Hockey is a very popular game in the USA, Canada, and many other countries. It attracts lots of spectators eager to support their team, and you will even find ice hockey betting action at most online bookies. Unsurprisingly, players come from all over every country, determined to make history with their hockey action. However, it may surprise you to learn that while there is no national form of the game, several significant players across the world hail from Nigeria. This is because, in part, some of them were born in their home country but moved during childhood, taking them to a country that does heavily feature hockey as a national sport. Here are some of the giants of hockey who were born in or have Nigerian heritage.
The Game of Hockey
In case you are unfamiliar with the game, hockey, here, is used to describe the game of ice hockey. Players wear ice skates and must have a decent level of skating competence to participate. It is a high-speed game, and players use long hockey sticks and a heavy round puck that slides easily on the ice. Competition is intense, and it is almost two sports combined as one. Players must be skilled at the game of hockey which can be played on grass, but in this case, they are sent out onto the ice, and the gameplay continues in a very similar way with players attempting to get the puck past the opponent’s goalie. Although it might not quite attract the same number of fans as American football and basketball, it is still a highly prestigious area, with lots of young up and coming players hopeful that they can make it to the big leagues.
Akim Aliu
Perhaps the most famous Nigerian-born player is Akim Aliu, born in 1989 and a Canadian Ukrainian former professional player. He was born in Nigeria in the town of Okene but then moved to Kyiv in Ukraine. His father was a Nigerian track and field star who won a scholarship to the university in Kyiv, which is where he met Akim’s Ukrainian born mother. At the age of 7, his parents moved him and his brother to Canada because of political unrest in Ukraine. They initially moved to the Toronto area, and his father tried to retrain as a computer programmer to be able to provide for his family. When they arrived, the young Akim spoke no English at all but was fluent in both Russian and Ukrainian. Needless to say, at this point, he had never played hockey or even seen the game in action. However, once he became aware of it, his interest was piqued, and he purchased his first pair of skates at a local garage sale. There was a house league in the Toronto neighbourhood, and he quickly proved that he was a natural at the game. Just a few short years later, the Ontario Hockey League drafted him, and he competed in the first round for the Windsor Spitfires.
Racial Issues
Although at the time, very few people realised it, this set his outstanding career in stone. It was not without trauma along the way, there were some on ice spots with other players, and he saw himself suspended over a few incidents because other players on the team did not like him. Unfortunately, this led to him developing something of a reputation for being one of the most challenging players to manage. Finally, in April 2008, he was able to sign his first professional contract, and his reputation started to be left behind.
Taking a Stand
His career was long and impressive, starting in 2004 with the Milton Icehawks and ending in 2020 for HC Litvinov. In 2015 he returned to familiar territory, signing for a Russian club, which also helped raise hockey’s profile across the globe. Although considered too old to play in the professional arena any longer, he has certainly not left his love of the game behind. In 2020 he was a co-founder for the hockey diversity alliance with former player Evander Kane, and between them, they want to address racism and intolerance in hockey. This is something he sadly knows a lot about, having faced much abuse over his career for not having been born in the country he played. Sadly, even as a mature player, he was still dealing with racial abuse, which he claimed happened several times in the locker room when he was playing for the Calgary Flames. He also shared an image of a minor league equipment room manager dressed up for Halloween, wearing his jersey and showing a blackened face. There is no place for this kind of behaviour in any sport. Hopefully, his hockey diversity alliance will help break down any issues players from other countries and cultures have to access the game.
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