Bence Svasznek doesn’t need any convincing on how popular hockey is in Canada.
The 42-year-old head coach of the U16 Hungarian national team is basking in puck paradise for the first time in his life. It’s proven to be everything he hoped for and then some.
Svasznek and his team capped a memorable week by capturing the Major Midget title at the 37th annual Richmond International Bantam Midget Hockey Tournament after a thrilling 1-0 win over the Moose Jaw Generals in the championship game.
Six games in as many days certainly kept Team Hungary busy but it was the hockey culture away from the rink that had Svasznek in awe.
His coaching staff was special guests at the Canucks game against Chicago last week. The entire team was at the Langley Events Centre on Monday for the Vancouver Giants’ Western Hockey League game against Prince George. It was then back to Rogers Arena Tuesday night to watch the Canucks take on Anaheim.
Of course, there was also a steady diet of games on TV between the NHL and the World Junior Hockey Championships.
“It was not only a great tournament but a great experience for us to taste and feel Canadian Hockey,” smiled Svasznek. “We have learned lots and seen lots too.
“Everywhere we go and watch TV it’s hockey. It’s a perfect dream world to me. We really are enjoying it.”
While the players flew home to Budapest on Wednesday, Svasznek and his staff are remaining in North America for several more days. They will be dispersing to Kamloops, Victoria, Calgary and Everett where they have been invited as guest coaches with the cities’ respective WHL teams.
It’s all part of the Hungarian Ice Hockey Federation’s aggressive development plan.
Overseen by former NHL assistant coach and scout Glenn Williamson, he has arranged for the country’s U18 and U16 national teams to play in holiday tournaments in Calgary (Macs) and Richmond respectively for the past couple of years.
With a population of around 9.7 million, Hungary had 5,291 registered hockey players last year. That’s a sliver of the amount compared to world-leading Canada (631,295) but is a significant increase from 2,000 players seven years ago. The number of ice rinks has also risen to 24.
The majority of Hungary’s U16 roster plays at the club level for Mac Budapest, although two suit up for teams in Sweden and Switzerland.
“We mostly play in Europe,” explained Svasznek. “This was our third tournament of the season. We played one in Prague, another in Austria and there will be one more at the end of the season in Europe.
“This would be the perfect place for us to play all the time. If we could play games like this though the whole season we would be that much better. That is what we are missing back at home is this compete level.”
Perhaps if Team Hungary wants the total Canadian Hockey experience they should have jumped on the bus with their opponents for the ride back to Saskatchewan.
It took the Generals two days to reach Richmond and they came right off the bus to lose 3-1 to Hungary in the tournament’s opening day feature game on Dec. 26. They battled their way back into contention and nearly won their third RIBMHT title.
Still not a bad experience for a team of mostly 15-year-olds — playing a championship game on New Year’s Eve on Canada's west coast against a European national team.
“ I thought if we played each other again it could be a pretty good hockey game. Today was fantastic and just unfortunate we didn’t get the gold medal,” said Generals head coach Ray Wareham. “We had fun the last two times we have been out here and the kids really enjoyed the week. Hopefully we will be back next year.”
