Saving Outdoor Hockey in Denmark

BACKGROUND: Denmark's Frederiksberg municipality is closing the last known rink where ice hockey is permitted in Denmark. The municipality of Frederiksberg is a city within Denmark's capital of Copenhagen ("by i byen"). A year after Denmark hosted the WORLD Hockey Championships, this is especially drastic and hurtful. Hockey was increasingly becoming a popular sport across the country and trying to build upon its impressive claim of having the highest ratio of NHL players per players from one country. For three months every year, when most of Denmark goes into a form of social hibernation and 'hygge', ice hockey was a perfect way to bring people outdoors to merge cultures, community, and share and introduce the love of the game.   

UNDERSTANDING: Hockey is a creative, fast, and passionate sport deeply connected to nature's elements. Outdoor hockey is where this flourishes; its where the game gets its roots and where it's innovation can expand from. Indoor hockey on the other hand is played with coaches, structure, and limited creativity for children. Removing outdoor hockey restricts the development of the game, the imagination of its players, and the passion of those interested to join it.  This is best captured from Canada's 5 dollar bill and most famous children's book: "The winter of our childhood were long, long seasons. We lived in three places: the church, the school, and the skating rink. But our real life was on the skating rink” (Roch Carrier).

REQUEST1: For the Frederiksberg Kommune to overturn its decision with a more public hearing.

REQUEST 2: For Frederiksberg and Copenhagen municipalities to share time of the  current few outdoor skating rinks with ice hockey to be played a few evenings a week and one afternoon each weekend.

REQUEST3: To work with the Canadian Embassy or Canadians to better design rinks to be more suitable for outdoor hockey.

Thank you for your support.

Matthew Gray    Contact the author of the petition