- This topic has 382 replies, 25 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 3 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
I was trying to get to the NZ Ice hockey website and by a mistype I ended up at a website by New Zealand Promoters Douglas and Webber. To my surprise I saw that they are bringing 2 games between Canada and the USA, one in Christchurch at Westpac Arena and in Auckland at Vector Arena in 2010 some time and tickets going on sale February of that year. It doesn’t say if it’s the women’s or men’s teams though. Is this actually true? I don’t imagine it would be the men’s team because they are mostly NHL players…unless it’s a warm up game before the World Champs in Germany. Is this actually true?
Here’s the link:
http://douglaswebber.co.nz/ice_hockey_press.pdf%5B/url:3qu9ez0j%5DIt’s news to me, and I haven’t heard anything through the NZIHF about it.
And lets be honest, $65 – $100 tickets would be chronic underpricing for USA-Canada, particularly since they’d have to build the rinks in both places.
I’ll see if I can find out more though.
(My long term dream would be to have pre-season NHL here. Two NHL teams playing a couple of pre-season games in New Zealand as a promotional exercise).
Jeeze, that’s an interesting find!
It certainly looks legit. I wonder if they’d use the Alpine Ice Arena though, I wouldn’t have thought it was up to scratch for a game like that.
EDIT: I didn’t read it properly, it says WestPac Arena and Vector Arena, so definitely brand new rinks.
Well didn’t they have that stupid High School Musical on ice show in those arenas? They would have had to bring their own ice making machines if they did.
"battered_and_bruised":1oof3y7l wrote:Well didn’t they have that stupid High School Musical on ice show in those arenas? They would have had to bring their own ice making machines if they did.
[/quote:1oof3y7l]portable rinks are easy to run like the highschool musical gig they had last year
Well didn’t they have that stupid High School Musical on ice show in those arenas? They would have had to bring their own ice making machines if they did.
portable rinks are easy to run like the highschool musical gig they had last year
I was on the lighting tech crew for both NZ shows in Auckland and Chch last year, they also used ice like keithys in some shows was what I was told
"vpatrol":jsi47y0q wrote:portable rinks are easy to run like the highschool musical gig they had last year
[/quote:jsi47y0q]Yes, but there’s a lot more cost to build an ice rink for a bunch of people to dance on, where the walls just constrain the ice, and an ice rink for a bunch of people to crash into each other and fling pucks around.
It’s not a new thing to put rinks in places where there were no rinks. The crews are fast and efficient at putting up boards and benches etc (the guys at the Air Canada Centre can do it in a couple hours after a Raptors game). I think its a viable idea assuming the finances make sense. It just can’t be like the David Beckham part 2 thing.
Hey Rhys, You love the dancing spider man don’t you? That had no relevance to the topic…anywho, back to the topic. Up in Canada, there has been nothing mentioned about these games.
When they originally finished vector arena, they stated they hoped to have ice hockey games there. So i guess this is what they are talking about….
Incidentally one of the proposed uses of the new multipurpose stadium in Dunedin is Ice sports as well, I remember reading so maybe these events are starting to occur.
I hope it does occur, but think about this, the website says the games will occur in June, and bear with me. 2010 Winter olympics right dates Feb 12- 28 right, I am correct in assuming NHL has two week break because of this?
In the last Olympic year the Stanley Cup didn’t finish to June 19th. So what sort team is going to get sent to NZ, in June, directly after Stanley cup which I presume is the Worlds Off-season, apart from NZ.Also on Wicks hypothesis the World Champs of 2010 are set to occur in May 7th to May 23rd, so the games will obviously not be a warm up for World Champs in Germany.
So until i hear from Canada or the USA they are comng I won’t hold my breath (incidentally stupid proposal for any event, I am so sure this event will occur so I will hold my breath for 13 months until it does????? idiot). Also its being Screened for 27 countries? is that it, for Team Canada Vs Team USA???
I’ve heard back from ‘upstairs’, and the promoter is certainly serious about trying to pull it off. Apparently he’s purchased ice making equipment, boards and glass. He brought the Crusty Demons here last year and did a big rodeo thing recently.
What level of team he’ll be able to get here if the national associations agree, who knows. There wouldn’t be many releases from pro contracts I’d imagine.
Anyway, it’s certainly not a joke, but whether or not it comes off…
That certainly is interesting. A large spectacle type game could have some positive effects for us lowly domestic players and our leagues. I patiently wait for more news!
You will need to check the passports of these players – they will definitely not be national level players, and probably mostly not from North America (like the NHL
).Anyway kudos to someone trying to do something in New Zealand to promote the sport of Ice Hockey. Yeh!
"Windgat":eriecuof wrote:they will definitely not be national level players, and probably mostly not from North America (like the NHL).
[/quote:eriecuof]I agree we will probably not be getting the senior mens team.
One would assume if the game is being promoted as Canada vs USA, the players would have to be from North America at the very least?
And also it is probably some form of national representation team on some level, otherwise it would be a mockery, maybe its the junior, the peewees, the midgets.OR maybe its some novelty team like a team of dwarves, the Canadian over 32 under 35 team, The USA team for the slightly hard of hearing, The Canadian team for people whose left hockey skate is bigger then their right hockey skate (there is someone who used to play for Dunedin that had to buy two pairs of skates)
It sounds like a company trying to drum up support by advertising something can’t actually offer. Still, good to see someone trying to bring teams into the country.
I recall the Canadian Moose vs Ice Blacks games being touted on the radio as ‘Canada’ vs ‘New Zealand’ which it clearly wasn’t. It was a random team from Canada vs New Zealand which is quite different, but it is more likely that spectators will turn up if they think it is something more impressive
” title=”Tongue” />
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.