THE Galleria Ice Rink was taken over by world-renowned touring ice hockey club, Canadian Moose, on May 16-17.

The club conducted an ice hockey workshop, putting Durban skaters through their paces. Participants included the Durban Junior Ice Skating Club, Galleria Figure Skating Club and Durban Knights Ice Hockey Club.

More about the moose

Canadian Moose, recognised in the hockey hall of fame, has been touring the world, promoting ice hockey for almost 30 years.

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Their tour to South Africa is thanks to tour guide, Murray Nichol, whose connection to the club unexpectedly began through his sister, Tamsin Wentzel, who started playing ice hockey at the age of 53 in Port Elizabeth. Her hockey journey took her to Lake Placid, New York, US.

“She approached a hockey group while there and asked if anyone would be interested in travelling to South Africa to play ice hockey. What began as a small idea turned into three successful hockey tours. When my work took me to Vietnam I discovered a passionate ice hockey community there. I reached out to Tamsin and before long, we were introduced to Canadian Moose. After organising a tour in Vietnam, I suggested bringing the club to South Africa,” said Nichol.

Mark Sadgrove, fondly known as “The Moose Guy,” is the founder of the club which is world-renowned for its development of the sport globally.

“It’s a beautiful country full of beautiful people. While here, we have been treated with the utmost of kindness and overwhelming generosity. Thank you to Kirstin Birnie and crew for helping organise the ice hockey and for sharing a common passion for playing this beautiful sport,” said Sadgrove.

The benefits of ice hockey

Jo Cossavella of the SA Figure Skating Association KZN added that bringing ice hockey to the rink is like a shot of energy.

“Suddenly, people come together to play and compete. While figure skating is all about precision and control, ice hockey is a great way to improve your reaction time and agility. These sports bring people together and create a sense of community. They offer a path for athletes to develop their skills and compete at a high level, which raises the bar for everyone involved. The local sports scene becomes more vibrant and exciting, with people cheering each other on and supporting one another,” said Cossavella.

For more information about the public skating sessions at Galleria Ice Rink, visit their website www.galleria.co.za/ice-rink, and to learn more about Canadian Moose, visit www.canadianmoose.org.

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