IT'S Thursday night at the Sky Rink and the near-deserted mall echoes to the swooshing sound of skates on ice.
Nothing odd in that. But what's that clack, clack noise? And why all the shouting? Approaching rinkside from the foodcourt at Shamshuipo's Dragon Centre, all becomes clear.
Ten brightly-garbed, stick-wielding gladiators are going at it with gusto, whacking a rubber puck up and down the ice - hence the clack, clack of rubber puck caroming off the perimeter boards. Welcome to the Budweiser South China Ice Hockey League. Once a week, on Thursday, it's game day in the month-old competition.
Enthusiasts all, the players hold a wide variety of day jobs - including an airline pilot, civil engineer, lawyer, marketing man, teacher, Canto-pop record producer and a journalist. Macau-based newspaperman Greg Heakes typifies the commitment and passion of this highly-organised group of hockey lovers - he travels from the Portuguese enclave for every game. 'It's a long commute but no longer than when I lived in Sai Kung and we used to practise in Tsuen Wan,' says Heakes. 'When you get to the rink and play hockey it's like escaping to a little bit of 'Canadiana' for a couple of hours. It's like being home again.' Home for Heakes is Vancouver.
Many of the Bud Leaguers hail from North America - places as diverse as Seattle and Toronto, Fox Creek (Alberta) and Saskatoon (Saskatchewan) crop up on the resumes. But there are plenty of local born-and-bred players, too, most of whom belong to the Can-Star Association run by Jim Chi-on. With the advent of the league now, Can-Star players have joined ranks with the mostly expat Can-Am Ice Hockey Association. After 10 years of purely recreational games and three years experience of running an International Five-A-Side tournament, the two associations decided to go for a more competitive edge.
Budweiser's backing made the league possible as the beer giants covered the relatively expensive costs of rink hire.
Each of the four teams in the league is also company-backed, producing league standings which read: LA Cafe, Santa Fe, Dharmala Jets and Planet Hollywood. The action on this particular night is provided by LA Cafe and Dharmala. All players provide their own gear. For expats, that can mean shipping over prized skates, stick, headgear and pads.
