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Oct. 19, 2007
Israelis enjoy Canada's game
With only one rink in the country, hockey is skating on thin ice.
RHONDA SPIVAK
Metulla, a small town on Israel's northern border with Lebanon,
is considered the ice hockey capital of Israel. The Canada Centre,
which houses the only Olympic-size rink in the country, is where
the Israeli national hockey team practises and plays all of its
games.
"We had to stop playing hockey during the war last summer since
Metulla was under constant rocket attacks, but as soon as the war
was over we went right back to the game," said assistant coach
Boris Mindel.
The Israeli national hockey team was in Winnipeg on Oct 7, the first
stop in a North American tour that will take them to Chicago, New
York, Montreal, Ottawa, Kingston and Toronto. In these cities, they
will compete against Jewish community teams of under-18 juniors.
Mindel, who was born in the former Soviet Union and played hockey
in the A League until 1973, was tense as the opening game of the
tour started. But then again, he's used to living with tension.
Mindel lives in Katzrin, a city in the Golan Heights, which has
been the scene of an increased Israel Defence Forces presence and
exercises this year.
The head coach of the Israeli team is the former general manager
of the Calgary Flames, Craig Button. Button was asked to coach the
Israeli team on their North American tour by Israeli Ice Hockey
Federation chairman Alan Maislan, who is "a personal friend."
"The Israeli national team has done pretty well. We have come
from a Division 3 team to a Division 2 team. One year, we also qualified
to go to Division 1. Right now, our team's main goal is making it
into the Division 2 world championship in Australia," said
Maislan. "This tournament gives us a chance to see how our
kids are playing and to give them a chance to play teams on a competitive
level," he added.
Just before the tour opened, goaltender Liam Horowitz spent time
at a goaltending camp in Quebec. "It got me in shape and I
got to work with a goal coach, which isn't something I always get
the opportunity to do," he said.
The Israeli team faces some extra challenges that other teams don't,
because every year it loses some of its players to mandatory military
service.
"I want to go into a combat unit – I'll be a good fighter,"
said team captain George Pishka. Pishka is one of six players who
are currently on the team and who will be in the army next year.
Pishka spent a year living in Regina and training with the Notre
Dame Hounds in Saskatchewan.
Three of the players on the Israeli team are Israeli teenagers who
used to live in Canada.
Rami Kleinmann of Winnipeg, whose son Daniel is on the team, said
that, "The most important thing about this tour is that it
provides Jews in North America with a new way of connecting to Israel.
It's a great cultural exchange. It's a new product from Israel.
The Israeli players are billeted by Jewish families in the host
cities and they can spend time with Canadian teens and their families.
We had a nice Shabbat dinner together on Friday night. Everyone
benefits from this."
"I think that these kids are some of Israel's greatest ambassador's,"
said Maislin. He explained that the tour gives him an opportunity
to fund-raise in order to offset the costs of running the hockey
program in Israel. "Needless to say, all of our budget comes
from donations and ticket purchases. Donations are made through
the UIA Canada, which issues a charitable receipt," he said.
The Israeli Ice Hockey Federation was established in 1989, by Israelis
who had immigrated from the Soviet Union and Canada. In the first
year of operation (1990), they had 150 registered players on teams
in Ramat-Gan, Haifa, Bat-Yam and Jerusalem. Today, five clubs, totalling
more than 500 players, participate in both senior and junior leagues.
"Bat-Yam city council has just approved tenders for a new ice
hockey rink. To develop hockey in Israel, we need a rink in the
centre of the country. Kids who live in the centre, and want to
play hockey, have to drive three and a half hours to Metulla to
play. They usually play once a week. If we get a new rink in Bat-Yam,
I believe we could have 3,000-4,000 kids playing hockey within three
to four years," said Maislan.
In Winnipeg, the Israeli team was defeated 6-3 by the Jewish community
team. But, as assistant coach Mindel said, "It's OK. We'll
play better next time. It's been a good experience coming here."
Rhonda Spivak is a Winnipeg freelance writer.
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