Sudbury man is hockey's Thailand ambassador

In a city of 14 million people, nearly 14,000 kilometres away from home, one Sudbury man is proving the game of hockey translates beyond borders.

Zak Garofolo grew up in Sudbury and played through the AAA ranks of the local hockey scene, and in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League for the Espanola Screaming Eagles.

Garofolo moved on from hockey and ended up becoming a teacher, leading him and his wife to Asia in 2007. They landed in Taiwan, China and eventually wound up in Bangkok, Thailand where the couple now lives with their daughter, Apsara.

He still had an itch for the game, so Garofolo began playing in tournaments that took him across the continent.

“For me, hockey is meditation,” the 30-year-old said. “When I'm on the ice, I'm fully immersed in the game, I'm not thinking about what I have to do that day, or what I didn't get done. All of my troubles cease to exist for those 60 minutes.”

He was approached a year and a half ago, while playing adult hockey, to use his knowledge of the game to help instill the same passion with the youth in Thailand.

“It's Canadians that continue to promote the game,” he said. “I think there's something in our DNA that makes us want to play and promote hockey.”

He and three others started the Thailand Ice Hockey Academy, which is made up of three divisions — U-8, U-11 and U-14. The goal was to make the sport affordable and fun for the youth in the country.

Despite the early successes of the academy, it still has its challenges, and lots of them.

“We have only two professional-sized rinks in a city of 14 million people, and some of the worst traffic in the world, so it's challenging to get kids to the rink on a regular basis,” Garofolo said.

There is also a difference in philosophy. Growing up in Canada, the ultimate goal is to win the Stanley Cup. Of course, that doesn’t come without practice, but it can’t be won without playing the game.

In Thailand, and in most Asian countries as Garofolo explained, the culture is to practice, practice, practice, and focus on individual workouts rather than team games.

The full text of this article can be found in the latest issue of Sudbury Sports Magazine or on the website sudburysportsmag.ca. Check the Pick Up A Copy tab on the website to find a store near you.