NZL Ice Blacks make history

[phunky_monkey 6]

For sure, the rugby version looks a lot tougher with more foot stamping, much more initimidating. I wouldn't want to go up against the All Blacks that's for sure!

[RecLeagueHero 0]

Alright, what if they do it instead of the national anthem?

[starsfan71 9]

One of the local high schools with a large Tongan and Somoan community does the Haka before football games.

[lampliter87 8]

I'll start a new tradition on my team- we'll all do the Soulja Boi on ice and make everyone wait for us.

[Aussie Joe 0]

LMAO! Soulja boi? If you did that I would do my groin streches with my back to you. WTF!

Congrats to the Kiwis, but don't get too excited. This was a depleted team to to the AIHL finals about to begin. Most guys passed on National Team selection to prepare for their finals campaign. Abit like the IIHF World Champs miss out on most of the best players because they are in the Stanley Cup finals.

The Haka is a great spectacle. I read an article once, written by an ex Wallaby who loved it. He claimed he would never get as G'd up for a game as he did when seeing the All Blacks perfrom the Haka in front of thousands of Kiwis in NZ.

[Chadd 916]

Alright, what if they do it instead of the national anthem?

Are you going to allow every team to have their own routine or just one? It has no place on the ice.

[mxihockey 0]

Thats the stupidest thing I've ever seen. They just make themselves look like complete fools and it's a disgrace to the game of hockey.

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

I guess growing up seeing it with the rugby team I don't see it as the disgrace that others do. That being said, I loved the Irish team response.

The French rugby team when they did it to them (a few years back, I can't remember when exactly) moved forward as a line until they were nose to nose with them to intimidate them back. It was pretty cool to watch live. The french had this crazy haired bearded guy who looked like a complete psycho. It was great

[phunky_monkey 6]

This guy?

Animal!

[Chadd 916]

The French rugby team when they did it to them (a few years back, I can't remember when exactly) moved forward as a line until they were nose to nose with them to intimidate them back. It was pretty cool to watch live. The french had this crazy haired bearded guy who looked like a complete psycho. It was great

That would be fun to watch on the ice.

[RecLeagueHero 0]

Alright, what if they do it instead of the national anthem?

Are you going to allow every team to have their own routine or just one? It has no place on the ice.

It takes about a minute, so grand scheme of things if the other teams want to do something for a minute I don't think the sky is going to fall from the heavens. Sure, it's organized, but I've never played for a rugby, football, or hockey team that didn't have some sort of pump up ritual. If they did these war dances in lieu of national anthems it would save time.

[Chadd 916]

Alright, what if they do it instead of the national anthem?

Are you going to allow every team to have their own routine or just one? It has no place on the ice.

It takes about a minute, so grand scheme of things if the other teams want to do something for a minute I don't think the sky is going to fall from the heavens. Sure, it's organized, but I've never played for a rugby, football, or hockey team that didn't have some sort of pump up ritual. If they did these war dances in lieu of national anthems it would save time.

So anything is ok, as long as it is shorter than the national anthem?

[RecLeagueHero 0]

Alright, what if they do it instead of the national anthem?

Are you going to allow every team to have their own routine or just one? It has no place on the ice.

It takes about a minute, so grand scheme of things if the other teams want to do something for a minute I don't think the sky is going to fall from the heavens. Sure, it's organized, but I've never played for a rugby, football, or hockey team that didn't have some sort of pump up ritual. If they did these war dances in lieu of national anthems it would save time.

So anything is ok, as long as it is shorter than the national anthem?

Within reason, sure. I could undersand why you can't whip on your wang and wave it at the audience, but a little pomp and ceremony is fun. It would save time if they didn't read starting line ups when I ref high school football games, but you know, it's fun for the kids and the audience so why not? If you really wanted to get down to it you could argue playing national anthems at all is just a big patriotic musical version of a Haka.

[Chadd 916]

If you really wanted to get down to it you could argue playing national anthems at all is just a big patriotic musical version of a Haka.

I don't think anyone in their right mind would try and make that point. At this point, we'll just have to agree to disagree.

[RecLeagueHero 0]

What purpose does it serve?

[Chadd 916]

What purpose does it serve?

To me, none. But it sure is hell has nothing to do with intimidation. There are a number of potential reasons to play them according to Wiki, but none of them are geared toward intimidating the other team. Unlike the Haka, whose primary purpose is to intimidate.

[Surf_bum_nz 0]

What purpose does it serve?

To me, none. But it sure is hell has nothing to do with intimidation. There are a number of potential reasons to play them according to Wiki, but none of them are geared toward intimidating the other team. Unlike the Haka, whose primary purpose is to intimidate.

This same debate has gone on in New Zealand. Alot believe that the haka should be left just to the NZ all blacks.

Unfortunately due to the nature that it is performed many think it is a form of intimidation it is actually used in alot of traditional occasions for welcoming people or during being welcomed.

Highschool rugby games involve alot of hakas and it has become second nature for most schools (except my old school).

When i came across one i was far from intimidated it got me amped up!

In my opinion the haka should be left to the ABs

One game i managed to watch an entire school of 1400 boys perform the haka on the grassy terrace while the game was being played. truely a great sight!

last time i checked the All Blacks haka was one of the 100 things to see before you die :P

I guess growing up seeing it with the rugby team I don't see it as the disgrace that others do. That being said, I loved the Irish team response.

The French rugby team when they did it to them (a few years back, I can't remember when exactly) moved forward as a line until they were nose to nose with them to intimidate them back. It was pretty cool to watch live. The french had this crazy haired bearded guy who looked like a complete psycho. It was great

The big bearded guy made a few good hits but last time they came to New Zealand he didnt get off the bench for fear of being targeted.

NZ has much meaner players! =p

[Chadd 916]

In my opinion the haka should be left to the ABs

We agree on that.

[Trippingblue 1]

I don't really see the big deal in doing the Haka before the games, it's a Kiwi thing. Also, complaining about the throat cutting gesture in a game known largely for the fist fights that are part of nearly every match seems a little silly to me.

Again, of they want to do it instead of, or before, the warmup that's one thing. Forcing the other team to stand there while they go through a dance routine designed to intimidate, is absurd.

On the plus side, it saves the Kiwis some plane ticket money since they don't have to send the dance squad with them. Question, is the entire team Maori because, if not, wouldn't it be similar to the Americans doing a rain dance before the puck drops?

Perhaps a Kiwi could answer that last question, since that's what intrigues me. I'm not familiar with Maori/non-Maori dynamics. Are they not the same as, say, First Nations people and white people? Or Native Americans and white people?

[Surf_bum_nz 0]

I don't really see the big deal in doing the Haka before the games, it's a Kiwi thing. Also, complaining about the throat cutting gesture in a game known largely for the fist fights that are part of nearly every match seems a little silly to me.

Again, of they want to do it instead of, or before, the warmup that's one thing. Forcing the other team to stand there while they go through a dance routine designed to intimidate, is absurd.

On the plus side, it saves the Kiwis some plane ticket money since they don't have to send the dance squad with them. Question, is the entire team Maori because, if not, wouldn't it be similar to the Americans doing a rain dance before the puck drops?

Perhaps a Kiwi could answer that last question, since that's what intrigues me. I'm not familiar with Maori/non-Maori dynamics. Are they not the same as, say, First Nations people and white people? Or Native Americans and white people?

Ah yes there are maori/kiwis and european/kiwis

Maori were the people that were here when the english arrived but there were a race called the Mori'ori here before.

But yes the Maori call themselves the people of the land. there were also a lot of brutal land wars in New Zealand when the Europeans arrived as i think happened in every country that the British empire colonized.

But id say it would be very similar, still a lot of tension between some minorities for things that happened hundreds of years ago ='(

European/kiwi's still do the haka but generally it is lead by someone of maori decent. I think most kiwis would agree with me when i say that we are proud of the maori heritage. We have learned about it in school and most of us have done a haka at some stage

[eric42434224 1]

If another team did some pre-arranged routine like that, I would instruct my team to line up and take slappers to warm up the goalie or run some other warm up drills. They can do anything they want in the 5 minute warm up time. If it is done after the alotted warm up time, they need a delay of game penalty. :)

[RecLeagueHero 0]

What purpose does it serve?

To me, none. But it sure is hell has nothing to do with intimidation. There are a number of potential reasons to play them according to Wiki, but none of them are geared toward intimidating the other team. Unlike the Haka, whose primary purpose is to intimidate.

Well mate, you're sort of forgetting that sports as we know them began their life in classical Greece as war simulation. All the events of the original Olympic games were simply tests of a soldier's skills. It just provided young men a place to compete without the blood shed and destruction of actual warfare. You see the same purpose in other traditional sporting events, like the Scottish highland games that developed as military training when the English wouldn't allow armed Scots to assemble. Of course, sports have evolved a bit and there's probably nothing in hockey that would directly prepare you for the battlefield, but a lot of those elements remain. So yeah, the colors, uniforms, patroitic songs and all part of the panoply of classical warfare. In exactly the same way that doing a Haka is part of traditional Maori warfare.

Sure, they could come up with something original. But then again, when the name of the team is the Ice Blacks, well it's pretty clear where that came from.

[Chadd 916]

This is just getting absurd.

[rebel96 0]

Slightly on topic, slightly off topic.

Rugby:

The All Blacks aren't the only team to preform hakas before commencing play. Samoan rugby teams also have their own version of the haka.

Every year the All Blacks send a team to tour Europe and come here to Ireland. They play a series of tests against the Irish squad and some against the provincial teams. Last year, when playing munster, both teams lined up facing each other for the usual ceremonial haka by the kiwis. The Munster squad stood arm over shoulder and I guess to everyone's surprise out stepped the 4 kiwi's playing for them. Surrounded by their team mates they preformed a spine tingling version, prior to the All blacks performing their own. Amazing!! and with close to 50,000 munster supporters cheering those 4 on the All blacks must have been intimidated. Granted the actual NZ haka was something special too.

Ice Hockey:

I saw the NZer's playing in the division 3 world championships when they were held here in Ireland. They did perform the haka. I thought it was pretty interesting that they did and felt it was a nice touch. The way the Irish team responded was, funny to some, but a little poor taste in my opinion. Standing on the blue line, the Irish team all turned around to face their own blue line rather than respectfully watch the kiwis perform.

You will notice that in the rugby clip I posted that the Irish crowd cheers as loudly as possible while the Munster boys perform, perhaps as a form of support for their own and intimidation against the All Blacks, but they silence themselves in total respect for the kiwis as they begin their performance. Amazing how clearly you can hear them. Chilling!

[IniNew 53]

Are you sure they silence in respect, or to reinforce their lack of support for it? If they cheer during their groups haka, they obviously don't want to be quiet for respect.

I still agree that this has no place in sports, unless it's done during the allotted warm-up, or pre-game time. Why this one team gets extra time to preform a dance merely to intimidate the other team is beyond me.

I also believe the Irish reacted beautifully, showing that they were intimidated, or entertained by it.