Color of Hockey: Game, culture thrive at Asian Championship

William Douglas has been writing The Color of Hockey blog since 2012. Douglas joined NHL.com in 2019 and writes about people of color in the sport. Today, as part of NHL.com's celebration of Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage month, he profiles the Asian Hockey Championship, a three-decade-old tournament and cultural event that will feature more than 33 teams and over 500 players from Friday through Sunday at NFP Athletic Centre in North York, Ontario.

Allan Chan remembers the first time he and two buddies from Winnipeg traveled to Toronto in 2010 to play in the Asian Hockey Championship.

"Growing up in Winnipeg, there weren't that many Asian players," Chan said. "We go to Toronto, they had full teams of not just Asian players but full Filipino teams, full Japanese teams, full Chinese teams … We were just overwhelmed and were, like, 'This is incredible.'"

Incredible enough that Chan returned the following year with a team he helped form, the Winnipeg Emperors, who have competed in the tournament ever since.

They will be among the more than 33 teams and more than 500 players from across North America at this year's Asian Hockey Championship, which runs Friday through Sunday at NFP Athletic Centre in North York, Ontario.

"It's basically become our Stanley Cup Playoffs, which is why we return every year," Chan said. "It's hockey plus culture, a great fusion of everything."

In its third decade, the tournament is where hockey and Asian culture meet. Players compete in men's, youth and coed teams within competitive and recreational divisions and enjoy Asian cuisine and entertainment from South Korean K-pop to traditional Japanese dance and martial arts demonstrations off the ice.

"You've got DJs playing, K-pop people dancing, there's just a huge cultural element to it which I think is pretty special," said Daniel Kim, executive director of the Korean Canadian Athletic Association, which is icing two youth teams at the tournament. "For the kids to celebrate their ethnicity through something like hockey, where they kind of never probably really been able to do it, is special."

The tournament began in 1989 in Toronto when a group of friends got together to play an informal, four-team, round-robin, gathering, said Jeff Chang, chair of the AHC organizing committee.

"Then they would go for lunch or dinner afterward and hang out and whatnot," said Chan, who began playing in the tournament in its fourth year. "We quickly went to six teams and eight teams, then 12 teams. It was a lot of word-of-mouth. Friends would come out and watch us, and then others were, like, 'Oh, geez, I play too,' or 'Maybe I'll get back into it.' It was different, it was a little bit more special. You felt part of the community. You felt it was like a family gathering where you competed and there was music, your food and all that. From there, it kind of took off."

The growth spurt continued when a women's team, the Mayhem Dragons, joined the previously all-male tournament in 2006 and a women's division was added the next year. A children's division for players ages 6-15 began in 2008 with six teams and has grown steadily ever since, Chang said.

"I think it's good for the kids because there aren't many Asians in the NHL," said Andy Yu, a Toronto resident whose sons, Colin and Lucas, are goalies for the two Korean Canadian Athletic Association Tigers teams in the tournament. 
"This kind of shows them that, 'You know what? The sport is changing. We're included in this.' We're a part of hockey where it never used to be that way."

Most of the players are from Canada but some travel from the United States and as far as Japan. Julia Takatsuka, goaltending development coordinator with the Seattle Kraken Youth Hockey Association, ventured from her home state of Washington to play in the Toronto tournament in 2015.

"That was kind of my first experience seeing a bunch of other Asian people in a hockey setting," Takatsuka said. "I remember there were ping-pong tables set up. I did see part of the dragon dance show that they had, which was crazy, to think how much skill and strength it takes to be able to do that."

Though the cultural element of the tournament is popular, hockey is the centerpiece, Chang said. The competition is friendly but sometimes fierce when bragging rights are on the line.

"Yeah, absolutely in terms of cultural bragging rights and regional ones playing against teams from Ottawa or Montreal," Chan said. "It's competitive, it's fiery out there, but after the tournament's done, we can share a beer."

Competition is also keen, it seems, for the catchiest team names. Some squads go the traditional route like Chan's Emperors and the Korean Canadian Athletic Association Tigers. 

Others have taken more creative approaches giving winks and nods to culture and cuisine with handles like Teriyaki Ticklers, Chicken Chow Men, Sake Bombers, Dim Sum Danglers, Bar Down Bobas, Rah-Men and Miracle on Rice.  

"That's something a lot of people love," said Kyle Chang, who played in the tournament growing up and now helps his father organize the event. "We had one team that had a very generic name, and I remember the coach was, like, 'Wait, these names are so fun and cool, can we change our name at the rink?' 

"They ended up changing their name."