THE thwack of leather on willow, the thud of a boot kicking a rugby ball, and the clack and shuffle of mahjong tiles are sounds generally associated with sport in Hongkong.
The hiss of ice skates, the crunch of impacting bodies and cheers of a small crowd in an urban shopping mall caught up by the action of an ice hockey match are not an integral part of the Hongkong scene.
The Hongkong branch of the Can-Am Ice Hockey Association was formed in 1983, when a small group of like-minded Canadian and American expatriates got together to pursue their national obsession.
Since then the group has grown to more than 60, comprised largely of businessmen and students, including an international mix of players from Finland, Sweden and Hongkong.
Michael Raytek, a senior bond trader with RBC Dominion Securities, has been on the ice since the age of five.
''As soon as you learn to walk, they put you on skates,'' he said of the seemingly inevitable progression of Canadians into the sport.