A taste of home

I never would have thought I'd be able to watch a hockey game at a shopping mall. But since ice rinks are commonly found in malls here, they are natural places for a game. Last night was a pre-season game between the Hong Kong Tycoon and the Macau Aces. I was surprised by the quality of game: it was quick paced and really clean (barely checking). Both teams looked like they consisted mostly of ex-pats but there were a few Chinese players as well. According to the website, the hockey game is part of CIHL, the first full contact league in Hong Kong. Another interesting fact is that the league is modeled after Canada`s British Columbia Hockey league (BCHL).

Surprised to see RBC as an official sponsor for an HK event. But sponsoring hockey for a Canadian company  makes sense! (Photo:CharK)

Enjoyed being able to to watch a hockey game up close (Photo:CathC)

It really was the fast-paced game since each of the 3 periods were only 12 minutes. The Megabox rink also seemed smaller than the typical arenas in Toronto. After watching the game, I must say I felt a little homesick. I suddenly missed going skating with a cup of Tim Horton's hot smoothie in my hand. But CharK and I had a nice pizza/pasta dinner at the mall, where we could watch the hockey game from the restaurant.

It was a really close game, the Tycoons were leading the game but the Aces ultimately caught up and won the game 3-2.  (Photo: CathC)

Even though outdoor sports like football (soccer) are traditionally more popular HK, hockey is now gaining popularity in HK--possibly due to the growing number of ex-pats working here. Earlier in the afternoon I even saw a kid's hockey league playing at the Megabox rink. The kids looked like they were enjoying the game, and skated very naturally and handled the puck well. But the odd thing was that neither team had a goalie. I wonder why they chose to play like this?

Yesterday's game was exciting to watch and all of the weekly games will be played here from now until the end of March. So I'm glad to have found an event to go if ever CharK or I feel homesick. Since there's also an Ikea inside Megabox I know I can always come here to find familiar snacks and a taste of home...