We all have that, we dream of things, more often than not it will be sexually tainted and I have them too, but not this time. The CBC put that (not so) old fantasy on the forefront of my mind with the story (at https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/olympics-2026-hockey-venue-update-march-2025-1.7489606) titled ‘Construction of hockey arena for 2026 Olympics facing a ‘tight schedule’’ Here we are introduced to a new Hockey arena build in Milan we also are given the text “The schedule for completing the arena that will be used for many hockey games at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy will be “very tight,” organizers told the International Olympic Committee (IOC) this week at the organization’s 144th Session in Greece.” And it came to me that the thoughts of that stadium given to us by Karissa Donkin gives more options. It is (for now) build for other purposes, yet it could become more.
You see, The Italian Hockey League has options (as I see it) and it takes a larger setting to impact settings. The Italian Hockey Leagues has:
- Alleghe
- Aosta
- Brixen/Bressanone
- Como
- Eppan/Appiano
- Fassa
- Feltre
- Fiemme
- Kaltern/Caldaro
- Pergine
- Toblach/Dobbiaco
- Valpellice Bulldogs
- Varese
And of course my delusional brain added team number 14 to that (coming to that). You see, in my fantasy I got to the Scotiabank Arena (Home of the Toronto Maple Leafs) and of course, as a non NHL player, I decided to get through to the sneaky sneaky scoundrel side in me and I created ‘my own’ team, based on another jersey, a soccer jersey (see below)
So in comes visiting Father Larry van Rijn (number 62) from the IHL league team Vatican City as a visiting (massively wannabe) Goalie for Vatican City. And the men were fantastic and of course they massively loved the idea to push a puck in my goal and that was how I got my first day going up against an NHL team without qualifications and a certain level of lacking skills. You know it all starts with a mere dream.
Yet now, that thought gets a larger setting. With Women Hockey teams gaining speed all over Global Hockey Arena’s. As far as I can tell, America and Canada have their leagues, but there is also the Australian Ice Hockey League, International Ice Hockey Federation, Elite Ice Hockey League, Liiga, Asia League Ice Hockey, IHL, Emirates Ice Hockey League, Saudi Arabia national ice hockey team and a few more. Yet in this setting now (due to some political person) the American leagues are less and less welcome and now that Women’s Ice Hockey is gaining traction, having A European League would not be a bad idea and as Canada gets more and more competition, the idea of an American League become less and less essential. OK, essential might not be the proper word, but Canada could use some friendly competition in a few ways. Take that with the setting that a women’s league might do well in the Arabian countries as well gives it more front page. The idea that the western leagues final could end up being Vatican City (with yours truly as the goalie versus the Abu Dhabi Shaheen Falcons does have an unusual appeal. A setting where America has pushed too many buttons and now there is the stage where Europe and other places will find the need to enjoy a sport, preferably one without America.
The idea that there is a larger need to promote women in sports and too many places where they are treated too inferior, and now the door to a larger competition drive could open the world to a global sport where the women are under their own power an equal league of their own.
So have a great day and feel free to have your own fantasy (optionally involving food).
Lawrence van Rijn - Law Lord to be 