Canberra Knights

For us Canadians, when one thinks of Australia, one doesn’t correlate hockey to the country. In regards to sports, we think of rugby, softball or anything to do with the water. However, hockey has been played in some variation for over a hundred years down in the Southern Hemisphere. In fact, the Goodall Cup, which the teams of the 14 year Australian Ice Hockey League play for, is the third oldest hockey trophy in the world.

The first reported case of ice hockey came in Melbourne as a local team squared off against an American crew fresh off the USS Baltimore. That one game took place in 1906 and sparked a hockey passion with the Aussies.

The story of the Canberra Brave starts with its predecessor, the Canberra Knights. The Knights came to fruition in 1981 by a bunch of former hockey players who had no place to play in the area. They played out of the then New South Wales Superleague, out of Sydney. For 13 years, the Knights struggled but gained more than a handful of hockey experience. One young lad, originally from Canada, had a standout year and managed to be drafted by the Detroit Red Wings. He landed himself the third string goalie spot and hung on to a Stanley Cup victory in 2002.

Canberra continued to grow its ice hockey prowess by playing in the East Coast Super League for five years after the demolition of the NSWSL. When a national league came into light in the year 2000, the Knights, and two others squads made the foundation of the Australian Ice Hockey League that we know today. Continue reading “The heartwarming story of the Canberra Brave”

Take a look at this hockey history.

The Canberra Knights are one of the oldest teams in the league, forming before the AIHL was even founded. 1981 was their debut season playing against international and Australian squads in exhibition games. 13 years saw players come and ago until a 16 year old Canadian goalie by the name of Jason Elliot suited up in 1992. Elliot would go on to win the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings in 2002 as their third string goalie.

The Knights original league struggled through the pressure and eventually folded. So in the year 2000, Canberra, along with the Sydney Bears and Adelaide Avalanche (later renamed Adrenaline) formed what we see today as the 9 team Australian Ice Hockey League. The Canberra Knights are an essential part of Australian Hockey and Australian hockey history.

Canberra ices imports in the form of two Canadians, one Fin and one Frenchman along their countrymen for their current season.

The Canberra Knights next game is July 13th against the Adelaide Adrenaline! Puck drop is 4:30 local time.