Today I came across this neat piece from a local hockey blog that I thought I'd share here:
Where did the 6 foot 7 Captain of the Skycity Stampede Come From?
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Matt Schneider is a player that needs no introduction in the New Zealand ice hockey scene, captain of the Skycity Stampede in Queenstown and one of the newest faces in the Ice Blacks. But where did the 6 foot 7 Canadian come from? And how did he end up as Captain of the most successful team in the NZIHL?
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It's an interview with Matt Schneider, who was a 7th round draft pick of the Calgary Flames in 2004. Born in Vernon, BC, Schneider once played junior hockey for the
Tri-City Americans alongside future NHLers Carey Price and Clayton Stoner. He never made the NHL, and
instead played for the UBC Thunderbirds for 5 seasons before retiring from hockey. He has since resurfaced as a star in our fledgeling New Zealand Ice Hockey League, a semi-pro league with 5 teams across the country. He has even
represented New Zealand internationally in a 3 game series against Australia in September.
I've posted a few times in the Off Topic forum about my experiences with ice hockey here in New Zealand. It's a niche sport to say the least , with a very small but passionate following especially here in Queenstown. In recent years it's popularity has been growing for both spectators and participants, and due to Queenstown's multinational population, there are actually some pretty talented players here. Schneider's answer of how he got into playing hockey down here is really similar to mine (minus the being good at it part):
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Well I was just travelling the world kind of thing and to be honest, hockey was the last thing on my mind, I didn’t even know there was a hockey league in New Zealand, I had no intentions of playing really. I had a job at a winery up in Blenheim and was planning on leaving in a few months after travelling the country.
When I came through Queenstown I saw the rink here and went inside and actually ended up talking to Simon Glass at the time, we got chatting and he told me about the league and I decided to stay and play. That first year was a bit odd because I didn’t have any of my own gear so I was using gear they managed to pull together and then the following year I got my gear sent over and it’s been all go since then.
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There is obviously no big money in hockey down here, and everyone involved is just doing it for the love of the game. Most of the Stampede players are heavily involved in the hockey community whether it's coaching kids teams, doing training with us adult players, or working and volunteering at the rink. It's a really neat scene and I hope you guys enjoy the read about it!
Former Flames draft pick having success in New Zealand
