2008 February 13

Janos Kaszala has proven a big hit on the ice in New Zealand...

Janos Kaszala, who represented Hungary 54 times internationally, and also played for the Ferencvaros and Dunaferr clubs in the Hungarian Ice Hockey League, has proven a big hit on the ice in New Zealand.  In addition to picking up the top individual award in the local National League, Kaszala has also founded the Kaszi 22 Ice Hockey Academy, which has been well received in his new home town of Christchurch.

In New Zealand’s National League of 2007, Kaszala not only picked up the award for top scorer, but also the League MVP and the MVP award for his team, the Canterbury Red Devils.  The Red Devils had never before made the finals in the local league, and while the team picked up only the Silver Medal in a hard-fought final  against the team from Auckland, the result was a huge improvement for the Canterbury team.

Kaszala has fitted in well with the local hockey community;  „I really enjoyed playing for the local team, even though Ice Hockey doesn’t have a big profile here.  The major sport locally is Rugby, and New Zealand’s national team, the All Blacks, is well known as being one of the best at that game.  Like the All Blacks, the national ice hockey team, the Ice Blacks, also perform a „Haka” or traditional Maori war dance, before each International game.  Ice Hockey is gaining popularity in New Zealand, though, because the fans love the speed and contact in the game.  All home games for the Canterbury Red Devils were played in front of a full house at the rink in Christchurch, and the league also had many more television appearances than ever before, including an interview with me on national TV.  One of the best moments I’ve had here was when I joined the Ice Blacks squad for one of their training camps here in Christchurch, and got to wear one of the famous Black Jerseys. Unfortunately due to current international ice hockey regulations, I may never be able to play for the Ice Blacks, because I’ve already played for Hungary”

The President of Canterbury Ice Hockey, Ian Bell, has provided some facts about the local game;  There are about 2000 registered players in the entire country, with about 450 in Canterbury alone.  There are eight rinks in New Zealand, with some operating only in the kiwi winter.  The first time New Zealand played internationally was in 1985, and at the moment, the Ice Blacks have just won promotion to IIHF Division Two, after winning Division Three.  This is a good result for New Zealand hockey, who have to overcome an awkward playing and training structure.  The local premier league is played at the opposite end of the calendar to all Northern Hemisphere countries, runnning from May until September.  This means that, to prepare for the international championships, the Ice Blacks have to coordinate a series of training camps which run for only a few days every second month, until the world champs in the northern spring.

Kaszala is keen to help the locals improve their Hockey, and has identified a number of areas that need development.  „The big surprise for me was learning that kiwis think of Hockey as only a winter sport, and don’t realise that in order to improve, it needs to be practiced all year round.  Thats why I founded the Kaszi Academy, which teaches skills to children aged between 5 and 15 years old.  I’ve separated the players into two groups, and arranged for practices for a total of five months a year, during the time when the kids are normally not playing.  The biggest problem here is in a lack of basic skills, like stick handling, skating, passing, shooting, and fitness.  I tested the players here at the beginning of my classes, on-ice and off-ice, and after 12 weeks of practicing, there was a huge improvement in all skills, such as a 300% improvement in Shooting, and a 96% improvement in the number of Push-Ups done”

Kaszala is keen to create a new generation of hockey players, and wants to continue to coach these young players as they grow up.  The Kaszi 22 Academy has been a big success with the players, and with the local Canterbury Association.  For the second semester, which starts in February, the player numbers have grown even further, with enquiries for places from as far away as Auckland.

„New Zealand is a fantastic place, and feels like my new home.  The people here are tolerant and laid-back, and the lifestyle is very different to Europe.  The life here is slower paced and more enjoyable, and everybody has a better work-life balance.  For me, this is a dream come true, because I get to play hockey, as well as coach new players.  One interesting thing I noticed is that Hockey is very popular with Maori people in New Zealand, who play the game with a real aggression and a complete lack of fear.  This is the first country I’ve been to where I’ve seen people wearing full facial tattoos, which look really cool.  I want to get a Maori tattoo myself, and I was also given a traditional carved necklace which I wear all the time.”