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If you've been around any hockey fan in Canada any time in the past five years, you've probably heard a discussion based on the theme of "What is wrong with the Canadian game today." From overpriced, mercenary players to Canada's less than dominant performances on the international scene, there is a real sense of malaise among Canadian hockey fans. Dave Bidini, better known as a rhythm guitarist with The Rheostatics, is no different, as he discovered one spring when he found himself watching Martha Stewart instead of the NHL playoffs. His eventual response to this national loss of passion for the game was to head for areas of the world where ice hockey is not as widely played, in the hopes of finding its true grassroots.
Bidini's first port of call was Honk Kong, to watch and participate in The Sunday Ice Hockey Fives '99, a tournament featuring teams from Singapore, Japan, the Philippines, the United Arab Emirates, and other places. From there, he journeyed to northern China, where he played against the locals (including survivors of the original Chinese hockey program in the sixties) with a touring team of Americans. A number of interesting things come to light in this section, including the fact that a particular ethnic group in China has been playing a variant of ice hockey since about A.D. 600. The next stop was the United Arab Emirates, truly off the beaten track for an ice hockey fan, for another tournament featuring some of the same players he'd met in Hong Kong. It is notable here that although several of the teams were strongly represented by North American and European ex-pats, there were also a number composed entirely of dedicated locals. And, finally, he stopped off in Transylvania to see a match between Ciuc Sport Klub and Steaua Bucharest, bitter rivals for a number of ethnic historical reasons. Although fans of European soccer will be familiar with this concept, hockey fans, particularly the younger ones, may not be, and it is bit disturbing to read of ice hockey as an outlet for these types of hatreds. Bidini's accounts of these adventures are mixed with reminiscences of his experiences with hockey in Canada, from both a player's perspective and that of a fan.
Before I say more about Tropic of Hockey, I must note that in some ways it is a deeply flawed book. This is particularly true of the editing and proofreading. There are a couple of minor but definite factual errors (Skyreach Centre in Edmonton, for example, is not named after the local phone company - that's the baseball stadium), and in a couple of places Bidini seems to have gotten feet and metres mixed up. In addition, we perhaps hear just a little bit too much about Bidini's reaction to the bathroom facilities in some of the areas he visits. These remarks have really nothing whatsoever to do with the theme of the book.
However, these flaws do very little to detract from what is an extremely enjoyable and interesting book. The pleasure in reading Tropic of Hockey derives mostly from the the fact that Bidini never comes across as condescending towards the hockey people he meets in these far-away places. Although he does ruefully admit to imagining himself as the all-conquering Canadian come to show the locals how to play hockey, that attitude never comes across in his dealings with the game, the players, or the fans. Although the rinks may be the wrong size and shape, and a number of the on-ice events are hilarious, Bidini always seems to keep in mind that the people involved take their ice hockey very seriously and are often very good at it, and he never seems to sneer. In conclusion Tropic of Hockey is a book worth reading for any hockey fan, particularly one concerned about the state of game in North America these days. I suspect that you will come away feeling somehow comforted.
Reviewed by Patrick Conway on January 16, 2001. Photograph from United Arab Emirates Ice Hockey Association.
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