Huddersfield University lecturer and sports historian PETER DAVIES takes a look at a newly-formed ice hockey team in the area . . .
THE Iceman Cometh.
Adam Beevers, 26, hails from Birmingham but his family home is now in Llandudno, North Wales.
He is a postgraduate student at the University of Huddersfield and a year ago he formed the Huddersfield Ice Hawks Ice Hockey Club.
“Yes, it was my brainchild,” he says.
“At home in Wales I used to play roller hockey and I suppose that’s where it all began.
“My brother also played a little bit of ice hockey, and that obviously encouraged me too.”
The Hawks were established last January and now compete in the British Universities National Championship, where they are in the middle division.
There they compete in the northern league against the Bradford Sabres, Hull Hawks, Manchester Metros, Newcastle Wildcats, Northumbria Flames, and Sheffield Bears.
Mr Beevers explains: “I knew that Bradford had a team and I thought it would be good to develop a little bit of rivalry with them.
“I love playing the game and so I put up some posters around the university advertising for players.
“And it worked pretty well.
“As I remember, 67 people registered at the start but this dwindled quite markedly when people realised how expensive a sport it was.
“You’re looking at about £350 to buy all the necessary gear and a stick, and then you’ve also got to fork out for ice time and travelling.
“Twelve months on, we’ve got 17 players registered and that’s about the minimum requirement.”
Mr Beevers studied architecture at the university between 2000 and 2003 and then worked in Birmingham for a couple of years.
There he played for the Solihull Wolves.
But by September 2005 he was back in Huddersfield to study for a masters-level qualification.
He now lives in Springwood.
According to his own description he is a versatile defender – and also acts as club coach and team president.
He’s also keen to stress the appeal of the sport. “I really like the kind of people who play ice hockey.
“In our team we have a mixture of experienced players and beginners.
“They’re different from football folk – the banter is also great and there’s no hassle or trouble.
“In fact, if any player is caught fighting in the middle of a game they can be banned for a year – this is a British Universities’ policy.
“All our players are UK passport holders but one of our guys grew up in Russia and another in Italy.
“It’s also a mixed club. We don’t have any female members at the moment but women are very welcome to join up and play.
“Our captain is Shane Hewitt. He’s studying sports journalism at the university and is one of our best players.
“Shane hails from Sunderland and played quite a bit of ice hockey while he was up there.
“He’s a top player.”
Ice hockey – known simply as ‘hockey’ to aficionados – is one of the four major North American professional sports along with baseball, basketball and American football.
It is also Canada’s premier winter game and the most popular spectator sport in Finland.
Games with balls and sticks have a long history and probably go back to Ancient Egypt.
Gradually, these were adapted to snowy and icy conditions.
During the nineteenth century there were many references to early brands of ice hockey.
For example, in 1825 the Arctic explorer Sir John Franklin stated that “the game of hockey played on the ice was the morning sport" and in 1859 the Boston Evening Gazette reported on an ice hockey match taking place.
Most experts agree that Canada was probably the official birthplace of the sport, perhaps Nova Scotia, Ontario or Montreal.
A set of rules was devised in 1879 and the first team established in 1880.
And today the ice hockey authorities argue that it is the “fastest team game in the world”.
It is played in 55 countries, from Andorra to Yugoslavia.
In this country the governing body is Ice Hockey UK.
And the top professional teams include the Basingstoke Bison, Belfast Giants, Cardiff Devils, Coventry Blaze, Edinburgh Capitals, Hull Stingrays, London Racers, Manchester Phoenix, Newcastle Vipers, Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers.
Reflecting on the origins of the sport here the organisation has stated: “In 1903 Great Britain had a five-team league and the first Scottish game was in 1908 in Crossmyloof, Glasgow.
“The first European Championship was won by Great Britain in 1910 and the first World Cup by Canada in 1920. Great Britain were Olympic Champions in 1936.”
The Huddersfield Ice Hawks are forced to hold their regular training sessions at Bradford Ice Arena.
At present the Hawks are looking for local sponsorship, and also in the market for extra recruits.
“We are always looking for new players,” adds Mr Beevers.
“Both beginners and experienced players are very welcome.”
