Inside the Kondos Ice Hockey League

Origin of the Kondos Ice Hockey League

15 years ago Chris Kondos started running his own scrimmages and as a little fun he called it the Kondos Hockey League.

“We started by stabbing and giving young children a place to go on a Friday night instead of going out drinking alcohol and taking drugs. We gave these kids a healthy way and environment on Friday night. We will start our scrimmage from 10:30pm on Friday night at the Olympic Ice Skating Centre, Oakleigh, Victoria, Australia. We would turn around for 4 hours one night as we were given a key to the rink and just locked the front door when we were done. One night we were out on the ice at 3 am. We were hockey addicts, not just any hockey, but fun hockey. It's hockey where the competitive side has been taken away and we can just come out with any skill level and enjoy the game.”

Fast forward to 2023, and Kondos got ice time from Joey Hughes, rink owner and Ice Hockey legend in Australia. Joey played for the Melbourne Mustangs, Melbourne Ice and the CBR Braves of the AIHL (Australian Ice Hockey League). Joey loved what Kondos was doing and wanted to help the league continue to grow by giving players more ice time.

As Chris Kondos explains, “We started in 2023 on a Tuesday night at 9:45pm for 90 minutes. Getting a job the next day these skirts were difficult but we didn't find it difficult to get the numbers down. We would be drafted and run a mini draft every Tuesday in the locker room before the game. We would pick 2 captains at random each week and they would pick their teams.”

After a few months of play, Kondos gained a large following and many collaborators signed up to help bring his dream vision to fruition. He was determined to officially start the Kondos Ice Hockey League.

Emergence of the Kondos Ice Hockey League

Chris Kondos started with 4 teams, “I chose 4 captains, 4 players who will not be called in our other league here in Melbourne, so this was a good opportunity for them to go and lead the team. We had a draft night at the Café at the Olympic Skating Ice Center and had a roulette style draft, almost like a draft lottery. This is where groups were born. The first 4 teams were selected and we were not there. Season 1 had 35 players, trust and passion for the sport.”

After a few games, Kondos bought himself a DSLR camera because he wanted to make the league known throughout the city and set up a camera operator every game to broadcast the games live on YouTube. The product at first wasn't all glamor but it was a decent start. It ignited something within Kondos to push and go hard with his league to provide a new perspective compared to the other hockey leagues out there.

When the NHL came to Australia, Chirs tells how he saw the opportunity to help the development of the league, “Our team went to the La Kings Vs Arizona Coyotes game that was here in Melbourne. I met my old friend, Sean Figgers at the game. I gave him an idea that I want to broadcast and comment on our games. I want to be great after being inspired by the NHL to be in town. He was happy and said “let's talk”

It took 2 months for us to reconnect with the idea and he immediately came in. I paid him personally and he was on board. He is top notch in his commentary and we wouldn't have had the growth we have so far if it wasn't for him.

After passing our lonely DSLR camera to broadcast our games the passion inside of me started to overheat. My wife's strong support did not get in the way, in fact she was the person who encouraged me the most.”

Chris Kondos works with Blackmagic Design who make amazing broadcast products and the cameras they helped set up. With the growth of the league they now have 2 great studio cameras broadcasting the games and a camera in the score box to capture Figgers' (Sean Figgers commentator) every exciting moment. All games are streamed live on youtube and the league is increasing its presence on social media.

Now that the league looks set to start season 4, it has grown by 40 players. Since there were four teams at the beginning it has been expanded to 7 teams and the love that all the players have for this game continues to open the eyes of new participants. Excitement fills the locker rooms for the upcoming season!

As Kondos explains, “We balance all of our teams fairly with 2 highly experienced players per team, 5 to 6 intermediate level players and another 4 to 5 entry level players or players who are very willing to learn.

Balance helps inexperienced players because experienced players make plays with them and involve them in the game as much as they can. We have restrictions on the top players so they prefer to pass the puck more than anyone else on their team.

We are very strong and present in our game rules. We have zero tolerance for bad behaviour, for example tripping, cutting and hooking. We don't allow that at all and have a strict 2 strikes policy in our games. Our approach is that we all have jobs and we have to work the next day so we don't want to risk injury. We try to teach our players that if you are struggling to get the puck out then work hard to get it off him cleanly. Don't let your raw emotions get the best of you when you get hit by trying to swing your stick at them and try to take them down. Use your feet to hold rather than your stick as a weapon. We're trying to stamp our dirty hockey games where people feel safe to come and play.”

Tuesday night has become the most exciting time of the week for everyone. This team has a lot of comments on their facebook page that the players say this is the fun they have had in hockey for a long time. Some games have been played for 10 years and they can't remember the last time they had so much fun. Some up-and-comers develop at such a rapid pace that they are no longer visible after the season and the league. They try to make passes and plays rather than pushing the pack, they challenge better players and win battles and even beat the best goalkeepers in the league.

“We also have some good goalies who have lost their way a little bit in the hockey community down here. They have been able to establish themselves with us as their love for this game is back and burning. The goalkeepers make our games a very difficult challenge because some weeks we can't get past them.

The hockey community that we have created here is something else and I think the whole world should know because it has made hockey so much fun that players come sometimes 3 hours before their games because they are so excited to play in this amazing game. the league.

Olympic Ice Skating Center in Oakleigh, Melbourne, Australia:
They are their home The Khondos Ice Hockey League and they have always been with our league. They are a family run and the staff is amazing. Joey Hughes, the owner, is an amazing person for Ice Hockey in Australia and does a lot for the sport, not just ice hockey but all ice sports. The rink holds many memories for being the oldest rink in our state. It has memories like me and my wife, we met there 20 years ago, we got engaged there 2 years later and it holds so many precious memories for us and everyone who skates there.”