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A new season is just weeks away, and Brisbane’s ice hockey community hopes more fans will be turning out to watch at local ice rinks as the international game grows in popularity.
Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) and Australian Women’s Ice Hockey League (AWIHL) games have seen increased attendance in recent seasons, cumulating in a record 2964 people at a Canberra Brave v Adelaide Adrenaline game earlier this year.
“There has been a steady rise in popularity of ice hockey, especially over the last decade,” Brisbane Lightning Women’s Ice Hockey Team president Lee Brown says.
Brisbane Lightning Women take on Perth Inferno at their last home game of the 24/25 season.Credit: Instagram
Matches from North America’s National Hockey League (NHL) are now available for Australians to watch on free-to-air television, in what Brown says is “great for our game in Australia”.
She says the fast-paced action of an ice hockey game is behind the rise in fans.
“Players and fans are often looking for alternative sports to the traditional Australian ones like the football codes and cricket,” she says.
St. Louis Blues’ Brayden Schenn (10) scores on the Philadelphia Flyers in an NHL hockey game.Credit: AP
“Ice hockey offers them a new option which is still fast and physical. It’s also great to be at an ice rink in summertime.”
The women’s season is set to kick off on November 8, with the Lightning facing off against Perth Inferno at Iceworld Boondall from 4.45pm. The games are streamed on the team’s YouTube.
Australia was estimated to be the fifth-biggest market for the NHL in 2023, when the then-Arizona Coyotes and LA Kings played a Global Series game in Melbourne.
“We already know that NHL viewership and the fan base here in Australia punches above its weight,” Rachael Carroll from the promoter TEG Sport and Experiences said at the time.
“When you think about North America, Canada and the European countries, to have Australia there in the top five is pretty significant.”
One free National Hockey League (NHL) game a week is now available to watch on free-to-air television, courtesy of a partnership between the league and Nine, the publisher of this masthead.
The first game aired on Saturday, with the Detroit Red Wings taking on the Tampa Bay Lightning in a 2-1 victory.
A game will air each weekend, bar a one-week break in December, until February when the league takes a break for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
Top NHL players will compete in the games, which are also set to air exclusively on Nine.
“We are committed to growing the sport in Australia and giving fans the best possible coverage,” Nine’s director of sport Brent Williams said.
Australian teams will not participate in the next Winter Olympics, but do compete in International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championships.
The Australian women’s team swept Division II B earlier this year and was promoted to Division II A, while the men competed in the Division II Group A tournament and placed fifth out of six teams.
Every game of the NHL season can be watched in Australia through Disney+’s deal with ESPN.
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