(Budapest, Hungary)

While interest in hockey is surging in Hungary, it has not historically been a hockey power.  There are still only a couple of thousand registered players and, since 1939, it has been in the top group at the world championships only once.  As a result, we had the rare opportunity to experience “grass roots” hockey in Budapest.

Ice is at a premium here, as demand exceeds supply.  The only venue available was a relatively temporary facility – the ice was hard and fast but there were no facilities in the arena itself (see photo at top of this post).  The dressing rooms were located in a nearby building that appeared to be built in support of the surrounding track, tennis and soccer facilities.  To get to the arena, we had to walk down a sidewalk and over a bridge.  The route was padded so it was really no problem.

Once again, the welcome was warm.  All sorts of beverages were laid out for us in the dressing room and you could tell that the Hungarians were thrilled to have us there.   The arena was even named after Canada and the minor hockey program featured “Canada – Hungary” uniforms.

Our opponents (Szigeti Bikák Old Boys) wore Hungarian national team jerseys and warmed up with intensity.  Their top defenceman (#4) looked like he had played hockey at a very high level in the past.  As in Bratislava, the national anthems were played before the game began.  It was a bittersweet moment, as it was great to wear the Team Canada uniform and hear the national anthem one more time…but we also knew that this was the last game on our hockey tour.

Alas, any sentimental thoughts were quickly forgotten once the puck was dropped.  Hungary clearly wanted to put up a strong performance and they were playing with much more determination than the last couple of teams we faced.  Just because the arena was named after Canada didn’t mean that Hungary wanted us to win!  As facilities are limited, I also suspect that anybody who plays hockey in Hungary must necessarily be very serious about it.

The goals went back and forth all night.  While Team Canada had a full line-up for this final game, almost everybody was nursing an injury of some sort.  As a result, when Hungary took a 5-4 lead into the final minutes of the game, it looked like our flawless post-Czech Republic record was in jeopardy.

Of course, Canadians don’t like to quit either and we were determined to get the tying goal.  And so, with only 50 seconds left, we gained control of the puck in the Hungarian end.  The puck was passed to one of our injured defencemen who, due to injury, had been having trouble putting any weight on one of his skates.  While it must have been very painful for him, he took a quick snapshot from the point and found the top corner of the Hungarian net.  Goal!

The final seconds of regulation time failed to produce a winner.  It was decided that the tie would be broken by penalty shots.  This sounded good for our injured players, but there was another problem.  Our goalie, having been such a pillar of strength throughout the tour, was suffering from a groin injury and found it hard to move from side to side (or even to stand up, once he was down on the ice).  You could see him struggle to lift himself up after every save.

After the initial three shooters for each team, the score was still tied.  However, our fourth shooter scored and the Hungarians now had to score or lose the game.  The Hungarian shooter tried to deke our goalie but failed to lift the puck above our goalkeeper’s outstretched leg.  Victory for Canada!

There was nothing left in the tank.  The hockey portion of our tour was amazing but I don’t think we could have played another game.  I think we were all glad that no hockey had been scheduled for our final full day in Budapest.

Both teams met afterwards at a nearby restaurant for an all-you-can-eat buffet.  As it was now past 10:00 p.m. and I hadn’t eaten since the early afternoon, I was quite happy to “eat all I could”.  There were some speeches and it was clear that each team had a great amount of respect for the other.  Like every other country on  this tour, Hungary showed that Canada occupies a special place in the hockey world.  Hockey can be a fast and tough game but it is still possible to play with respect and dignity.  There is definitely something to be said for hockey diplomacy!