1999 - Flying Tigers

The Flying Tigers participated in the 1999 Nortel World Ice Hockey 5's. This article contains everything you want to know, but were afraid to ask, regarding the Flying Tigers trip to the 7th annual World Hockey 5's tournament in Hong Kong.

Team Name: TORONTO FLYING TIGERS

Player List:

1. Mike Borsch
2. Phil Stewart
3. Scott Cuff
4. Kenny Frotten
5. Jeff Yanoff
6. Rick Descary
7. Glen Broll
8. Steve Robson
9. Jeff Robson
10. Dave O'Laughlin
11. David Menzies (Goalie)

Here is some information from the "survival guide" that I prepared for the guys as I had attended the tournament the year before

The Arenas

Recognizing that we are playing in China. Hockey is an emerging market in China and there are very few ice surfaces. The rinks are typically built for pleasure / figure skating and are usually always located in Shopping Centers. Based on the schedule, we will be playing at two different arenas:

• The Skyrink at the Dragon Centre (DC) in Sham Shui Po in Kowloon
• The Glacier Ice Rink at the Festival Walk (FW) in Kowloon Tong

The Skyrink at the Dragon Centre is a very small ice surface. It would be comparable to the small rink at Forest Hill Arena. The Glacier Ice Rink (based on photos below) looks to be a considerably larger ice surface.

Important Note: I am note sure, but last year I seem to remember that there were no showers at the Dragon Centre, however, I believe they were in the process of building one. Either way, it is highly recommended that you invest a few dollars in a pair of shower shoes!

Below are a couple of pictures of the Glacier Ice Rink at the Festival Walk:

Transportation to the Games

Believe it or not, the easiest way to get to and from our games is by public transportation. That's right, we take the subway to our games. It is about 3 blocks from our Hotel to the subway and then a 3-block walk to the Dragon Centre. I am not sure how long the walk is to the new Glacier Ice Rink.

Important Note: Phil found a store that sells refurbished Bauer Knapsack style Hockey Bags for $20.00 Cdn. This hockey bag is designed to be worn like a knapsack and I would suggest that you consider the purchase of one of these bags. If you are interested let me know and I will get you the details on where the store is located.

Notes from Last Years Trip

Weather

Last year the weather was "spring like".  The tournament was March 12-15^th and the weather required only a light jacket - mid 60's - 70's.  I brought a jean jacket and that was more than enough.

Shoes

We did a lot of walking and sight seeing so a comfortable pair of shoes is a must.

Flight

The flight is loooong. I don’t think I can emphasize how long it is! Bring books, walkmans, extra drinking water, candies, puzzles, sleeping pills, anything to make the time pass faster.

Shopping

The are some great markets in Hong Kong. You can basically buy anything in the open-air markets. These are the markets were you can buy a knock-off of anything. The prices are excellent for watches, electronics, computer related stuff, belts, cameras, etc. However, buyer beware!!! You have to be very careful when making purchases! The bait and switch technique is an art form in Hong Kong. What you think you just bought may not be what you have in your bag. My advice would be to never shop alone (i.e. shop with someone from the team) and before you go off buying everything in sight, get advice from myself or Phil. Personally, I am planning to buy almost everything I need in Hong Kong. I.E. Your dollars can go a long way in HK so make sure you leave room for souvenirs when packing.

The Bar Scene

There are a lot of ex-patriots in Hong Kong. Therefore, there are a lot of ex-pat bars. These bars typically are modelled after a typical American bar and are always packed. The bars don't close, or at least I can't remember when they do close. I think that it's fairly late/early whatever. Anyhow, there are many good bars to check out. One bar we went to a lot last year was Banana Joe's - that I am sure we will frequent again.

As for the strip clubs, although this is not from personal experience, there are many. However, this is a danger zone! From what I learned from guys last trip, if you want to wander into the dark zone, this is definitely the place to start your journey. The currency of negotiations is in drinks. RULE #1 Never offer to buy anyone a drink!!! That drink may end up costing you several hundred dollars. All I can say is I highly recommend that either Phil or myself coach you on the rules prior to dropping off the deep end. It is common sense that you should never go to shady bars without a "wing man" (at least another member of the team).

The Empire Hotel

The official hotel of the 1999 World Ice Hockey 5's is the Empire Hotel. Conveniently located in the heart of the "red light" district. Needless to say, you won't have to stray far to end up in one of Hong Kong's finest establishments.

We will nominally have 2 players per room. If we add any more players, we will have to go to 3 in some rooms. Each hotel room includes breakfast for two players. I.E. if we end up having more than two players/room, only two will be provided with breakfast.

We will also have one extra room to store our hockey equipment so you will not have to sleep with your equipment. Menzies you still can if it will make you feel better!!