal, and they got one nearly every shift. I played on the 2nd line with only one job to do - shut the other guys down, which was easy to do as we were backed up by strong D-men. We won nearly every game and playing the finals was a formality as we crushed everyone. Our top line finished 1, 2, 3 in scoring. I was a distant 17th in scoring but very content in my defensive and team role.

Dream Team, Second Trophy - Fall 2015

My last season was the best. I went in the top 5. After the draft, there were mumblings that we were going to get killed based on the paper. Our team had a few unknowns and while it had 2 stars, everyone else's team looked deeper.  Our concerns were unfounded. We destroyed it, losing only 3 games (of 28) all season (I missed 2 of those 3 games). Our team passed well, back-checked, got loose pucks, and rebounded. Everyone contributed and it paid off. I played on the first line with another fast, head's up winger and our center, a tall, strong, skilled player. I finished tied for 7th in league scoring while our top two guys went 1-2 (the second guy 9 points clear of third). We won the finals 12-4.  It was hands down one of the most fun, cooperative, unselfish teams I have ever played for (in any sport).  In the end, I played 4 seasons - made the finals in all of them and won the championship in the last 3 of the 4.

Third Trophy, Best Team Ever - Spring 2016

I'll remember this time as my saving grace in Doha. I got to play some amazing hockey in my 30s with guys from all over the world and skated against, and with, Kristian Wallgren and Anze Emersic, two of the best players I have shared the ice with. I have never played as well as I did with my wingman of the final two seasons, Charles Fullerton, and got to play great games, shinny, and tourneys with my buddy Andrew Woodrow, who along with my brother is one of the guys I most enjoy seeing both on and off the ice. Thank you to the organizers of the QIIHL and its members - I will never forget this awesome group of guys and the privileged to play the greatest game in the world in the harshest of landscapes.

Thanks to the fans!

Drink from the Cup! - Rink Rats QIIHL Champions

22 and 11 - Walker (RW) and Fullerton (LW)

Rink Rats - Production Line (Justin, Kristian, Charles)