Greg Oddy Interview (Brink Vault)

A different 'vault' interview for you today as we go back to 2011 to chat with the captain of the Australian Ice Hockey team Greg Oddy. For a sport that is barely even covered in Australia, Greg takes us through his outstanding career and talks up the prospects of Australia one day returning to the Olympic arena in Ice Hockey.

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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

Please note this is an automated transcript that may contain errors.

BEN WATERWORTH: As we continue our vault interview series, going through some Olympic athletes that we've had on the show from our parent programme, The Brink. And a bit of a different one again for you today, because our guest on the show isn't exactly an Olympic athlete, but he plays an Olympic sport. I do, of course, speak of Greg Oddy. And again, somebody who, for most people, even in Australia, they've never actually heard of. This interview was done in 2011, and Greg is the captain of the Australian Mighty Roos, which is the name of the Australian ice hockey team. Now, for those, again, who, outside of Australia, don't think, well, you know, what's so amazing about that? You know, Australia ice hockey, that. Again, the sport in this country is not exactly well represented, so definitely this was a fun chat. And the history of Australia when it comes to being in the Olympics, of course, we did have an Olympics appearance all the way back in 1960, losing both of our games in those games to Czechoslovakia, 18-1, and eventual gold medallist United States, 12-1. So obviously, history for Australia in the Olympics when it comes to ice hockey, not too good. However, we did hold the record for a very long time when it comes to ice hockey for the highest winning margin in a double IHF World Championship game. In 1987, we defeated New Zealand 58-0. That's right, 58-0. Sadly, however, this has been broken 2008, and Slovakia scored 82 goals. So there you go. That's sadly been beaten. But anyway, Greg Oddy, captain of the Australian Mighty Roos, and this was a fun chat. And there's prospects talked about, you know, Olympic hopefuls, because obviously when it comes to ice hockey, it's not an easy case of just going to a qualifying tournament and you make the game. There's a lot more to it than that. So 2011, this was Greg Oddy, captain of the Australian ice hockey team.

BEN WATERWORTH: Greg Oddy was born and raised in Adelaide and quickly flew up the ranks in Australian ice hockey. After playing in various leagues in Canada, England and Finland, Greg soon found his home playing and captaining the Adelaide-based club the Adelaide Adrenaline in the Australian ice hockey league before being named captain of the Australian national hockey side, the Mighty Roos. I spoke to Greg during the week about his career in a sport not that recognised in Australia, as well as the upcoming Division 2 World Ice Hockey Championships taking part in Melbourne next month. Greg, thank you very much for your time here on the Brink and Edge radio. What made you want to get into the sport of ice hockey?

GREG ODDY: Interesting, actually, my grandparents, they started the first ice rink down here in Adelaide a few years back, and that's where my parents met. And yeah, got us kids involved from an early age. We all started at about five years old.

BEN WATERWORTH: So it wasn't really that difficult then to get involved in the sport? There really isn't that much publicised in Australia?

GREG ODDY: No, well, that's the thing, I mean, because I started young, the opportunities that the sport presented me, you know, were pretty good. So, I mean, a lot of travel, you know, a bit different than, you know, your footy in cricket, which I enjoyed as a kid, but I kept learning towards hockey as a bit of a priority. And I think, you know, just anyone that's played ice hockey before knows it's an exciting game, and it's great to be a part of, really.

BEN WATERWORTH: Now, given that we call it ice hockey here in Australia, but obviously most of the rest of the world refers it to as hockey, do you refer to it as ice hockey or hockey?

GREG ODDY: To my friends, hockey. But, yeah, I guess if I'm talking about it, you know, to someone that doesn't really know the game, then, yeah, you have to throw in the ice at the front. Otherwise, people might get confused. But, no, I mean, there's only one hockey that I can't remember. That's ice hockey. So I haven't really played much of the field hockey before.

BEN WATERWORTH: Well, I actually grew up playing a lot of field hockey, so I'm sort of from that background. But I mean, ice hockey is something that, I mean, being in Hobart, we have one rink, which is probably about the size of your lounge room. So it's a bit difficult for people in Tasmania and Hobart to actually want to get involved in the sport.

GREG ODDY: Well, yeah, I was actually fortunate enough to play, I think it was an under-14 tournament in Hobart a few years back. And yeah, it definitely was a bit of an experience. We went from five-on-five to three-on-three in the smaller rink there in Hobart. So that was, I mean, that's a different game again, you know, playing on that ice surface there.

BEN WATERWORTH: Exactly. Now, do you think the sport would be better off in Australia if there was, say, more funding and public support?

GREG ODDY: I think the funding and the public support, I think that will come as a result of facilities, I think. And we've seen that in Melbourne, you know, with the ice house there at Docklands. You know, a new arena, a lot of guys have come back now. I've been told the junior programmes have really, you know, the numbers have increased there. And so I think, you know, that's probably what's holding us back in Adelaide. What I understand is a lot of the facilities and the one arena just not having enough ice time. And yeah, I mean, people want to be able to practice, they want to be able to play, you know, a couple of times a week, they want a couple of games a week. And right now, we can't do that. We just don't have the ice time.

BEN WATERWORTH: Because it sort of comes down to every now and then, if you don't have the facilities, as you're saying, say, in Adelaide and that, does it come down to roller skating, and you got to practice your ice hockey on your rollerblades out in the backyards, on a concrete pitch, or it's a bit easier?

GREG ODDY: Yeah, there's a few guys that play, have come over from roller hockey. But I think most guys, I mean, there's a couple of guys that do go back and forth between the two, but in general, I mean, a lot of the guys that stop playing ice hockey, they stop playing hockey all together and move on to other stuff. And again, I think a lot of it comes back to, you know, just the senior programmes and things like that that we have locally, we just can't, there's not enough ice time to go around for the different sports.

BEN WATERWORTH: Now, obviously, of course, a lot of our listeners may be not that familiar with ice hockey compared to, as I was talking before, about field hockey. Clearly, there is a large difference between the two sports. There was, say, one major difference that you could pick out for our listeners between the difference between field and ice hockey, besides the obvious fact that one's played on ice and one's played on the field. What would it be?

GREG ODDY: Yeah, I think the physical part of the game, without a doubt. I mean, in ice hockey, there's no secret that it's very physical. You can get run guys over, assuring it's in the rules of the game, and you can also drop the gloves and fight and get five minutes in the penalty box. Yeah, and a lot of the times that does keep the game a bit cleaner, I mean, keeps everyone honest. But from what I understand, that would be the big difference between field hockey, roller hockey and ice hockey.

BEN WATERWORTH: More sports did that with the fighting? Do you think that'd be a lot better off?

GREG ODDY: Well, I don't think the fighting is not huge in Australia. I mean, a lot of the times we'll see highlights from overseas, and a lot of it's in isolation. So you might see an incident that involves a fight, but you won't see the goals around it or the other stuff. So it's not a huge part of the game. And anyone that plays hockey in Australia would know that that's the case. A lot of the majority of the game is skating and skill.

BEN WATERWORTH: Now you're talking, of course, about hockey overseas. The major country in the world when it comes to ice hockey is Canada. And of course, you've played it over there in Canada. It must be a big cultural shock to go from a country where you're lucky to find someone who even knows anything about ice hockey in the country to a place where it's their religion.

GREG ODDY: That was a huge experience going over there at a young age. Just being able to see how they do it over there. Everyone lives and breathes hockey over there. They have outdoor ice arenas on corners like we have ovals. And just every kid growing up there is playing ice hockey and dreams of playing in the NHL. So just to go over there and see what it's all about and be involved in it was probably one of the best experiences I've had as an ice hockey player.

BEN WATERWORTH: And was it your goal to try and make it into the NHL?

GREG ODDY: I think everyone. I think I'd be lying if I said no. Any kid that grows up would love to play in the NHL. And you quickly realise that you're not alone. You go over there, and like I said, there's that many guys playing ice hockey over there, and there's probably 600 guys in the world that are playing in the NHL. And now these days in Europe too, there's a ton of players coming out of Europe that have come in North America, where that's been a big change to the amount of players coming out of there.

BEN WATERWORTH: Who do you go for in the NHL?

GREG ODDY: I've been following the Pittsburgh Panthers, a bit of a Sydney Crosby fan.

BEN WATERWORTH: I was about to say Crosby Factor.

GREG ODDY: Yeah, definitely. He's changed the game a bit, I think. The NHL has been dying for a guy like him to come along for a few years now.

BEN WATERWORTH: Yeah, a lot of people I've actually been speaking to about it recently. When I ask them who do they actually support, a lot of them will say the Penguins just because of Sydney Crosby.

GREG ODDY: Yeah, I think what he's done, yeah, and it's true. Every now and then you get a guy that comes along, and people, you know, that feel, you know, love watching play, and he's one of them. You know, I think, you know, Wayne Gretzky was probably the last guy that, you know, that probably was in that situation where, yeah, everyone just stopped their dying to watch Wayne, you know.

BEN WATERWORTH: Now, of course, you are the current captain of the Australian Mighty Roos. Now, what was the feeling like when you first got selected to play for Australia, and then eventually when you were named the captain of the team?

GREG ODDY: Well, if I look back at my first tournament, I was fortunate enough to play as a 17-year-old. So it was quite some time ago now, about 12 years ago. And yeah, I mean, that was an unbelievable feeling. I mean, you know, just growing up as a kid and playing ice hockey, and then being able to represent your country and to play with some really good players, both local and also Canadian guys that have been naturalised, you know, it was amazing. And I think just over the years, I've been fortunate enough to move more into a leadership role. And then to be named captain this year was, yeah, an unbelievable feeling and something that, yeah, definitely looking forward to.

BEN WATERWORTH: And as you were talking before, too, of course, about the new facilities at Docklands, the Ice House. Now Australia is set to host the Division II IHF Championships in Melbourne next month. Now how much of a boost is this for the sport in Australia, and how do you think Australia will go?

GREG ODDY: Well, I guess that's the first question. Yeah, a huge boost. I mean, Melbourne is the sporting capital, so we've had a world championships in Newcastle, which, you know, is great. The only, I guess, the problem there was you're still attracting a lot of people that come to ice hockey anyway, just because it's a bit smaller. But with Melbourne, you know, you're talking to people that, you know, maybe have heard of hockey or, you know, maybe have seen a little bit on TV, but there's actually going to be an opportunity to come down and watch all the games. We're going to be able to attract a new audience, you know, people that might spend their weekends at the footy and things like that, you know, might want to have a look. And the ice house there is a world class facility, so very exciting to play in there.

BEN WATERWORTH: How far do you think that Australia is from making it into the premier division of the World Ice Hockey League and then eventually say the Olympic Games?

GREG ODDY: Well, we've been up to division one. We won the gold medal two years ago. It went up to division one, so it was a short stay. We were only up there for the one year, but we definitely got to learn a lot in Lithuania and find out exactly who we were playing against, some of the top players in the world, a lot of them, or the majority of them, professional too. So it is a step up, but we're confident that we can win the gold in division two. It's going to be tough, but we can definitely achieve that again and move up to division one and hopefully stay up there this time.

BEN WATERWORTH: And of course, the Olympic Games too is probably the pinnacle of ice hockey. Now, do you think, how many years away do you think Australia is from going back to the Olympics, which I believe we haven't been in the Olympics since the 60s?

GREG ODDY: Yeah, the Olympics, the way that it's structured now, it's moving up to division one doesn't guarantee you a spot in the Olympics, you still need to qualify. So it's difficult one to answer the Olympics, because if we can get our act together this year and win the gold, then that's going to put us in a good position, because the Olympics are three years away now, a lot can happen between now and then. But I think our number one goal is to win division one, sorry, division two this year, and at least give us ourselves that opportunity to play against the top teams next year.

BEN WATERWORTH: Now, just before we wrap things up, Greg, I would like to put out there to our listeners who may be listening to this, they may be trying to think of a different sport to play than your regular soccer, your AFL, your tennis, whatever it is. Why should the kids listening to this programme today take up ice hockey?

GREG ODDY: I think for a start it's the fastest game in the world, and most of the kids that I talk to, once they start playing ice hockey, they don't look back. There's no reason why you can't combine it with your footy and your cricket, but ice hockey really is an alternative, and the amount of travel that you get from it, you would get to travel to all around the world places that you never thought of. The opportunities, it's just endless. It's the best game in the world, to be honest, and it's a lot of fun. Definitely get out there, give it a go, and I guarantee you you won't be disappointed.

BEN WATERWORTH: Well, Greg Oddy, thank you very much for your time here on The Brink. Good luck in the upcoming championships there next month here in Australia, and hopefully we will see Australia bumping up into Division I, and maybe even in the Olympics in the not-too-distant future. Fun chat, and Greg's still playing, incidentally. It's been six years since that interview. But still going, still playing for Australia, still playing for the Adelaide Avalanche in the Australian Ice Hockey League. And yeah, he's still going strong. So Greg, if you're listening, I hope everything's going well. We're keeping an eye on things, of course, with Health Hat, and go Australia, because that's definitely what we like to see. And we hope that one day, one day, we can see Australia return to the Winter Olympics in the sport of ice hockey. We'll have more of these great interviews coming your way, of course. Plenty more to come. Facebook, you can like us on there, stay up to date with everything. And iTunes is the easiest way to get these episodes. All our old interviews are on there. All our new interviews will be there. And that's how you can easily stay up to date with us. But we'll be back very soon, once again, Off The Podium. Thank you for your company, and we'll speak to you very soon.