Sand is usually the first thing people think of when they think of the Middle East. But in today’s ever smaller world, ice feels just a tad more prominent and the once supremely foreign sport of hockey is being played in cities like Dubai, Tehran and Tel-Aviv. We have yet to see an NHLer from these places, and it may yet take a generation, but a foundation is being built for what will hopefully be the further internationalization of the game beyond Northern Europe. Let’s have a closer look at the hockey scene in the Middle East. There will probably be a second part to this since I can only profile a few countries for the time being.
United Arab Emirates
Let me start by saying that I really love the look of that away jersey. On a more serious note, a professional hockey league has been in place within the UAE since 2009 and the national team currently sits in the IIHF’s Division II Group A. Crucially, the UAE Ice Hockey Association enjoys recognition from the Emirati government which is crucial support from the authorities. It gained IIHF membership in 2001 and debuted internationally in 2007. In the years since, the UAE has proven a worthy competitor, currently ranked 39th on the men’s side.
Both Dubai and Abu Dhabi have been eyed for large arenas with the view of gaining entry into Russia’s KHL. The KHL would make sense in that the Emirati Hockey czar is Russian businessman Vladimir Burdun and that the UAE, Dubai in particular, is a favorite playground of Russia’s well to do. The KHL also currently has twenty three teams, three of which are foreign. (One each for Belarus, Kazakhstan and China) One more would make for a rather neat 24 team setup.
Lebanon
Lebanon has no native born NHLers but former Leaf (current Flame) Nazem Kadri is of Lebanese descent. Alain Nasreddine had a brief NHL career but has parlayed it into a successful coaching career. He is currently an assistant under Peter DeBoer in Dallas. John Hanna in the 1950’s and 60’s played and he too was of Lebanese descent. In Lebanon itself, hockey is very much a niche sport but picking up in terms of popularity.
Lebanon has held IIHF associate membership since 2019 and is working towards receiving full membership. The IIHF estimates that there are some 230 players active in the country at the moment but infrastructure is an issue, with there are no major rinks available for training. Lebanon does have its own national hockey association but it is combined with field hockey and roller hockey. They did score a win over Haiti on their debut in 2017. There is currently no active national league in the country.
Iran
Hockey has something of a history in Iran but it has never been a major sport. Some recreational hockey was played during the late Pahlavi era and the Ice Palace that was used can even be seen in some pre-Islamic revolution commercials. Hockey and ice skating were actually banned in the immediate aftermath of said revolution but this has since been rescinded. However, hockey is currently open only to men.
Today, Iran does hold full IIHF membership since 2019 and the Ice Box inside the Iran mall serves as the national team’s home turf. The country does have a semi-professional national league which must be a fun watch given that slashing and spearing are legal. The national team is currently 54th in the men’s IIHF ranking. There are female players per the IIHF, but no women’s national team has been formed to compete. The national team attempted a run at the Winter Asian in 2017 which served as the impetus for creating a national team, but controversy over player eligibility marred that bid.
There are no Iranian born NHLers at this time but Mika Zibanejad (born in Sweden) of the Rangers is of Iranian descent on his father’s side. Rhett Rakshani (American born) had a brief cup of coffee with the Islanders across two seasons before embarking on a successful career playing in Europe.
Israel
The influx of Canadian, American and Russian Jews has brought with them something of a hockey scene in the world’s only Jewish state. While often overlooked, hockey does have a fairly rich Jewish history ranging from Sam Rothschild and Larry “The Rock” Zeidel to current players like Jason Zucker, Luke Kunin, Jake Walman or even stars like Adam Fox, Zack Hyman and the Hughes brothers. Prospects like Ze’ev Buium, Yaniv Perets and Devon Levi are also Jewish. However, I don’t believe any of them are Israeli citizens. There are no Dean Kremers or Deni Advijas yet in the NHL.
That is not to say that things are not trending in the right direction though. Hockey is a growing sport in Israel and they currently sit in Division II Group A. They will partake in the Div II championship next month in Serbia. (Side note: This tournament would feature the first hockey game between Israel and an Arab nation as the UAE is also in this tournament.) Hockey is also included in the Maccabiah Games (the Jewish Olympics) thanks to the timely intervention of several NHL owners that kept it from being removed due to lack of funds. The men’s team sits 33rd in the world per the IIHF rankings and the women’s team 44th. There have been three attempts to reach the Olympics but none have hit paydirt as of now.
Hockey in Israel traces its origins to a solitary rink in Kiryat Motzkin, opened in 1986. Another rink opened in Bat Yam in 1988 and there is a Hockey Academy of Israel that trains both Jewish and Arab youths in the game, including from a small town of Ghajar that straddles the Israel-Lebanon border (paywall: NYT article). There is a Leafs connection too in this story. Former Leafs coach Roger Neilson spent some time in Israel running some clinics in the 80’s and 90’s whilst there on pilgrimage. Israel gained IIHF membership in 1991 and has participated in international competition ever since. Links between Canada’s Jewish community and Israel continue to be an important source of equipment and support for Israel's fledgling hockey community. It is also worth noting that Israel’s hockey community has Israel’s recent baseball success to use as a potential template for quick development and further galvanizing diaspora Jews around the idea of a hockey team that represents Jews around the world.
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