Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the January 2010 issue of New England Hockey Journal.
In the locker room at New England College, which might resemble a United Nations meeting room if not for the sticks and skates, there’s one official language.
Speak English, a team rule stipulates, or it’ll cost you a dollar a sentence.
The Pilgrims — how’s that for an ironic name? — created the rule to eliminate any fractures on a team made up of Americans, Canadians, Swedes, Finns, an Englishman and even a Japanese player.
“It’s cost me big bucks over the years,” joked senior defenseman Filip Bjork, a native of Stockholm, Sweden, and a fourth-year player with NEC, which is located 15 miles west of Concord, N.H. “But it’s a good rule. Everyone has a good time with it. We have one of everyone.”
While the players instituted the rule, and the fines go toward a team barbecue at the end of the season, its presence illuminates the growing international nature of college hockey, even at the Division 3 level. It may be better illustrated at NEC than anywhere else.
Even opponents are aware of the Pilgrims’ international flavor, with road crowds often chanting “U-S-A” and waving American flags.
NEC coach Tom Carroll said the accumulation of so many foreign players isn’t strategic, but circumstantial. He doesn’t take long trips to Europe to scout, and doesn’t have an extensive travel budget or a secret source.
Instead, he said, a few players from Europe had good experiences and then told the next group of players. Some of the current players are also able to recommend other players that the school should pursue.
“At the Division 3 level, we’re all on a budget,” Carroll said. “I think your former players are your best recruiters and we were fortunate enough to have had some guys that had good experiences.
“We’re not going out and trying to recruit foreign players. We’re just trying to get the best hockey players we can get.”
This year’s roster includes three Finns and seven Swedes, along with the traditional cast of players from both the U.S. and Canada. Last year’s roster had even more international flavor – with nine Swedes and four Finns -- and the Pilgrims have had at least one European player every year for at least a decade.
Aki Uola, a sophomore from Turku, Finland, came to the U.S. as a prep school player, competing at Holderness School. Uola said that in Finland, attending college means putting every activity other than studying behind. Earning an education while playing hockey is impossible.
Schools don’t combine athletics and academics like they do in America, and Uola had a passion for both. So did Bjork.
“In Finland, there’s no opportunity to play sports and go to school,” Uola said. “Plus you have the opportunity to live on campus, you live near the rink, you have access to the weight room all the time. You can take it as far as you want to take it.”
Carroll said that the success of current players is reported in local newspapers across the ocean, earning further attention for the American game and NEC in particular.
“If anything, it shows just how international the game has become,” Carroll said.
The combination of cultures makes for an interesting product on the ice, and an entertaining one off it. The European players haven’t always fit in seamlessly.
Senior captain Trevor Turner remembers times where he would call out for European teammates to reverse the puck, only to watch them dump it into an opponent’s zone.
“We got to the bench and it was like, ‘What did you say?’” said Turner, in a mock Swedish accent. “You have to make sure you’re very clear, that you don’t stutter at all.”
Despite a wealth of puck skills, new Europeans struggle initially adjusting to the smaller rink size. With players packed into less space, there’s more hitting and less time to react. But the formula has worked – the Pilgrims have finished with a winning record each year this decade.
This year, the team is 3-3-1 (1-3-1 ECAC East) despite outshooting opponents 259-183. Carroll said that team isn’t yet doing the work down low to score cheap goals and on rebounds, and Turner said part of the struggles stem from not playing physically enough.
While players are barred from speaking any language but English in the locker room, natural languages often emerge on the ice. Uola said the Finns will talk in Finnish at times, while Bjork said he’ll occasionally switch back to Swedish during games, drawing strange looks from his teammates.
The mix has led to success on the ice, where the Pilgrims have finished with a winning record every season this decade.
Off the ice, too.
Turner said having players from all over world has helped the team pool resources, with European players suggesting leagues in Europe for teammates to continue their careers.
There’s plenty of room for poking fun at each other as well, especially when natural rivals like the Finns and the Swedes get together.
Any international tournament takes on added importance and results in trash talk, and the two sides make sure to stay sequestered in separate rooms to make sure passions stay in check.
“Oh, no,” Uola said, asked if the two sides watch together. “The Finns watch with the Finns, and the Swedes watch with the Swedes. We’ll talk lots about it afterwards.”
The players also laugh at stereotypes that the two nations force on each other.
“The Fins think that we are feminine,” Bjork said. “And we think that they (drink too much).”
Turner, who is from British Columbia, regularly tries to get the Europeans to put gravy and cheese on his French fries -- a Canadian favorite -- while scoffing at the European tradition of eating their pasta with ketchup. The European players have also adjusted to a less healthy North American diet, with far more reliance on fast food.
Bjork, who spent his holiday break in New York City seeking the traditional American Christmas, said the experience has been one to savor, and that one he’ll always remember.
“When I go home and I talk to my parents, they can see how much I’ve changed,” he said. “I’ve become more independent, more mature. I think it’s been an excellent adventure.”
Chris Carlson can be reached at feedback@hockeyjournal.com.
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