Following a successful year under the leadership of Alex Carmichael | President, Sasha Webb | Vice-President, we are pleased to announce our new committee members and team captains!
Secretary: Sophie Fischer
Many congratulations to Club President, Dan Lock, for winning the Oxford University Sport Atalanta’s Team-mate of the Year Award 2017!
Over the past 3 years, Daniel Lock has embodied what it means to be a team player. His selfless attitude, unabated commitment, and unwavering leadership has steered the OUIHC over many years, to national success and laid the foundation for the Club to become one of the U.K.-leading premier university ice hockey programs.
As we enter 2017 and resume the hockey season, the OUIHC look back on a hugely successful 2016 and list ten highlights from the 131st year of Oxford ice hockey.
In May, the OUIHC hosted the inaugural Alumni Gala, with current members and alumni from the 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s Men’s Blues, Women’s Blues and Vikings teams gathering in Oxford to celebrate the past, present and future of the Club. Attendees enjoyed an Alumni Match at the Oxford Ice Rink, followed by a dinner at Hertford College and drinks at the Vincent’s Club. At the event, members of the Men’s Blues were awarded with Full Blues, the highest sporting University accolade, awarded based on Varsity Match performance against Cambridge University. A special thanks to alumni, Bill Hunter (’60) and John Cathro (’93) for visiting the Blues during the season and sharing their stories of Oxford Ice Hockey.
A highlight of 2016 was the acceptance of the Oxford ice hockey jersey into the Hockey Hall of Fame (HHoF) in Toronto, Canada. The Oxford jersey has had a similar design for over 5o years: dark blue and white stripes with ‘Oxford’ emblazoned on the front. The distinct club logo of OUIHC, originally the front of the jersey in the 20s and 30s, has been moved to the shoulders. The donated jersey belonged to Joanna Palermo (University College, ’10) in recognition of her tireless work and leadership during her tenancy as Club President and Women’s Blues captain. The strides she made to bring the Club and its teams to unity has enabled ice hockey to survive and go on to flourish as an increasingly popular sport within the Oxford University sporting scene.
Photo (top): The Oxford Women’s Blues and their alumni at the Alumni Gala 2016
Photo (middle): Left to right: Jack Woods, Tim Donnison (2015 -16 Blues captain), Bill Hunter (Corpus Christi College, ’60, and ’62 Blues Captain), Julian Brave Noisecat, and Trent Taylor (current OUIHC Historian).
Photo (bottom): OUIHC Alumni at the Hockey Hall of Fame. Left to right: Gary Lawrence (St. Edmund Hall, ’81), Carolyn Scott (St. Catherine’s College, ’11), Joanna Palermo (University College, ’10), Aaron Polos (Balliol College, ’13)
2016 not only saw the celebration of OUIHC’s recent history and success, it also provided the opportunity to look back on the Oxford teams of OUIHC’s infant years and the legacy the Club established in the development of U.K. and European ice hockey. The OUIHC Historian, Trent Taylor, and 2015 Alumni Officer, Alan Keeso, co-authored a historical account of OUIHC in The Canadian Encyclopedia, through a collaboration between OUIHC and Historica Canada. The full article can beread here. At the end of 2016, the OUIHC featured in the 90th edition of the Spengler Cup (here). The advent of this European tournament was in 1923 in Davos, Switzerland. During their annual winter tour and road to the Varsity Match, the Oxford University team entered the inaugural Spengler Cup tournament and were crowned the tournament’s first champions after beating Berliner Schlittschuhclub in the final. Since 1923, the OUIHC have gone on to win the three more times, in 1925, 1931, and sharing the title with LTC Prague in 1932. The Spengler Cup is now an international fixture, with Canada winning the 2016-17 tournament on New Year’s Eve, beating HC Lugano in the final, 5-2 – Canada’s 14th Spengler Cup championship.
Photo (top): Former Alumni Officer, Alan Keeso (Green Templeton College, ’13) and President & CEO of Historica Canada, Anthony Wilson-Smith.
Photo (bottom): The OUIHC 1951-54.
The 2015-16 season saw the return of the Oxford Vikings to league play. The team had been on a 1-year hiatus to help re-establish and replenish the OUIHC Blues squad, which had been absent from 2012-14 league play. The reinstatement of an Oxford University Blues team in 2014, and the return of the Oxford Vikings in 2015-16 has enabled the men’s contingent of OUIHC to recruit players of all abilities. This system is key to the long-term development of men’s ice hockey at the University and provides a pipeline of progression for students to reach the Blues Varsity squad.
Photo: The 2016-17 Oxford Vikings
As one of the longest-standing rivalries in women’s ice hockey, the Oxford-Cambridge Varsity Match (est.1981) is the highlight of the Oxbridge ice hockey season. Students train several times a week, on and off the ice, throughout Michaelmas and Hilary Term in the hope of defeating historic rivals Cambridge, at the end of Hilary Term in March. A normally closely-contested annual contest, the past three years have witnessed Oxford domination in this fixture – an accumulative score of 52-2. The 2016 Varsity Match score was 17-1. The 2016-17 Women’s Blues are training hard to achieve their fourth consecutive win over Cambridge, scheduled to take place on Sunday 5th March, 2017.
Photo: The 2015-16 Oxford Women’s Blues (with alumni), after winning the 2016 Varsity Match, 17-1.
The British University Ice Hockey Association, BUIHA, has seen substantial growth of participating university teams and players in student ice hockey. In parallel with this surge of ice hockey popularity in U.K. universities, the standard of the teams has increased. Regularly one of the top university teams in the country, the Oxford University Blues (OUIHC Men’s Blues) 2016 campaign saw the team finish second in the league, two points behind Cambridge who finished first. In addition, the Blues success extended beyond league play, to the BUIHA National Championships and the European Tour.
The Blues entered the annual National Championship in Sheffield, with a winning record. The Oxford team took the weekend tournament by storm, outscoring Northern Champions, the Nottingham Mavericks, 6-3, and topping the group table with 3 wins and 1 draw. The semi-final match-up against St. Andrew’s saw shootout dramatics swing in favour of Oxford. The final against three-time defending champions, the Southampton Spitfires, tested the Dark Blues against the best in the country. Oxford came up triumphant in a 5-1 win, showcasing their skill and tenacity in a hard-fought win to seal their first BUIHA Division 1 National Championship.
Photo: The Oxford University Blues (OUIHC Men’s Blues) won the BUIHA Division 1 National Championship on April 23-24th, 2016.
The 2016 European Tour saw members of the OUIHC Men’s Blues and Women’s Blues head to lake Bled in Slovenia. Located on the eastern slopes of the Alps, this get-away provided the perfect opportunity for team bonding, exploring Europe and tournament hockey. The Blues went 1 win and 2 losses in the Bled Cup tournament but took the win against a local Bled team in an exhibition match on the closing night of tour. Utilising the free time outside of term and touring with OUIHC creates the memories that stay with the players long after they have left Oxford — 2016 was no different.
Photo (top): A picturesque photo of Lake Bled looking towards the town of Bled and the Slovenian Alps. Taken from a boat, rented by some players, to row to the chapel on the small island in the middle of Lake Bled.
Photo (bottom): The Oxford University Blues tour team after beating their Finnish opponents, 3-1, in the final group game of the Bled Cup 2016.
Prior to start of the 2016-17 season, the OUIHC played a pre-season charity match against the Royal Air Force (R.A.F. Bluewings). In a back-and-forth affair, the Oxford team took a narrow 8-5 win. The true winners were the charities, KEEN and the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust (R.A.F.C.T.), who were the beneficiaries of the total fundraising effort and awareness around the event. KEEN, which stands for Kids Enjoy Exercise Now, work to provide opportunities for sport involvement and development of social and life skills for children, adolescents, and adults with mental and physical impairments. The R.A.F.C.T. work to support R.A.F. personnel and their families, encourage air-mindedness, and the aviation-related education of the youth. A match report can be read in the student newspaper, Cherwell.
Photo: An example of a publicity post in the buildup to the Oxford University V. R.A.F. Charity Match, in order to raise money and awareness for the teams’ chosen charities.
Finalist for Club of the YearIn recognition of the OUIHC’s continued success in the university leagues and in the University’s sporting scene, the OUIHC was shortlisted for the Club of the Year award at the annual Sports Federation awards night. Having won this award in 2015, a second finalist nomination (although, not winning) pays testament to the progress the OUIHC has made over the past several seasons, and the work ethic, passion, and tenacity of the Club’s many Executive Committees that have made the Club function year-in, year out. Honourable mention to OUIHC’s other shortlisted nomination at the awards night – Lisa Choi – who was up for Atalantas’ Teammate of the Year award.
Photo: Former Oxford Women’s Blues coach, James Buchanan Smith, and Oxford Women’s Blues alumnae, Kaylie Smith (Linacre College, ’13), with the Oxford University Sports Club of the Year award. The OUIHC won the award in 2015.
The 2015-16 saw the first time in Oxford’s ice hockey history, that both the Men’s and Women’s Blues teams have held Discretionary Full Blue Status, the second highest Blues Status a Blues team can reach. In 2016, this enabled six Full Blues to be awarded to the top Men’s Blues players for their performances in the Varsity Match (despite a 3-1 loss to the Tabs). With the exception of an Extraordinary Full Blue award in 2015 (a one-off, separate application to the Blues Committees), these were the first Full Blues awarded to OUIHC men since the 2011-2012 season. The status of both Blues teams enables the top male and female student hockey players to be recognised by the University for their sporting prowess, joining a list of accomplished hockey-academics that dates back to 1933.
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Caption: The Oxford University Blues prepare for their match against rivals the Oxford Blues (Final score: 6-1 win)
Men’s Blues Ice Hockey – a Discretionary Full Blue Sport
The Oxford Men’s Blues, known in the top BUIHA league as the Oxford University Blues, continue to build on their successful season with an upgrade of Blues Status from Half-Blue to Discretionary Full Blue. The upgrade was passed at a Blues Committee meeting of the University’s Blues captains at the Vincent’s Club on Monday 8th February, week 4 of Hilary term.
The Oxford Blue, established in the early 19th century around the advent of the Boat Race, is the highest sporting accolade awarded by the University of Oxford. It is awarded based on the scholar’s performance during the annual Varsity Match – the athletic competition between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Blues are a prestigious University award and have been awarded in ice hockey since Charles Little first petitioned for Half-Blue status for the OUIHC in 1933 after relocating the Varsity Match from the continental Europe to England.
The re-establishment of Discretionary Full Blue status, which was lost in the 2012/13 season, adds to a string of successes for OUIHC that include Half Blue status reinstatement in 2014, resurrection of a Blues Varsity Match in 2015 and recognition as Oxford University Sport ‘Club of the Year’ award during the 2015/16 season.
The Blues currently sit atop the BUIHA division 1 south league with 5 wins and 3 losses. In mid March, they will venture to Europe for their annual tour before returning to the UK to compete in the National Championships. The season will end in May in the Blues Varsity Match against the Cambridge University Blues. Tickets are now for sale.
On November 17th, 2015, the OUIHC women’s executive presented their case to the Women’s Blues Committee in order to upgrade their status from Half Blue to Discretionary Full Blue. Following a presentation and vote by Blues Committee members, the OUIHC women were successful in their bid.
Discretionary Full Blue status now allows the awarding of up to two Full Blues, at the captain’s discretion, for players who compete at varsity, play at least half of their league games, and play to an exemplary standard. The team must also win Varsity and finish in the top two of their division (BUIHA Division 1 Non-Checking) where five or more teams compete.
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On Friday, November 14, 2015, the University’s Sports Federation held its annual awards night at Iffley Sports Centre. The evening began with a champagne reception followed by a dinner and presentation of awards. For their efforts in the 2014-2015 season, the OUIHC was shortlisted for Club of the Year while current men’s captain, Timothy Donnison, was shortlisted for the prestigious Norman Bryce Smiley Trophy. The Women’s Blues were nominated for Team Performance of the Year, but unfortunately did not make it onto the shortlist.
The OUIHC won the award for Club of the Year, announced to the cheers of sixteen past and current members of the Club who attended the event. The nominations for both Club of the Year and the Norman Bryce Smiley Trophy are found below. Each nomination highlights the hard work, dedication, and perseverance of OUIHC members not only in the past year, but also for many years leading up to this wonderful achievement.
CLUB OF THE YEAR – OUIHC
‘The Oxford University Ice Hockey Club (OUIHC) has had one of it’s most triumphant years in its decorated 130 year history. After a 2012 dispute which saw 15 members of the Men’s Blues split from the club to form their own private team, the OUIHC was left without a Men’s Blues squad, prospects, and Blues status. As a result of the tremendous efforts of the 2014-2015 committees on both the men’s and women’s side, the Men’s Blues was re-formed and their Blues status re-instated. An undefeated performance of 18 wins in the previous season saw the second team (now the Men’s Blues) promoted to the top division in the British Universities Ice Hockey Association. Though they suffered a loss at Varsity, the reformation of the Men’s Blues with Blues status, allowed the first official Varsity Match to take place since 2012. For their efforts in the 2014-15 season, 9 Half Blues and one extraordinary Full Blue were awarded to the men’s team for what will be looked back on as a monumental season in the OUIHC men’s recent history. Future years of male Oxford student hockey players will benefit from the efforts of the 2014/15 OUIHC executive members.
The women’s contingent of the OUIHC saw the Women’s Blues demolish both Club and league records. After dominating all opposition in Division 1 non-checking (the highest division in women’s ice hockey), the Women’s Blues fell short of the top ranking by a meagre point. The team would go on to destroy Cambridge 25-0 in the Varsity Match. This score is the largest victory in women’s history, and third largest in the 130 year history of University Ice Hockey. Following this success, the team entered the National Championships with only 9 players (2 goalies and 7 skaters – due to exams). In the playoff rounds of the tournament, the women iced only 6 skaters (one player was sent off due to injury) against teams with two to three times as many. The Women’s Blues would go on to finish third, losing in the semi-final match against Northumbria, who would go on to win the title for a third successive year. The Blues proved to not only be one of the best women’s teams in the country, but one of the best teams in University non-checking hockey for which Universities have iced all/mostly men’s teams. For their efforts in the 2014-2015 season, the Women’s Blues were awarded 10 Half Blues and 1 extraordinary Half Blue. The team look to continue Dark Blue dominance on the ice whilst spearheading a nationwide movement that is seeing increasing numbers of women playing this historically male-dominated sport. The foundations for this have been laid down by the Women’s Blues 2014/15 season success – next year, we look forward to a women’s-only playoff final (to officially prove we are the best women’s team in the country) and Olympic coaching at the annual Oxford Women’s Blues Development Camp which aims to develop Women’s University ice hockey across the UK.
To conclude this outstanding season, the club also reinitiated an historic Club tradition of touring abroad. Forming an inclusive team of both Men’s Blues and Women’s Blues, the team travelled together to Stockholm, Sweden. To further solidify the efforts of unity exhibited by both men’s and women’s teams, the Club’s constitution was amended at the conclusion of the season, to reaffirm the Club ethos and identity of an inclusive community of competitive and committed scholar-athletes.’
NORMAN BRYCE SMILEY TROPHY – Timothy Donnison
The Norman Byrce Smiley Trophy is awarded to a sportsperson who displays the characteristics most valued by Norman Smiley – humility in one’s success, morality in one’s ambition, pride in one’s ability, and willingness to add value to one’s surroundings. Below is the anonymously-made nomination:
‘Tim has been a member of OUIHC for several years, starting with his time on the Vikings as a visiting student at Oxford in 2011. For the past two seasons, he has been an active executive member while reading for a DPhil. During his time, he has worked tirelessly to rebuild the OUIHC after a rift in the Oxford Ice Hockey world which caused a split in the men’s team. As the captain of the University’s official Men’s Ice Hockey Team he has been able to successfully recruit new players to the team by rebuilding the club’s reputation, manage relationships with influential alumni, coordinate the redesign of the club’s great new website and rebuild a unified hockey club which includes the Women’s Ice Hockey Team and the men’s second team, the Oxford Vikings. Through all of these accomplishments, he has remained cool and composed despite competing against and overcoming the actions of a rival Oxford team.
This candidate deserves to be recognized for his amazing achievements over the past two years because of his humility. He is a gentleman on and off the ice, and his given all of his time to rebuilding men’s ice hockey at Oxford, he is quite happy to do this because he loves the sport and he loves the team. Without Tim, there was a real risk that Men’s Ice Hockey at Oxford would collapse.
Last year was a tough season for Men’s Ice Hockey at Oxford. With two Oxford teams we had competition in recruiting players before the season had even begun, however thanks to Tim, we had our half blue status reinstated and this year, Men’s Ice Hockey at Oxford will dominate the rink once again.’[/fusion_text][images picture_size=”fixed” autoplay=”yes” columns=”1″ column_spacing=”13″ scroll_items=”” show_nav=”yes” mouse_scroll=”no” border=”yes” lightbox=”yes” class=”” id=””][image link=”” linktarget=”_self” image=”https://oxforduniversityicehockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/12516396_10153691218961558_1599803290_n-165×300.jpg” alt=””][image link=”” linktarget=”_self” image=”https://oxforduniversityicehockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/12583684_10153691218976558_52787619_n-300×225.jpg” alt=””][image link=”” linktarget=”_self” image=”https://oxforduniversityicehockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Screen-Shot-2016-01-17-at-4.29.51-PM-241×300.png” alt=””][image link=”” linktarget=”_self” image=”https://oxforduniversityicehockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/sports-awards-invite-2015-213×300.jpg” alt=””][image link=”” linktarget=”_self” image=”https://oxforduniversityicehockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/sports-fed-group-awards-300×225.jpg” alt=””][/images]
On June 13, 2015, the OUIHC Women’s Blues were awarded an annual Atalanta’s Trust Grant of £250 for use towards the 2015-16 season. The grant had been applied for by the previous season’s captain, Linda Perkiö, and was officially received during a cocktail reception on the Roof Terrace of the Varsity Club by current captain, Jenn Lawrence, and club president, Lisa Choi.
The Atalanta’s Society is Oxford University’s club for elite sportswomen, founded in 1992 with the aim of promoting women’s sport and bringing together female athletes at Oxford. It hosts a range of events and activities each year celebrating sporting achievements of Oxford University athletes, and awards around three individual grants and three team grants each year. Both Lawrence and Choi have recently become members of the Atalanta’s Society, which extends membership to any woman who has competed in a Varsity Match in her respective sport. They hope to encourage more of their teammates to join in an effort to boost the involvement and visibility of the OUIHC Women’s Blues on Oxford’s campus, following their recent successes.
This year’s grant will be used towards buying new high-quality Bauer ice hockey helmets for the OUIHC, in the hopes of recruiting new talent for the 2015-16 ice hockey season and beyond.
Caption: Oxford University Blues Vs Brinken Vets.
OUIHC Tour Stockholm, Sweden
Between Hilary and Trinity 2015, nine Men’s Blues and four Women’s Blues left the bubble of Oxford and ventured north to Scandinavia for the OUIHC tour.
The OUIHC have been on numerous other tours including to Courchevel courtesy of alumnus John McCall MacBain who restarted Blues ice hockey tours back in the 80’s, but it was a first time the Blues have made the trip north.
After a very early flight, the OUIHC landed in Stockholm Arlanda, cruised down to central Stockholm in a pair of nice rented wheels and set up camp in a Carl Larsson house next to one of the Stockholm archipelago’s many harbours.
Caption: The tour team outside their Svenska hus.
After quickly acquainting themselves with their rooms and the lovely hostess, Mona, the team were off to Östermalms IP in central Stockholm. The next few hours consisted of an unusually early on-ice training session with the Royal Blue, the hockey team of the Royal institute of Technology (Kungliga Tekniska Högskolans). Founded in 1827, KTH is one of the top universities in Sweden and one of top technical universities in Europe. After a great training session with the Swedes, the team retired back to their cabin for a night of a certain card game made for horrible people.
The Saturday of tour provided an opportunity for exploring the beautiful Swedish capital taking in such sites as the Town Hall (with Tre Kronor spire), Gamla Stan (old town), the Nobel Museum, the Royal Palace and noting the many different islands that form the city. Despite a number of appeals from a certain player, time did not allow for a visit to the Vasa museum on Djurgården, known for housing the warship Vasa which sank during it’s maiden voyage in 1628.
Caption: Walking passed the government buildings into Gamla Stan (Old Town)
From cultural vultures to hockey enthusiasts, the OUIHC arrived for a 4pm face-off as VIP guests to the KTH (Stockholm) Vs Chalmers (Göteborg) Varsity Match presented by The Scholar. Swedish university hockey at its finest saw 12 goals scored (7-5 win for KTH) and many assists awarded – no less than what to expect from a nation of the Nordic model. Following emphatic celebrations from the players and the fans (especially the OUIHC), all three clubs, KTH – Oxford – Chalmers, headed to Stureplan for dinner at the nightclub Collage. Exemplar Swedish cooking was provided and glasses were raised with both KTH’s Pontus Håstlund and Oxford’s Tim Donnison delivering impromptu speeches from the Captain’s table with special mentions to both KTH and Chalmers, thanks to the respective captains and The Scholar. Following a toast to university ice hockey at our respective institutions (skål!), the night turned towards the dance floor.
The following day proved to be a tough one for the Blues, not only because of lack of sleep but also down to the fact they were due to play two fixtures against veteran teams – at 12noon and 7pm. The former icing a veteran player who had played against the Oxford City Stars many decades previously. After a dehydrating ordeal against AC Camelen, the match was followed by a buffet of home-cooked BBQ lamb and drinks – quite different from the staple post-match beers seen in the British university league. Much water consumption later, the Blues stepped out onto the ice against Brinken Vets, the home team of the rink that KTH had won their Varsity Match in the afternoon before. Again, the Blues quickly learned what Swedish hockey was all about with a showcase of precision passing and excellent off-the-puck movement shown by the veterans of the game. Despite a losing score line, a number of Blues made the score sheet, and all were in agreement that it was an absolute pleasure to skate alongside these Swedish gentlemen. A shout out goes to Teddy Hall fresher Josh Hammond who secured his first OUIHC goal with an accurate one timer from the slot that found the back of the net after a great feed from talented Brookes student-athlete Jack Woods.
Caption: Post-game photo with Brinken Vets and the KTH Captain.
After three on-ice sessions in Stockholm, the OUIHC used Monday to travel to neighbouring town Södertälje to browse one of the largest hockey outlets in Europe (HockeyMonkey.eu) and get a game of shinny in at the Gnesta ice rink (alumni include a number of NHL players such as Nicklas Grossman of the Philadelphia Flyers). The break from the city provided a slower pace and an opportunity to relax after three hectic days, a theme that continued on into the evening as the team took in a meal at a local sports bar to catch the SHL playoff game between Linköping and Skellefteå – one of the Women’s Blues being an alumnus of the Linköping women’s team.
As this was the last night in Sweden it only made sense to OUIHC alumnus and Swedish native Richard Lindgren-Eklöw to take a dip in the chilling Baltic waters. The immediate reaction of the team was to eagerly follow, if not slightly naïvely, down to the harbour to run headlong into the freezing water. Saner heads did not prevail and the experience proved to be an effective get-up-and-go.
The day of departure saw an early morning open scrimmage in a third Stockholm ice rink of which the quality of ice has never be seen in the UK. Safe to say that wearing wet kit is not for the faint-hearted and rather an unpleasant experience, perfect practice for both blues teams for the National Championships that are held every year in April.
With the impending realisation that tour 2015 was coming to close, it provided a chance to look back on the previous five days and realise how awesome they were. However, touring goes beyond turning up to a new place and playing hockey against strangers, it is about an exchange of culture, knowledge and passion for the game that goes beyond the ice rink. Instead, it forms the foundations and establishes relationships for future generations of student hockey players to benefit from in whatever forms that they may take. As emphasised during the Varsity dinner, university hockey is on the rise in our respective university communities and as a university club with values of integration, respect and equal opportunity, we have the chance to build from this and keep that momentum going.
With that thought in mind, a special thank you goes out to Pontus and the Royal Blue lads for sharing their Varsity weekend with us – we hope to return the favour in Oxford! Hej då Sverige – Tack så mycket!
Caption: The KTH Royal Blue and Oxford University Blues prior to the Stockholm-Göteborg Varsity Match.
For roughly two decades of my life, hockey – or ice hockey so as not to confuse my British friends – occupied the majority of my time. If I wasn’t playing it or training for it, I was thinking about it. While playing junior hockey in Strathroy, Ontario, our coach and mentor, Pat Stapleton, a former Chicago Blackhawks and 1972 Summit Series defenseman, outlined three key interdependent elements critical to success in the game:
I have yet to experience anything that brings these elements together like hockey does. As a goaltender, each one had heightened importance. A lapse in discipline at any point in the game could be the difference between a save and a goal. Admittedly, I still think about hockey every day. Whether I’m just walking around, working, or even during stressful days of infantry field training, I’ll be automatically, imaginatively, and momentarily back on the ice in a game looking out through the cage of my helmet.
Being very much aware of the deficiencies in the interdependent elements of my game that limited my performance and consequently my career, I carry regret. However, my imaginative return to the ice in some of the past jerseys I’ve worn also results from the fact that I channel lessons learned from hockey to drive me forward. I learned to correct my approach too late to salvage a hockey career, but I learned in time to reinforce these lessons in other arenas of life, where I’ve found they have universal applicability.
I don’t have to think long to attribute unique opportunities for growth and development I’ve had to hockey. For example:
The Wet Fish Handshake. Courtesy of jokers during post game handshake lineups.
There comes a day however, when you realize –finally – that it’s all over. For me, that happened almost 10 years ago, and I’m now in the hockey afterlife. In my hockey afterlife practices are evil, and games come with a stipulation that there’s beer afterward. Additionally, I can only play when the boss let’s me. The boss is my groin.
Amazingly, the unique opportunities that hockey (and sports in general) provides continue. My MBA classmates Caryn Davies (US gold medal rowing Olympian) and Sam Peter (South Africa Rugby Varsity Cup veteran) will agree with me that competing for Oxford University enables new networks and social circles along with balance.
Rowing, rugby, and cricket are the three major sports at Oxford University, and their athletes compete for prestigious Oxford Full Blues. It’s the highest honour a student athlete can achieve. The honour of earning Blues has been in effect since the 1860s, and in addition to being recognized as a successful athlete at the national level, the student is entitled to wear the distinguished Dark Blues Blazer and gain admittance into Vincent’s Club. The club was founded in 1863 and includes members such as Sir Roger Bannister and the Rt Hon Cecil Rhodes. Our Director of Careers here at Saïd Business School, Derek Walker, will be the first to tell you that earning a Blue is something to quickly add to your CV.
Vincent’s Club, Oxford. Photo courtesy of vincents.org.
Spectacularly, ice hockey here at Oxford University has Blues status. The Oxford University Ice Hockey Club (OUIHC) is born from a history that dates back to 1885 with the first Varsity Match versus Cambridge. Oxford is recognised as the second oldest team in the history of the sport. The Oxford Canadians were later formed in 1905, becoming the first Team Canada. If that’s not enough, the team’s esteemed alumni list includes the likes of the Rt Hon Lester B. Pearson (former Canadian Prime Minister and Nobel Peace Prize winner), Clarence Campbell (former NHL President), and Mark Carney (current Governor of the Bank of England).
130 years on, OUIHC – through partnership with the Women’s team and our friends from Oxford Brookes University – has a fun, integrated, and inclusive community that is in keeping with Oxford University’s continually evolving combination of tradition, prestige, heritage, and integration, while also maintaining standards for Blues status and Varsity Match rules.
The 2014 OUIHC Men’s and Women’s Christmas Party.
Recently, the OUIHC Women’s and Men’s teams were invited to the Rhodes House to meet one of our distinguished ice hockey alumni, John McCall MacBain, who made headlines in 2013 with his Foundation’s landmark £75 million donation to the Rhodes Trust. John is passionate about ice hockey at Oxford University, having been Co-Captain of the team, and continues to provide massively generous support. Our teams had the opportunity to meet and chat with John and tour the Rhodes House, which itself has a brilliant history.
Rhodes House, Oxford. Photo courtesy of cecilrhodes.co.za.
I certainly encourage students who are planning to attend Oxford University to further engage with this 800+ year old institution as Caryn, Sam, and I have done by joining its sports teams, contributing to their pursuits of victory over Cambridge, and potentially earning a coveted Blue in the process. Truly, the hockey afterlife is good
