HOCKEY GROWS WHEREVER BECKER PLANTS HIMSELF
Former Saskatoon man has brought his passion for the sport to four corners of the earth
Lee Becker keeps going places, thanks to hockey.
Becker — an expat from Saskatoon who runs a beach resort in Indonesia with his Swiss-born partner, Anna — has helped deepen hockey roots in non-traditional places like the United Arab Emirates and Thailand.
“I’d never pass up any opportunity to pass on knowledge and still be a part of a game that I’ll love forever,” says the 40-year-old hockey enthusiast, who still checks scores and updates on National Hockey League, Swiss National League, Western Hockey League and Canadian university hockey on a daily basis.
“Experiences are always different as I travel the world sharing my knowledge and passion for the game in these countries we’d never expect (hockey to be played).”
Indeed, his involvement in the sport has taken him off the skated path. His growing list of hockey stops includes Kuwait, Qatar, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Africa, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Kazakhstan and Japan.
Many of these places have hot climates, and are not exactly hockey hotbeds.
“Look where this game has reached,” points out Becker. “Really, it’s everywhere … On the furthermost corners of the globe, the sport of hockey has impacted cultures we would never think. I see the passion for something that, while it seems so far-fetched, is desired, achieved and experienced, by, what seems to us, the unknown. It’s unique and extremely awesome.
“Taking a look back at the teams we have played or the countries we have visited, let alone the rinks played in, it’s bizarre.”
Becker — who as a teen spent six seasons with the Western Hockey League’s Saskatoon Blades training staff in the early 1990s — connected with the Middle Eastern hockey world back in 2009, when he took a voluntary coaching position with an UAE under-18 squad.
He later met a pair of Finnish guys who had taken head coaching roles with the UAE men’s national hockey team and Abu Dhabi men’s hockey team of the Emirates Hockey League (EHL).
His equipment management experience came into play as Becker joined the UAE national men’s and women’s hockey teams in that capacity for six seasons. The men’s team participated in the IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) Challenge Cup of Asia and qualified for the IIHF’s Division III World Hockey Championship in Luxembourg.
He later hooked up with Thailand’s hockey. He helped Thailand prepare for the 2017 Asian Winter Olympic Games last February in Sapporo, Japan, and the 2017 Southeast Asia (SEA) Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in August as equipment manager.
Thailand won its first and only gold at the Asia Olympic Games in men’s hockey, followed by a silver medal at the SEA Games, where hockey was an event for the first time in its 29-year history.
“It’s been quite fascinating,” says Becker. “To be a part of this and experience every side of it is beyond amazing. Everything you can possibly think of with being involved with a hockey team from another country — language, skills, knowledge of hockey, etc. — has happened and experienced on this ride.”
His volunteer position with the Thailand Olympic Committee and Thailand Ice Hockey Association is ongoing.
“My goal in this position is to have the entire team feel as if home was on the road,” says Becker, whose teams over the years have played Kuwait, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Macau, Chinese Taipei, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kyrgyzstan, Philippines, North Korea, Mongolia, Saudi Arabia, Ireland, Greece, Luxembourg, South Africa, Hong Kong, Georgia and Belarus, among others.
“If not in direct competition with Thailand, options are open to provide assistance to other hockey associations/federations. Wherever we are, in whatever event we participate in, I’m there to assist everyone. Hockey in these countries is in development stages, and will be for quite some time. If I am able to catalyze the growth in any way to benefit the sport, I will. It gives absolute happiness and a fulfilling feeling to give back to a sport which has given me so much.”
PLAYED IN RAIDER ZONE
Becker was born and raised in Saskatoon, growing up in the River Heights area and playing hockey for the Zone “D” Raiders until the age of 13.
His brother Jason played in the WHL with the Saskatoon Blades, Red Deer Rebels, Kamloops Blazers and Swift Current Broncos. A cousin, Brendan Witt, played for the Saskatoon Midget AAA Blazers before going on to play 14 seasons in the NHL.
“The connection to the game was more a normality,” explains Becker. “We were a hockey family.”
As part of the training staff for the Blades, he formed hockey friendships that continue today.
“We are still in touch,” he says, adding that the “team concept” is not temporary but lifelong, much like it would be for a family, and “can be revisited” in times of reconnection.
Becker recalls going to the old Saskatoon Arena, as a child, to watch the Blades. He has fond memories of seeing Wendel Clark play or going to Edmonton’s Northlands Coliseum to see Wayne Gretzky in action. He loved the competitive hockey atmosphere, the nervousness and emotion of a tight game. As he got older, he got to appreciate hockey at the grassroots level.
“The game evolved,” he says. “It has expanded all over the world.”
All in all, love for this game is based on many factors, he explains.
“Truly, I love it for the friends I’ve made all over the world whom I can call family. I love it for the experiences it’s given me that wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t take the risk to step outside my comfort and explore the unknown. Most importantly, I love it because I know I can give back.”
He has been able to travel to new places. He’s had the time to learn and understand the hockey world with a broader outlook, as national teams try to attain results in order to sustain the sport in a country where hockey budgets are challenging.
“Hockey isn’t high on the list of sports in Asian countries, where other sports are of more importance,” Becker points out.
He doesn’t consider hockey to be a mere hobby. It’s a way of life.
“Hockey is, and has always been, a part of me. It’s a lifestyle, a lifestyle I love. I’ve learned to be grateful every day … Happiness is giving back. That’s the goal.”
MOVED OVERSEAS
Becker had never travelled outside of Canada and the United States before he moved to the UAE in 2009.
He packed his skates and hockey gloves, just in case.
Becker was able to find comfort — hockey — in discomfort when he first tried to adjust to a different culture and lifestyle in UAE.
“You could imagine the culture shock moving to the UAE, and then to think there’s ice hockey being played in the Middle East — surprised would be an understatement,” he recalls.
“Wherever we are in the world, a hockey rink is literally a great icebreaker to get to know people. I found myself pursuing a career path to be filled with experiences, impressions and memories.”
Following his departure from the UAE, he and girlfriend Anna made a decision to trade in skates for fins. They moved to Malaysia, where Becker became a certified scuba dive master.
He and Anna are now owners and operators of Pulisan Resort, a dive resort in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. It’s a quiet paradise located on the beach front of the Molucca Sea.
They also spend time back in her home country, Switzerland, where Becker is sometimes able to watch Swiss National “A” League.
He says he is fortunate to get on the ice many times throughout the year, even though the closest rink is in Jakarta, Indonesia. Still, there is opportunity to play recreational tournaments in Jakarta, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Bangkok (Thailand), Chiang Mai (Thailand), Manila (Philippines) and Hong Kong.
He plays on two teams based in Hong Kong and Jakarta.
“Yeah, I like to spread out the love,” he says. “I am fortunate to continue to play for fun throughout this part of the world. We compete in tournaments in Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines and here in Indonesia. Yes, there’s ice everywhere. It’s the deal Anna and I have. We live on a beach, but I still need to skate or be involved in hockey in times during the year.”
Becker says Canadians are more fortunate to have the opportunity to learn a sport like hockey at a young age. There are indoor and outdoor facilities, youth and junior programs, certified and educated coaches, access to equipment and great talent depth.
“These listed entities are needles in that haystack located in the Middle East and/or South East Asia,” he says.
“Progression comes over time. It will take a lot of time for the sport of hockey to hit its peak in these parts of the world, but there’s always a starting point. It’s a great feeling to be a part of grassroots programs — a program not to just build redundancy, but elaborate on the fun of the game, to see the successes in the individuals come together on a team, at a national level, and represent their country with honour and pride.”
It’s an environment where people you would not expect to know the game have just as much passion for a sport as we do in Canada.
“The feeling is overwhelming when you see the efforts put in to strive for success,” Becker adds. “To be a champion, yes, but success to learn a game, have fun with a game, accomplish goals and enhance skills. It’s pretty awesome to see this unfold in front of you.”
His goal is to continue to assist hockey-interested countries wherever his hockey knowledge and equipment management skills can help.
He does all this with no expectation of compensation.
“I’ve been fortunate in my life to grow up where I did and play the sports I was able to,” he explains. “I’ve had mentors whom I looked up to and taught me a lot. They opened doors and let me learn. As my days back in the ’90s with the Saskatoon Blades, the opportunity to absorb so many aspects of hockey, and the world that surrounds it, was something I look back on all the time.
“I was invested in and now I am able to share my knowledge and experiences. I do that because I know a little knowledge to some, means the world to others. Cultures are diverse, but passion is passion. And passion radiates. It’s radiated into my life and I feel and know how fortunate I am to be where I am and who surrounds me.”
With no international hockey tournaments on the horizon, Becker is back in Indonesia running the resort and anticipating the next call to hockey duty, whenever it comes.
It gives absolute happiness and a fulfilling feeling to give back to a sport which has given me so much.